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How Toyota is trying to beat Le Mans itself

Toyota may not have much opposition at Le Mans this year, but it feels it has 'beaten itself' in its last three painful defeats rather than being defeated by rivals. So it's taken extreme measures to prepare for the unexpected this week

Has a team ever been so well-prepared for the Le Mans 24 Hours? That's a question that has to be asked about Toyota as it bids for an elusive first victory in the French enduro this year.

The team hasn't just been pounding around the test tracks of Europe in the opening months of the year with its already-proven TS050 HYBRID; it has also been gearing up for the big race in an altogether different way. It has been preparing for the unexpected.

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Author Gary Watkins

Gary Watkins has, for reasons best known to himself, devoted all his working life to covering sportscar racing. This season is his 33rd as a motorsport journalist, during which time he has reported on major long-distance events on four continents and approaching 80 24-hour races. He reckons a degree in political philosophy makes him well qualified for covering the sometimes Machiavellian world of international sportscars.

Gary, who also writes for Motor Sport, Autocourse, RACER and others, lives in Surbiton close to the former workshops of the Cooper Formula 1 team but spends more time on the road than at home for most of the year.