Toyota Gazoo Racing presented the updated TS050 Hybrid for the 2017 World Endurance Championship (WEC).
It was at the Monza Circuit that Toyota Gazoo Racing first exhibited its new competition car, the Toyota TS050 Hybrid . After the dramatic finale in 2016, the team – made up of drivers Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and José María López, among others – took on the goal of achieving their first victory at Le Mans.
The Toyota TS050 Hybrid is the result of the combined effort of the brand's technical centers in Higashi-Fuji and Cologne and is deeply renovated, starting with the engine:
“The 2.4 liter V6 bi-turbo block, combined with an 8MJ hybrid system guarantees better thermal efficiency, through the increase in the compression ratio thanks to a redesigned combustion chamber, new block and cylinder head.”
As for the hybrid system, the electric motor generator units (MGU) were reduced in size and weight, while the lithium-ion battery was also evolved. To complete the renovation for the new era, Toyota engineers optimized virtually every area of the TS050 Hybrid's chassis.
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For safety reasons and to increase the time around Le Mans, the WEC regulations for 2017 aim at a reduction in aerodynamic efficiency. In the Toyota TS050 Hybrid, this forced a new aerodynamic concept. The most notable modifications are the narrower rear diffuser, the raised “nose” and front divider, and the shorter sides.The World Endurance Championship kicks off on April 16th at Silverstone.