Ukukhuphisana kugqatso lwe-100 kwi-World Endurance Championship (WEC), i-8 Hours of Portimão yayibaluleke kakhulu kwi-Toyota. Ngoko ke, sazama ukufumanisa imingeni ejongene neqela laseJapan ngonyaka apho imimiselo emitsha ye-Hypercar yaba "yiziko lokuqwalasela".
Akukho nto ingcono kunokuba uthethe ezimbini zezona zixanduva lomsebenzi weToyota Gazoo Racing yaseYurophu kwihlabathi lokunyamezela: uRob Leupen, umlawuli weqela, kunye noPascal Vasselon, umlawuli wezobuchwepheshe.
Ukususela kwisikhundla sakhe ngokumalunga nemimiselo emitsha ukuya kumbono wakhe malunga nesekethe yase-Algarve, edlula imingeni iqela eliza kujamelana nalo, amagosa amabini eToyota Gazoo Racing Europe "avule" umnyango kancinci ukuba "sithathe i-peek" World Endurance Championship ihlabathi.
Ingqwalasela entsha? ugcino
I-Automotive Ratio (AR) - Kubaluleke kangakanani ukuba iToyota ibalekise?
Rob Leupen (RL) — Kubaluleke kakhulu. Kuthi, yindibaniselwano yezinto: uqeqesho, ukufumanisa kunye nokuvavanya itekhnoloji entsha, kunye nokwazisa uhlobo lweToyota.
I-RA - Ujongana njani nemimiselo emitsha? Ngaba usijonga njengesiqhelo?
RL - Kwiinjineli kunye nabo bonke abathanda i-motorsports, umgaqo omtsha ngamnye ngumngeni. Ukusuka kumbono weendleko, ewe, kunokuba yimbuyiselo. Kodwa ngokwembono yobunjineli, kwaye emva konyaka omnye ukuya kwemibini yemithetho emitsha, siyakwazi ukujonga ngakumbi itekhnoloji entsha. Ayingombuzo wokwakha imoto entsha rhoqo ngexesha lonyaka, kodwa kukuyenza isebenze kakuhle kwaye iphucule indlela elisebenza ngayo iqela. Kwelinye icala, sijonge ezinye iinketho kwixesha elizayo, njenge-hydrogen. Sikwagxile ekuthatheni indlela 'yokubeka iindleko' ngakumbi, ngaphandle kokutyeshela inqanaba eliphezulu lobugcisa, kunye neemoto ezikhuphisana ngakumbi kwindawo enokhuphiswano ngokulinganayo. Kwaye, ngokuqinisekileyo, kufuneka silungiselele i-2022 yokufika kweempawu ezifana nePeugeot okanye iFerrari; okanye kudidi LMDh, kunye Porsche kunye Audi. Iya kuba ngumceli mngeni omkhulu kunye nobuntshatsheli obukhulu, kunye neempawu ezinkulu ezikhuphisanayo kwelinye kwinqanaba eliphezulu lemidlalo yeemoto.
I-RA - Ngokuphathelele uphuhliso lwemoto, ngaba kukho nayiphi na injongo ethile ekufuneka ifikelelwe phakathi kokuqala nokuphela kwexesha?
I-Pascal Vasselon (PV) - Imimiselo "iqhwa" iimoto, oko kukuthi, i-Hypercars, ngokukhawuleza ukuba i-homolog, "iqhwa" iminyaka emihlanu. Kubalulekile ukugxininisa ukuba olu didi alunamalungelo ophuhliso. Kukho uphuhliso oluthile, umzekelo, kwiindawo zemoto. Ukuba iqela lineengxaki ngokuthembeka, ukhuseleko okanye ukusebenza, linokusebenzisa "amathokheni" okanye "amathokheni" ukuze akwazi ukuphuhlisa. Nangona kunjalo, isicelo kufuneka sivavanywe yiFIA. Asisekho kwimeko ye-LMP1 apho onke amaqela eqhubela phambili. Okwangoku, xa sifuna ukuphuhlisa imoto sifuna ukuqinisekiswa okuqinileyo kunye nokuvunywa kwe-FIA. Yinto eguquguqukayo eyahlukileyo ngokupheleleyo.
