A five-time winner at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, TOYOTA RACING competes this weekend in yet another edition of the race, the third round of the 2026 WEC season. More than 300,000 people are expected at the Circuit de La Sarthe to follow the 94th edition of the one-day endurance event held between Saturday and Sunday, in a race that will feature 18 Hypercars in the main category.
For its 28th participation in the world’s most important endurance event, TOYOTA RACING has the highest goal possible, and will field in its two cars five winners of the race. For the debut of the TR010 HYBRID at Le Mans, the manufacturer will push with Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck De Vries in car number 7, and Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa in car 8. Of these, De Vries is seeking his first victory in the race.
Competing under the new slogan “For the Engineering Race”, TOYOTA RACING expresses its commitment to technical development through motorsport with prototypes based on engineering excellence and strong teamwork. “For the Engineering Race” symbolizes the tireless pursuit of technical dominance through constant improvement, without being swayed by external distractions.
Le Mans is the WEC’s greatest challenge, with cars and drivers giving their all for 24 hours, supported by pit stop teams and engineers, with everyone aware that the smallest mistake can make a difference. The Circuit de La Sarthe, at 13.626 meters in length, is the longest, and the only one in the WEC that includes urban sections. The combination of long straights, sharp braking into chicanes, and high-speed corners pushes the car to the limit, especially at night.
“We are all looking forward to Le Mans, but above all, we are eager to fight for the victory. We have an updated car, the TR010 HYBRID, which has not yet raced at Le Mans, so we are eager to see our performance. The whole team has worked tirelessly to be ready, but we know that it is a big challenge,” said Kamui Kobayashi, driver and head of TOYOTA RACING in the WEC.
“As our new slogan says, we are competing “For the Engineering Race”. This means that all the focus of our engineers and mechanics, as well as the drivers, is on delivering a perfect race week. It won’t be easy, but the objective is clear: we go to Le Mans to win,” adds the Japanese driver and leader.
The TR010 HYBRID has been designed to meet that challenge. In addition to a new dynamic look for 2026, aerodynamic tweaks will help the drivers push the car to the limit in all circumstances. The beating heart of the TR010 HYBRID is its hybrid powertrain, developed at TOYOTA’s Higashi-Fuji Technical Center. This includes the 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 engine, fueled by 100% renewable racing fuel and capable of delivering more than 700 hp.
In its first race, at Imola in April, the TR010 HYBRID number 8 took the victory, with the number 7 car’s team finishing third. The latest race at Spa-Francorchamps, in May, was more challenging, but even so the two cars battled for the podium before finishing in the points zone, strengthening TOYOTA RACING’s bid for the world title.
The activities begin on Wednesday (the 10th) with free practice and the first phase of qualifying, where the Hypercars compete for 15 Hyperpole spots. The pole position and the first positions on the grid are determined in two Hyperpole sessions on Thursday, interspersed with additional free practice sessions. The race starts at 11:00, Brasília time, on Saturday (the 13th).
