Round4

6 Hours of nürburgring

NÜRBURG (GER)

Course:NÜRBURGRING
GRAND PRIX CIRCUIT

Practice

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing BACK IN THE RING

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing returned to FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) action today in the first practice sessions for the 6 Hours of Nürburgring, the fourth round of the 2016 season.

Located just 90km away from the team’s base in Cologne, the Nürburgring is the perfect place to bounce back from a frustrating start to the season which saw mechanical issues deny it victory at both Spa-Francorchamps and Le Mans.

A productive day on the 5.148km Nürburgring Grand Prix lay-out saw both cars focus on race preparation, meaning the overall fastest laps were only of limited relevance.

The #6 TS050 HYBRID of Stéphane Sarrazin, Mike Conway and Kamui Kobayashi

set the fourth fastest time of the day, 0.825secs off the pace-setting Porsche #1. The #5 of Anthony Davidson, Sébastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima was sixth.

The team gave a track debut to an ultra-high-downforce specification of the TS050 HYBRID, which has been developed specifically for the upcoming races where cornering takes priority over straight-line speed.

With these new aerodynamic parts to test, as well as the usual tyre and mechanical set-up work, today’s three hours of practice were particularly valuable to prepare for the race weekend.

Fortunately, both sessions took place in warm, dry conditions, aside from a short shower in second practice. TOYOTA took full advantage, completing a combined 155 laps, 798km, as solid progress was made in optimising the new package.

There will be one last chance to fine-tune the set-up during the 60-minute final practice session on Saturday morning (09.15) before qualifying (14.45) takes place for Sunday’s race, which begins at 13.00 local time.

TS050 HYBRID #5 (Anthony Davidson, Sébastien Buemi, Kazuki Nakajima)

Free practice 1: 5th (1min 42.593secs), 34 laps
Free practice 2: 6th (1min 42.325secs), 40 laps

Anthony Davidson

“It has been productive and the weather was kind so we could work on the set-up. We are all happy with the car on the long runs but I am keen to do some wet running as well because the Nürburgring weather could be predictably unstable. So far I think we look okay and I am happy with the balance of the car.”

Sébastien Buemi

“We had a good day and I’m pleased with the work we have done. This has been the first time to work with this aerodynamic package, which brings more downforce, so there is a lot of data to analyse. Our lap times are pretty competitive so I am confident for the weekend; it’s going well so far.”

Kazuki Nakajima

“The car felt pretty good, especially on the longer runs when I was happy with the balance and performance. Over one lap we can find more performance and get the car working better, but we are not far away. Today we were lucky with the weather but let’s see how it is for the rest of the weekend.”

TS050 HYBRID #6 (Stéphane Sarrazin, Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi)

Free practice 1: 6th (1min 43.635secs), 35 laps
Free practice 2: 4th (1min 41.822secs), 46 laps

Stéphane Sarrazin

“It has been an interesting day. With our new aero package, our car is now better on this kind of track. We did some useful set-up work and a tyre programme which is very important for the race. We are happy with everything. It will be a tough fight but we will do our best and I think we are all quite close.”

Mike Conway

“I think we are making solid progress with the car and we have found the right direction to get the most out of it. We know where we need to be so, all in all, we look okay. It’s the first time to drive the car in this configuration and we are constantly improving; there’s more to come.”

Kamui Kobayashi

“Today we did a lot of work on the car and generally it went well. We can still do more and improve the performance even further; there are some things we will be working on. We know that one lap is not our strong point so we are aiming for consistently quick laps in the race.”

