Brazil’s round of the WEC, the 6 Hours of São Paulo, featured the launch event for this year’s edition on Tuesday night (the 23rd) in São Paulo. The race, which will take place on July 12 at the Interlagos Raceway, reaches its sixth edition and will see TOYOTA RACING riding high after their victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, held this June.
The event featured representatives from the category, including Pierre Fillon, president of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest, organizer of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Frédéric Lequien, CEO of the WEC, Edson Aparecido, secretary of the São Paulo City Hall. Journalists specializing in motorsport and members of TOYOTA RACING in Brazil were also present.
The Brazilian leg of the WEC is among the most special for TOYOTA RACING. It was at a 6 Hours of São Paulo that the manufacturer claimed its first victory in the planet’s premier endurance racing championship, back in 2012, the year the World Endurance Championship held its first edition. The Japanese are also the record holders for wins at Interlagos, with two triumphs, in 2012 and 2024, across five editions.
Since the first-place finish by Alexander Wurz and Nicolas Lapierre, back when the main category was LMP1, TOYOTA RACING has shown its strength over the years. In 102 starts, they have accumulated no fewer than 51 victories, six of them at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the most wins at La Sarthe in the “WEC era,” which encompasses the last 15 editions.
This year, the Japanese manufacturer won two of the three rounds in the World Endurance Championship, since besides Le Sarthe, they triumphed at the season-opening round in Imola. With these results, TOYOTA RACING leads the Constructors’ World Championship with 132 points, 36 ahead of the second-placed, and tops the drivers’ standings with Kamui Kobayashi, Mike Conway, and Nyck de Vries, on 75 points, four in front of the runners-up.
The schedule for the 6 Hours of São Paulo will begin on July 10, a Friday, with two free practice sessions. Saturday will feature one more practice session and the qualifying that will determine the starting grid. The fourth round of the 2026 WEC season will be contested on Sunday, with the start scheduled for 11:30 a.m.
