Toyota Commits to 2018 World Endurance Championship Season

GTPNewsWire
This is the discussion thread for a recent post on GTPlanet:
This article was published by Michael Leary (@Terronium-12) on December 20th, 2017 in the Motorsports category.
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Cool! This is why i sold the Porsche LMP1 (in GT of course :lol:) and bought the Toyota TS050 Hybrid, because if i'm not wrong Toyota will be the only manufacturer backed team in next year LMP1 and i like Toyota is not quitting LMP1, so that's why i will support and use only the Toyota TS050 Hybrid in GT :gtpflag:.
 
Whilst very unsurprising, great to see Toyota commit 👍.

However even as Toyota fan myself, I wouldn't guarantee a famous victory for them just yet. Just because they're the only top class LMP1-H team in the class doesn't mean they're given the win (as much as I wish that's the case), we all know how unpredictable the LM24H can be and is.
 
Gone is the separate privateer class, which in theory should provide an even closer fight up top.
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I don't get this blurb about eliminating the privateer class. How does getting rid of a class make for more competition towards the top?
 
MIE1992
I don't get this blurb about eliminating the privateer class. How does getting rid of a class make for more competition towards the top?
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I may be wrong but i read that to say that they will just run the privateers in with Toyota as well therefore opening the field up in the top class
 
eDirtyTati
Pointless, but I'm glad to see Toyota finally get their win.

eye roll
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What about all those early walk over wins for Audi? Got any eye rolls for that? Toyota have been in the WEC every season. They are the ONLY ones still supporting it. They EARN it if the win it and given what happened last time that isn't guaranteed.
 
bscar27
I may be wrong but i read that to say that they will just run the privateers in with Toyota as well therefore opening the field up in the top class
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That'd make the most sense to me. I wonder if we'll see another re-shuffle of classes, soon? Like how GTE was previously known as GT2, and had its name changed when GT1 was disbanded...
 
bscar27
I may be wrong but i read that to say that they will just run the privateers in with Toyota as well therefore opening the field up in the top class
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They're classified together and will run together, against each other. The private teams are getting a lot more performance this year with their cars than in years past. The ACO just released the regulations and said they will balance the cars based on the best of each 'technology'. So they will do their best to equalize the performance of hybrid and non-hybrid, turbo and non-turbo.
 
The only plus I see here, is that I'm desperate to see a privateer LMP1 team win LeMans for the first time in...what...15-20 years?
 
As much as I want Toyota to win Le Mans I can't help but think how amazing a privateer win would be. Otherwise I'm interested to see how the FIA balance the performance of the non-hybrid teams with the might of Toyota's Hybrid power.
 
Tired Tyres
What about all those early walk over wins for Audi? Got any eye rolls for that? Toyota have been in the WEC every season. They are the ONLY ones still supporting it. They EARN it if the win it and given what happened last time that isn't guaranteed.
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Yes. I have eye rolls for Audi stomping all over privateer teams who had only a fraction of their budget. And even then, it wasn't because they could afford a whole new technology that the privateers couldn't touch. Toyota can. No privateer is going to run an effective hybrid LMP1 powertrain. The tech is still too expensive. 2016 was a freak stroke of bad luck for them, but Toyota have shown that they most definitely have the pace, longevity, and the ability to finish the race at the top against the likes of Porsche and Audi; there is no question that they can walk all over the very small, very budget-poor crop of privateer LMP1 teams. LeMans just isn't the race of attrition it once was. Sure, it plays a part, but but if Toyota brings three cars, my money is on them finishing in the top spot. Long-suffering support for the WEC don't mean a thing--nobody deserves a win at LeMans except those who have actually achieved it. Toyota have not. I have no doubt they could have earned a win, but Dieselgate killed the class, and they won't get to earn it against equally-yoked competition for many years to come. The ACO can do whatever they need to slow LMP1-H down to the level of privateer LMP1 cars, but if Toyota strolls onto that top podium spot, it will forever be an empty first victory.
 
TheElbows
I will say, if Toyota doesn't win LeMans...it may be time to accept you're cursed and just save the money.
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Hahaha! Agreed. If you can't beat ByKolles and whoever else is gonna take out loans to have a stab at LMP1 next year, just let it go.
 
TheElbows
I will say, if Toyota doesn't win LeMans...it may be time to accept you're cursed and just save the money.
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That would be the ultimate tragedy :lol:

Imagine the memes:

Only LMP1 team that enters the 24 hrs of LeMans.

All cars break down :v
 
eDirtyTati
Hahaha! Agreed. If you can't beat ByKolles and whoever else is gonna take out loans to have a stab at LMP1 next year, just let it go.
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They'll be up against the likes of Rebellion, Manor and SMP, with all new LMP1 cars that are performances balanced against the hybrids, and with drivers of the calibre of Lotterer and Jani.
 
eDirtyTati
The ACO can do whatever they need to slow LMP1-H down to the level of privateer LMP1 cars, but if Toyota strolls onto that top podium spot, it will forever be an empty first victory.
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The Mazda 787B has gone down in history as one of the 'greatest' sports cars in history thanks to it's '91 Le Mans win. However, that win was handed to it on a plate due to Mercedes unreliability, but more so, regulations that hobbled the old Group C1 cars like the Jaguar's, Porsche's and previously mentioned Mercedes.

The 787B was a characteful car, but never competitive. No one considered it a threat so Hughes De Chaunac lobbied for extremely favourable regulations that gave them half a chance of being competitive. All that's forgotten to history, just like Porsche and Audi's early victories, against lesser competition than Toyota will face next season.

I'm also a firm believer you need to rack up multiple wins to go down as a legend in any discipline. For Toyota, with a new Gazoo road car range, and plans for hybrids, they need more than one win.
 
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SHGTP
...so Hughes De Chaunac lobbied for extremely favourable regulations that gave them half a chance of being competitive.
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This is the only thing I didn't know in regards to the 787B. Learn something new everyday. 👍
 
Toyota absolutely deserves a win at LeMans. But not like this. It’s one thing to be a leading team going into a race, it’s different when your the only team starting the race.
 
Again, lets not get ahead of ourselves, just because Toyota are the sole manufacturer hybrid team, does not guarantee them the win and instantly mean they're going to walk over their privateer teams, as likely as it may seem from the outset.

After all, we're yet to find out how they balance the performance of hybrid and non-hybrid teams, and I'd like to think the FIA would have enough sense to stop there being such a huge difference in performance between their competition. Either way, if Toyota do win Le Mans then it'll be very much well earned no matter what.

But I'm not going to jinx things yet, there's been far too much heart-ache over the years for both fans and Toyota alike. Don't think I could stomach another devastating loss :lol:.
 
Michelin Man
After all, we're yet to find out how they balance the performance of hybrid and non-hybrid teams, and I'd like to think the FIA would have enough sense to stop there being such a huge difference in performance between their competition.
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They can nail the BoP and it won't make a difference considering Toyota has people that have spent years working with the car where the other (considerably smaller) teams apart from ByKolles will have only a few months with a completely new car.

So that leaves one option for Toyota if they want to shut everyone up, they have to run 398 laps.
 
Oh absolutely, Toyota have the upper-hand no doubt about it, since as you mention they've developed a proven product that is the TS050, so the odds are certainly in their favour. Otherwise, as likely as it is that they'll be the strongest of the lot, I just think there's no point in jumping to conclusions just yet, after all crazier things have happened. Only have to look at last years LM to see that...

But yea, I get your point and I still think Toyota will be the favourites for sure. If anything, a strong dominant Le Man performance would be perfect to shush the critics, and if anything the dominance may be a good thing really.
 

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