Toyota to Challenge Audi Once Again at 24 Hours of Le Mans
Last year, the debut of the Toyota TS030 Hybrid didn’t go as well as the Japanese automaker planned at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. With a major crash and disappointing finish the team did manage to close out the season strong proving that it could be a true rival to the endurance racing powerhouse at Audi.
A total of 32 full season entries have been confirmed to the 2013 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), though most attention will be drawn to the battle between Toyota and Audi. 21 teams in total will be competing with entries from 11 different countries which will include six LMP1, 12 LMP2, six LMGTE Pro, and eight LMGTE Am race cars. Those competitors will be joined by other race entries at select events throughout the season such as Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps.
All eyes will be on LMP1 though, as Toyota will field a pair of TS030 Hybrids to compete against Audi’s two R18 e-tron quattros. Both automakers will have to look over their shoulders however, as Porsche intends to make an entry of their own.
The LMP2 will feature race cars from Nissan, Morgan, Lotus, Oreca, HPD- Honda, Zytek, and Lola, in addition to Audi and Toyota.
As for the GTE classes, entrants include five Ferrari 458s, four Porsche 911 RSRs, four Aston Martin Vantage V8s, and a single Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZR1.
“We are extremely pleased to announce a grid of 32 full season entries for the 2013 season,” said Pierre Fillon, President of the ACO. “2012 was a great first year for the championship and we hoped to secure between 28 and 30 cars on the list for 2013. To receive 32 full season entries underlines the importance of the WEC and a great indication that we have created a world championship that teams and manufacturers want to take part in.”
GALLERY: Toyota TS030 Hybrid at Fuji
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Jason Siu began his career in automotive journalism in 2003 with Modified Magazine, a property previously held by VerticalScope. As the West Coast Editor, he played a pivotal role while also extending his expertise to Modified Luxury & Exotics and Modified Mustangs. Beyond his editorial work, Jason authored two notable Cartech books. His tenure at AutoGuide.com saw him immersed in the daily news cycle, yet his passion for hands-on evaluation led him to focus on testing and product reviews, offering well-rounded recommendations to AutoGuide readers. Currently, as the Content Director for VerticalScope, Jason spearheads the content strategy for an array of online publications, a role that has him at the helm of ensuring quality and consistency across the board.
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This is a good picture with Toyota battling Audi. Also there are no Nissan LMP2 cars, only Nissan powered LMP2 cars, that doesn't make them Nissans, just like the Toyota engine in the Rebellion Racing LMP1 cars, is not making those cars Toyotas.And the Lotus LMP2's are not really made or raced by Lotus, they are made and raced by a German company called Kodewa, who made up of former Pescarolo, Peugeot Sport and Toyota F1 people, who contractually holds the rights to the name Lotus for prototype racing. The car will use a Judd V8, but it could be adapted to fit a variety of engines from Nissan, Honda and the Mazda diesel.