Toyota claim fourth consecutive Le Mans 24 Hour Race success

Toyota TS050 Hybrid Hypercar WEC's Japanese driver Kamui Kobayashi steers in the lead during the 89th edition of the Le Mans 24 Hours endurance race, in Le Mans, northwestern France on Sunday. Photo: Jean-Francois Monier/AFP

Toyota TS050 Hybrid Hypercar WEC's Japanese driver Kamui Kobayashi steers in the lead during the 89th edition of the Le Mans 24 Hours endurance race, in Le Mans, northwestern France on Sunday. Photo: Jean-Francois Monier/AFP

Published Aug 22, 2021

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LE MANS – The pole-sitting Toyota of Kamui Kobayashi, Mike Conway and Jose Maria Lopez claimed the Japanese manufacturer's fourth straight Le Mans 24 Hour Race success on Sunday.

Toyota's second car, with Kazuki Nakajima, Sebastien Buemi and Brendon Hartley sharing the driving, took second.

After 1,440 minutes, 370 laps, over 5,000 kilometres and 33 pit stops, Toyota's number seven car's trio of drivers finally came good after years of ill luck behind their sister car.

In a neat touch Nakajima pitted behind Kobayashi in the leading car shortly before the finish to ensure they passed the line virtually in tandem, albeit with two laps separating them in the classification.

In third, four laps adrift, came the elite Hypercar category rival Alpine of Andre Negrao, Nicolas Lapierre and Matthieu Vaxiviere.

The two entries from US film director Jim Glickenhaus completed the top five.

AFP

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