24 HOURS NÜRBURGRING
Course:Nürburgring
Toyota’s efforts to make ever-better cars are reflected in the results!
Second place in the SP3T class means a great start for tomorrow’s main race.
The second day of the 24 Hours of Nürburgring has started, with the second qualifying session being held on May 26th. Like yesterday, the wind is somewhat strong but the weather is clear. Although the temperature and track surface temperature are higher than the nighttime first qualifying session, the drivers can be expected to push for even better times thanks to the overwhelmingly better visibility.
The second qualifying session was scheduled to run for two hours from 9:30 to 11:30, but got underway at 9:45 after a 15-minute delay. All four drivers cleared the two-lap time requirement at the first qualifying session yesterday, and so today only the ace driver Takuto Iguchi was driving. Issues encountered in the first session meant that tasks regarding the engine control software, the setup, and fuel economy were still outstanding. The team originally planned to address those tasks while launching time attacks when the course conditions allowed, but with fewer cars on the course than expected the team changed tactics. The mechanics took the opportunity to quickly change to a fresh set of tires, and the team launched several time attacks while monitoring the pit-out timings. Thanks to Chief Mechanic Hirata's well timed pit-out instructions, the team recorded a time of 9:02.157, a substantial improvement over the first qualifying session. This was achieved with a virtually clear lap, which is notoriously difficult at the Nürburgring.
Most teams generally stop driving when they record their best time, but TOYOTA GAZOO Racing is different. The team continued with addressing the tasks remaining from the first qualifying session, such as making changes to the engine control software, fine tuning the setup, and measuring fuel economy. That is because our aim for this project is "development testing". Even after launching a time attack, driver Iguchi remained in the car and did not end the qualifying session until all scheduled items on the menu were complete.
The result was a second-in-class position, while achieving an even faster time than the first qualifying session. For the past two years, gaining a position in the upper ranks has been just a dream. This outstanding result is thanks to Iguchi's determination as a driver as well as the engineers and mechanic's efforts to make sure that the car runs not only fast, but also safely. It was truly a team effort.
Iguchi commented, "Thanks to the timing, tire temperature, and Chief Mechanic Hirata's precise and timely judgment, the conditions were great for a time attack. The car was also fast and handled really well. Lap times and fuel economy are important in the main race, but as a driver I just have to believe in the team and go for it."
The content and scale of the 24 Hours of Nürburgring challenge that began in 2007 have expanded over the years, but our philosophy of "training our people in extreme race conditions” and "developing our cars on the world's toughest course" remain unchanged.
Project-originator Naruse-san said, "The important thing is not to debate about making cars with words and data, but to look at and feel the actual vehicle through a hands-on approach. Racing provides the best opportunity to do this." This philosophy has been diligently passed down to young mechanics through Chief Mechanic Hirata, who is a disciple of former master test driver Naruse-san. Now the young mechanics have become able to independently make various improvements to the way they work. Driver Takamitsu Matsui said, "Although the mechanics seemed to struggle at times during the Japan-side testing, now I'm really confident in their ability to make accurate judgments when dealing with requests. They were able to handle the issues during the first qualifying session without me getting out of the car, which made it possible for me to get back on the course with only a slight time loss." They have made a lot of progress in a short time.
Following the second qualifying session, the car’s setup is now ready for the main race and requires no further significant changes. All that remains is for the mechanics to perform any final adjustments and maintenance. Since the main race starts tomorrow, the team members will turn in early and rest in preparation for the 24-hour battle starting at 15:30 tomorrow.
Naoya Gamo, Driver
This year's car has really evolved, and it is very different both inside and out. Not only have the lap times improved a lot, but it handles great and it is much more stable. Although the car has been struggling to keep up the pace with rivals in the same class, this year it is different. After issues with the car resulted in a disappointing retirement last year, I definitely want to be able to complete the whole 24 hours this year. I also hope that we can compete at the top for the first time and thoroughly develop the car under extreme conditions. Of course I want to win, but what I really want to do is to focus fully on making ever-better cars.
Yasuo Hirata, Chief Mechanic (Employee of Toyota Motor Corporation)
This is the first time that both Naruse-san and Morizo have not been at the Nürburgring, but what we need to do has not changed at all. Although the mechanics are still lacking in many ways, they are gradually becoming able to make judgments independently. I feel that they have made a lot of progress, and they are making suggestions rather than asking what to do. The improvement we made to the car after last year's disappointment is reflected in the qualifying position, but what is most important is how much it contributed to vehicle development. There are no problems right now, but you never know what will happen in the main race. Anyway, the car seems fine so I just need to get some rest for tomorrow.