WEC Toyota Back on Top in Sao Paolo
Happy Hunting for Toyota Gazoo Racing in Brazil 6 Hour
Toyota bounced back to score a dominant World Endurance Championship Interlagos 6 Hour victory on Sunday. The Japanese team beat championship leaders Porsche to tighten the title chase as Le Mans winners Ferrari watched on. Brendon Hartley, Ryo Hirakawa and Sebastien Buemi’s number 8 Toyota GR010 took an ultimately easy win from Penske Porsche’s 963 twins in a race that thrilled with close and combative racing throughout the field in what can only be described as a six-hour sprint race.
Championship leaders Laurens Vanthoor, Andre Lotterer and Kevin Estre’s number 6 ended second from number 5 teammates, Frederic Makowiecki, Michael Christensen and Matt Campbell. Porsche however emerged victorious in LMGT3, where Manthey Rxcing took charge of that title race with another win in their 911.
Toyota Held the Upper Hand in Brazil
The Toyotas held the upper hand throughout, although a technical problem and yellow flag infringement drive-through penalty delayed Mike Conway, Nyck de Vries and Kamui Kobayashi’s quicker sister car. They ended up fourth after passing the best of the revised Ferraris with five minutes to race. The Toyotas led the majority of the race. The Pier Guidi Calado Giovinazzi 51 Ferrari 499P ultimately came home fifth, a minute and a half off the pace. The lapped Le Mans winning Fuoco Molina Nielsen Ferrari was sixth.
The Ferraris also benefited the privateer Button Hanson Rasmussen 38 JOTA Porsche having to pit from fourth for tires late in the race. The 38 ultimately ended seventh ahead of a wild, race long battle with the 93 Jensen Müller Vergne Peugeot 9X8 Hypercar, the Vanthoor Marciello Wittman BMW, and the tenth-placed 36 Lapierre Schumacher Vaxiviere Alpine.
The yellow 83 Ferrari emerged eleventh ahead of the second Alpine, the Cadillac a disappointing 13th after early brake issues, the second BMW, the Proton Porsche, and the second Peugeot, The lone Lamborghini Hypercar and the second Jota Porsche followed, after the Isotta Fraschini expired later in the race.
Porsche Still Ahead in World Endurance Chase
The Malykhin Sturm Bachler Manthey Porsche duly overcame a race-long challenge from the James Mancinelli Riberas Heart of Racing Aston Martin and the Sato Pino Caygill McLaren 720S GT3 to take LMGT3 by a lap as they scored Porsche’s fourth GT win in five races so far.
The story of the race saw the number 7 Toyota take command early on. It however ran into fuel pressure sensor and flag issues to allow the sister car ahead. The Porsches, Ferraris, and leading JOTA Porsche, Peugeot, BMW and even the Lamborghini cycled in and out of the top places as pitstop strategies played out. Racing was fraught all the way with the LMGT3 chicanes proving a regular challenge through the many, fraught Hypercar battles.
The number 7 car then fought back into the top six and ultimately up to fourth as the Toyotas made best use of the medium compound Michelin tires on the hot and abrasive Interlagos tarmac. Porsche and Ferrari used more hard tires.
Problems Throughout a Wild Brazil Race
The 6 Porsche also had its fair share of problems including after contact with the 12 Jota Porsche, which also brought it a 30 second penalty. It only passed its teammate for second after the 5 was delayed changing its tail after clouted a LMGT3 car. The 5 only just held the closing 7 Toyota off in the end. The 51 Ferrari was also delayed by a yellow flag drive-through penalty.
All that has served to shake up the title chase as Toyota jumped Ferrari to move into a close second behind Porsche and Alpine. BMW and Peugeot find themselves in a private battle for fourth. The WEC heads to the US next for the 1 September Lone Star Le Mans in Texas.
Images: FIA WEC
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