Familiar with making history in the WEC, TOYOTA RACING marks this October 6 as the anniversary of one of the most impressive performances ever by a team in the World Endurance Championship. It was on this day in 2019 that the manufacturer watched Sebastian Buemi, Brendon Hartley, and Kazuki Nakajima claim the championship’s only Grand Slam at the 6 Hours of Fuji in Japan.
The trio, who at the time drove the Toyota TS050 Hybrid number 8, were overwhelmingly dominant that weekend. Buemi, Hartley, and Nakajima secured pole position, led all 232 laps contested in that race, and even posted the fastest lap, achieved by Buemi as early as the sixth lap of the race.
The WEC, at that time, was living a different moment in its history, with the calendar transitioning to two-year cycles. Thus, the 6 Hours of Fuji represented the second round in a championship that consisted of eight races and that only concluded in November 2020, ending with the TOYOTA RACING titles for both constructors and drivers, with Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi, and José María López.
A Grand Slam has never been achieved again in the WEC, but TOYOTA RACING continues to stand out in the category. In the current season the team just came off a victory precisely in Fuji, where they triumphed for the tenth time in the World Endurance Championship era. The squad leads both the Manufacturers’ and Drivers’ Championships, with Buemi and Hartley, alongside Ryo Hirakawa.
Since the WEC began in 2012, TOYOTA RACING has been the only manufacturer to compete in every season, accumulating significant numbers ever since. In 104 races, they have secured 52 victories, an all-time record. The team also holds the most wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the “WEC era,” with six triumphs, including this year’s edition.
The 2026 season will continue on October 18 with an inaugural event: the 6 Hours of Barcelona, scheduled at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain. The race could crown the eighth Constructors’ title in the history of TOYOTA RACING in the WEC.