I-RA - Ngaba ucinga ukuba imimiselo emitsha inokunceda ukudala iimoto ezifana neemoto eziqhelekileyo? Kwaye ngaba thina, abathengi, sinokuzuza kule "kucuthwa" kwe-gap yezobuchwepheshe?
RL — Ewe, sele siyenza. Siyabona ukuba apha ngokusebenzisa itekhnoloji ye-TS050, ngokuphuculwa kokuthembeka kwenkqubo ye-hybrid, ukusebenza kakuhle kwayo, kwaye kuza kwiimoto zendlela inyathelo ngenyathelo. Sibonile oku, umzekelo, kwi-Super Taikyu Series yokugqibela eJapan kunye ne-injini yokutshisa i-hydrogen-powered Corolla. Bubuchwephesha obufikelela kuluntu ngemidlalo yemoto kwaye bunokuba negalelo kuluntu kunye nokusingqongileyo. Umzekelo, sele sikwazile ukunciphisa kakhulu ukusetyenziswa kwamafutha ngelixa sisonyusa ukusebenza.
RA - Kwiintshatsheli ezifana ne-WEC, ezifuna umoya omkhulu weqela, ngaba kunzima ukulawula i-egos yabakhweli?
RL - Kithina ilula, abo bangakwaziyo ukudibanisa kwiqela abanakubaleka. Wonke umntu kufuneka eze kwisivumelwano: ukuba imoto abayiqhubayo yeyona ikhawulezayo kumzila. Ibe loo nto ithetha ukuba xa bezicingela, ukuba abakwazi ukusebenza noogxa babo, baya “kulivala” iqela, kuquka iinjineli nabakhandi. Ke ukungena ngengqondo ethi "Ndiyinkwenkwezi enkulu, ndizenzela yonke into" ayisebenzi. Kuyimfuneko ukwazi indlela yokwabelana.
Portimão, ukhenketho olulodwa eYurophu
RA — Portimão yenye yeesekethe ezimbalwa apho unokuvavanya ebusuku. Ngaba sikhona esinye isizathu sokuba uze apha?
I-PV - Ekuqaleni safika ePortimão kuba umzila wawunzima kakhulu kwaye "yethu" iSebring. Besiza nje sizo tester i suspension ne chassis. Kwakhona, yayixabiso eliphantsi kakhulu kunesekethe yaseMelika. Ngoku ithrekhi ilungisiwe, kodwa sihlala siza kuba yisekethe enomdla.
RA - Kwaye into yokuba sele ulapha inokuba yinzuzo ngaphezu kwamanye amaqela?
I-PV - Ihlala ilungile njengoko sele siyivavanyile ithrekhi, kodwa andicingi ukuba yinzuzo enkulu.
I-RA - I-Toyota sele ibhengeze ukuba inyathelo elilandelayo liya kuba ngumbane opheleleyo. Ngaba oku kuthetha ukuba, kwixesha elizayo, siya kubona iToyota ishiya i-WEC kwaye ingenele ubuntshatsheli bombane?
RL — Andikholelwa ukuba oko kuya kwenzeka. Xa sithetha ngeemoto zombane ngokupheleleyo sithetha ngomxholo othile, ngokuqhelekileyo idolophu, apho sinokuba nemoto encinci okanye kunye noluhlu olufutshane lweekhilomitha. Ndicinga ukuba ukudibanisa yonke into efunekayo: i-100% yombane kwisixeko, i-fuel ecocekileyo kumazwe okanye kwiindawo apho kungabikho ukufikelela kumbane okanye i-hydrogen kwizithuthi ezinkulu ezifana neebhasi okanye iilori. Asinakugxila kubugcisa obunye kuphela. Ndiyakholelwa ukuba kwixesha elizayo izixeko ziya kuhambela phambili ngakumbi nangakumbi ekufakeni umbane, iindawo zasemaphandleni ziya kutyala imali ekudityanisweni kobugcisa kunye nokuba iintlobo ezintsha zamafutha ziya kuvela.