Toyota Hybrid wins Six Hours of Sao Paulo
16 September 2012
Toyota Racing led from start to finish for the team’s first victory in its third race with a dominant performance in the Six Hours of Sao Paulo at Interlagos, the fifth round of the FIA World Endurance Championship. Drivers Alex Wurz and Nicolas Lapierre started from pole position in the TS030 HYBRID as the #7 maintained its record of having led every race in which it has competed.
The result marks TOYOTA’s first victory in an FIA world championship race since the 1999 Rally of China. It is 20 years since victory for the TS010 at Monza in 1992, TOYOTA’s last success in international endurance racing.
The project to develop a hybrid system for motorsport began in 2006 under Hisatake Murata, now Hybrid Project Leader at Toyota Racing.
In July 2007, a Toyota Supra became the first hybrid winner in the Tokachi 24 Hours. That pioneering supercapacitor technology has been extensively developed, reducing weight and increasing power, leading to the powertrain in the TS030 HYBRID.
Toyota Racing’s next action comes at the Bahrain International Circuit for the Six Hours of Bahrain.
Imagine the torque benefits of a super-capacitor in street legal vehicles. The power curve of a traditional IC engine would be relegated to the dust-bin of history.
Posted by: EVryman | 16 September 2012 at 09:15 AM
Yes, why not?
Posted by: HarveyD | 16 September 2012 at 11:10 AM
Toyota didn't just beat the Audi diesel hybrids, Toyota lapped them. From earlier comments..
It's stunning.
In 15 years, Toyota took a grandfathered right to manufacture the US NiMH battery invention, but only under 10 Amp cells, and turned it into a Prius hybrid line with millions sold, 50 mpg typical, and now hybrid racing.
Had Toyota been allowed to use and improve their 27,000 watt RAV4 NiMH EV batteries, the world would have 15 years of mass-produced EVs, EV infrastructure, and 15 years of EV/electronics price reductions.
Just imagine what they could do if they were allowed to write-off all debt, reduce labor contracts, and steal $50 billion tax dollars.
Posted by: kelly | 16 September 2012 at 11:33 AM