Toyota Gazoo Racing speaks out after double disqualification

The day could have been perfect for Toyota Gazoo Racing. A few hours after the triumph ofOtt Tänak au Rally from Germany with the Yaris WRC, the two TS050 Hybrids achieved, without much surprise, the double at the 6 Hours of Silverstone in WEC.

But the joy was short-lived for the Japanese team, since its endurance result was not validated by the technical commissioners, who disqualified the two Japanese hybrid prototypes for a technical inconfirmity detected at the level of the wooden pad of the flat bottom.

The latter was not considered flexible enough, Toyota arguing that leaving the track could have damaged the element. An explanation which did not convince the governing bodies. In the wake of this decision, the latest winners to date 24 Hours of Le Mans communicated about this episode.

“The TS050 Hybrid n°8 of Sébastien Buemi, Kazuki Nakajima et Fernando Alonso crossed the finish line to win the third round of the World ChampionshipEndurance before Mike conway, Kamui Kobayashi et Jose Maria Lopez on the TS050 Hybrid n°7.

Both cars suffered damage to the front of their respective flats during the race due to impacts against the new curbs at Silverstone. Unfortunately, both cars also failed the flexibility tests at the post-race technical checks. Consequently, the race stewards disqualified both cars.

The design and construction of the affected part has not changed since its introduction at the start of the 2017 season. It has since successfully passed similar tests, most recently at Spa this season. The team is now evaluating its next course of action. »

Discover more information on the disqualification of the Toyota TS050 Hybrid in England, in the full report and analysis of the 6 Hours of Silverstone, produced by our special correspondent in Great Britain, in issue 2179 of AUTOhebdo, available this evening in digital version and this Wednesday on newsstands.