24 Hours of Le Mans: Toyota will rely on Oreca

Whether with its Oreca 01, or even with the Peugeot 908 HDi FAP, Oreca has shown in recent seasons to be perfectly capable of helping a large manufacturer to successfully complete a project in Endurance. It must be said that the love story between the French team and Endurance is not new. In 1991, the Signes team was no stranger to the Sarthe triumph of Mazda (already a Japanese manufacturer). Subsequently, it was chosen by Chrysler to defend its colors. With success, the Var Viper GTS-Rs dominated the GTS (then GT1) category in the four corners of the planet, and in particular in 24 Hours of Le Mans. Last year, when Peugeot decided to entrust one of its lionesses to Hughes de Chaunac's troops, the latter showed that they had nothing to envy of the "factories", as proven by the double lap record of ?clock manceau 2010 (thanks to Loïc duval), this year's triumph at the 12 Hours of Sebring with the trio Loïc Duval-Nicolas lapierre-Olivier Panis, and finally second place at Petit Le Mans.

Toyota, qui a décidé de revenir en Endurance l’an prochain avec une voiture à motorisation essence-hybride (voir here), therefore chose to rely on Oreca for its return to the discipline. As a reminder, the Japanese giant will be present next year at the start of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and a few rounds of the new FIA World Endurance Championship.

“It’s a very big day for Oreca, underlines President Hugues de Chaunac. Having been selected by Toyota Motorsport GmbH is a fantastic reward for the work carried out over several years. Oreca has proven its worth at the highest level of endurance racing, winning the 12 2011 Hours of Sebring and finishing three consecutive times in the Top 5 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Thanks to its know-how, Oreca now has the opportunity to work with the largest automobile manufacturer on a particularly exciting project. We are proud to take on such a challenge alongside Toyota Motorsport GmbH and we look forward to such an exciting challenge. » The French team, whose premises are located near the Paul-Ricard circuit, will provide its support to the TMG operating team, with this partnership beginning in the coming weeks.

Find everything you need to know about Toyota's return to Endurance in your AUTOhebdo magazine n°1827, including an exclusive interview with Pascal Vasselon, President of Toyota Motorsport GmbH.