Lapierre: “We are making progress on the Toyota”

From last Wednesday to Friday, Toyota Motorsport was hard at work on the Castellet circuit to carry out a 30-hour simulation. A test which, according to Pascal Vasselon, the technical director, did not take place without some problems (see the article here). But who, in the opinion of one of its pilots, Nicolas lapierre, was very instructive in anticipation of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. " I both carried out development and participated in the endurance test, explains the Frenchman. I think that for a first long distance simulation with the Toyota TS030 Hybrid, it?s rather positive. We were able to see how the car reacted under different conditions, such as a cold track at night, which can happen at Le Mans. The car behaved well in these conditions, which is not always easy here. Our package is evolving and improving: we have resolved certain problems, corrected small details. Generally speaking, we are making progress “, he certified.

Kazuki Nakijama, who will be one of his teammates with Alex Wurz, and who is a beginner in this discipline, was for his part able to enrich his experience. “ The test generally went well. This is the first time that I participated in such an endurance simulation and it allowed us to prepare in conditions close to the race, confides the Japanese. We had to drive in very cool conditions, but the tires still performed well. I completed many relays so my day was very busy and we were able to accumulate the kilometers with the car. We have a good base, with great potential, but we now have to work on the details and develop some parameters. We are heading in the right direction and things continue to go well. » The Japanese manufacturer will now focus on the preparation and development of its package in preparation for the 6 Hours of Spa, the prototype's first racing outing, on May 4 and 5.