Le Mans (AFP)
At last !
Unlucky in 2017, 2019 and 2020, the Toyota N.7 of Briton Mike Conway, Japanese Kamui Kobayashi and Argentinian José Maria Lopez ended up winning the 89th 24 Hours of Le Mans in front of 50,000 spectators on Sunday, despite a big fright.
Back in the early morning: the team spotted a problem preventing the fuel tank of its sister car, the N.8 from being used at full capacity, three times in the race, which placed second after having also suffered a collision at the first corner.
"When it happened, we really believed we weren't going to finish," recalls Toyota technical director Pascal Vasselon.
The tears in his voice after the double do not deceive.
However, during the race, they did not show anything.
"We couldn't change the parts because it would have taken too long, continues Vasselon. So we tried otherwise and we got there."
The solution: ask pilots to push a series of buttons on the steering wheel with each braking, lap after lap, for hours!
The N.8 serves as a "guinea pig", in the words of New Zealander Brendon Hartley, allowing the N.7, author of pole position, to keep control of the race when the problem touches it in turn.
"It wasn't easy, we tried to maximize what we could do to survive and we did it. It's a bit unreal," Kobayashi reacts.
"Often, the 24 Hours of Le Mans brought us nothing but bad luck, but today we win. It's great!"
The Toyota N.7, driven by the Japanese Kamui Kobayashi, surrounded by his teammates the Argentinian José Maria Lopez and the Briton Mike Conway (r), after the victory at the 24 hours of Le Mans, August 22, 2021 Jean-Francois MONIER AFP
From Conway's shoulders, it's "a weight that comes off."
- Without competition -
The two other manufacturers entered in the new premier class of Hypercars, Alpine (third) and Glickenhaus (fourth and fifth), failed to put the favorites under pressure.
They did not benefit, either, from this reliability problem that one would expect from a car inaugurated in 2021.
Without a major manufacturer as a competitor, Toyota has won Le Mans every year since 2018, i.e. four consecutive victories.
Next year, the Japanese brand will be opposed to Peugeot, then to Ferrari, Porsche or even Audi in 2023.
The director of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Patrick Morisseau waves the checkered flag, after the victory of the Toyota n ° 7, driven by the Japanese Kamui Kobayashi, in front of the other Toyota n ° 8, driven by the Japanese Kazuki Nakajima, the 22 August 2021 JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER AFP
Will this trial run help him, knowing that the regulations allow the car to be fine-tuned but not to make it evolve?
For Vasselon, it is too early to say.
"It's an advantage to be ready before the others because we can improve our consideration of regulations and organize the team around," he said.
"On the other hand, our future competitors are watching us, they will learn something and have the time to put it into their cars."
Outclassed in pure performance, the Alpine N.36 - entered in the premier class with an old adapted LMP1 and not a new Hypercar - wanted to "attack" and "put pressure" on the Toyota to push them into error.
After a spin on Frenchman Nicolas Lapierre in the third round and an off-track by compatriot Matthieu Vaxiviere shortly after 11:00 p.m. on Saturday, she was not in a position to do so.
The Alpine A480 n ° 36, driven by Frenchman Matthieu Vaxivière, on August 22, 2021 during the 24 Hours of Le Mans, JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER AFP
The French team, which we are waiting to see if they will continue the adventure in the years to come, nonetheless brightened up a somewhat dreary race on Sunday morning by brawling with the Glickenhaus N. 708
- Cruel end in LMP2 -
For the small American manufacturer, who was only competing in his third endurance race, the first on the Sarthe circuit, to finish at the foot of the podium is a feat.
The Glickenhaus n ° 738, driven by Frenchman Olivier Pla, during the 1st practice session of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, August 18, 2021 Jean-Francois MONIER AFP / Archives
In LMP2, Team WRT won with only 727/1000 in advance for the Oreca N.31, but missed the double after the cruel stop on the track of the N.41 three minutes from the finish at 4:00 p.m.!
In LMGTE Pro and Am, victories for Ferraris N.51 and N.83.
The N.84 car, entrusted to two paraplegic drivers, the Japanese Takuma Aoki and the Belgian Nigel Bailly, finished 32nd.
The World Auto Endurance Championship (WEC) will end its 2021 season with two races in Bahrain, one at 6 a.m. on October 30 and the other at 8 a.m. on November 6.
The next 24 Hours of Le Mans should return to their usual date, June 11 and 12, 2022.
© 2021 AFP