Free practice 1 results

Pos N° Cat Driver Car T Laps Total Time Gap Gap Prev. Best lap Best time Best speed
1 2 LMP1 Romain DUMAS, Neel JANI, Marc LIEB Porsche 919 Hybrid M 34 - - 27 1:41.703 181.8
2 1 LMP1 Timo BERNHARD, Mark WEBBER, Brendon HARTLEY Porsche 919 Hybrid M 42 +0.047 +0.047 33 1:41.750 181.8
3 7 LMP1 Marcel FÄSSLER, André LOTTERER, Audi R18 M 30 +0.200 +0.153 30 1:41.903 181.5
4 8 LMP1 Lucas DI GRASSI, Loïc DUVAL, Oliver JARVIS Audi R18 M 42 +0.451 +0.251 25 1:42.154 181.0
5 5 LMP1 Anthony DAVIDSON, Sébastien BUEMI, Kazuki NAKAJIMA Toyota TS050 - Hybrid M 34 +0.890 +0.439 30 1:42.593 180.3
6 6 LMP1 Stéphane SARRAZIN, Mike CONWAY, Kamui KOBAYASHI Toyota TS050 - Hybrid M 35 +1.932 +1.042 27 1:43.635 178.4
7 13 LMP1 Mathéo TUSCHER, Dominik KRAIHAMER, Alexandre IMPERATORI Rebellion R-One - AER D 29 +6.657 +4.725 17 1:48.360 170.7
8 12 LMP1 Nicolas PROST, Nick HEIDFELD, Mathias BECHE Rebellion R-One - AER D 28 +6.661 +0.004 26 1:48.364 170.7
9 4 LMP1 Simon TRUMMER, Oliver WEBB, Pierre KAFFER CLM P1/01 - AER D 27 +7.281 +0.620 13 1:48.984 169.7
10 26 LMP2 Roman RUSINOV, René RAST, Alex BRUNDLE Oreca 05 - Nissan D 37 +9.045 +1.764 37 1:50.748 167.0
11 44 LMP2 Tor GRAVES, Antonio PIZZONIA, Matt HOWSON Oreca 05 - Nissan D 30 +9.733 +0.688 8 1:51.436 166.0
12 42 LMP2 Nick LEVENTIS, Jonny KANE, Lewis WILLIAMSON Gibson 015S - Nissan D 39 +9.766 +0.033 16 1:51.469 165.9
13 31 LMP2 Ryan DALZIEL, Luis Felipe DERANI, Christopher CUMMING LIGIER JS P2 - Nissan M 39 +9.966 +0.200 36 1:51.669 165.6
14 45 LMP2 Matthew RAO, Richard BRADLEY, Roberto MERHI Oreca 05 - Nissan D 32 +10.630 +0.664 17 1:52.333 164.6
15 43 LMP2 Ricardo GONZALEZ, Filipe ALBUQUERQUE, Bruno SENNA LIGIER JS P2 - Nissan D 28 +10.768 +0.138 26 1:52.471 164.4
16 37 LMP2 Vitaly PETROV, Kirill LADYGIN, Victor SHAITAR BR01 - Nissan D 28 +10.944 +0.176 25 1:52.647 164.2
17 35 LMP2 David CHENG, Ho-Pin TUNG, Nelson PANCIATICI Alpine A460 - Nissan D 34 +11.122 +0.178 9 1:52.825 163.9
18 27 LMP2 Nicolas MINASSIAN, Maurizio MEDIANI, BR01 - Nissan D 30 +11.142 +0.020 28 1:52.845 163.9
19 30 LMP2 Scott SHARP, Ed BROWN, Johannes VAN OVERBEEK LIGIER JS P2 - Nissan M 35 +12.280 +1.138 26 1:53.983 162.2
20 51 LMGTE Pro Gianmaria BRUNI, James CALADO, Ferrari 488 GTE M 38 +16.699 +4.419 36 1:58.402 156.2
21 97 LMGTE Pro Richie STANAWAY, Darren TURNER, Aston Martin Vantage V8 D 34 +16.898 +0.199 32 1:58.601 155.9
22 95 LMGTE Pro Nicki THIIM, Marco SØRENSEN, Aston Martin Vantage V8 D 37 +17.279 +0.381 18 1:58.982 155.4
23 71 LMGTE Pro Davide RIGON, Sam BIRD, Ferrari 488 GTE M 38 +17.795 +0.516 9 1:59.498 154.8
24 66 LMGTE Pro Stefan MÜCKE, Olivier PLA, Ford GT M 29 +17.857 +0.062 14 1:59.560 154.7
25 67 LMGTE Pro Marino FRANCHITTI, Andy PRIAULX, Harry TINCKNELL Ford GT M 33 +18.081 +0.224 32 1:59.784 154.4
26 98 LMGTE Am Paul DALLA LANA, Pedro LAMY, Mathias LAUDA Aston Martin Vantage V8 D 35 +18.246 +0.165 25 1:59.949 154.2
27 77 LMGTE Pro Richard LIETZ, Michael CHRISTENSEN, Porsche 911 RSR (2016) M 34 +18.780 +0.534 12 2:00.483 153.5
28 50 LMGTE Am Yutaka YAMAGISHI, Pierre RAGUES, Paolo RUBERTI Chevrolet Corvette C7-Z06 M 37 +19.052 +0.272 15 2:00.755 153.1
29 83 LMGTE Am François PERRODO, Emmanuel COLLARD, Rui AGUAS Ferrari F458 Italia M 35 +19.187 +0.135 10 2:00.890 153.0
30 88 LMGTE Am Khaled AL QUBAISI, David HEINEMEIER HANSSON, Patrick LONG Porsche 911 RSR M 33 +19.666 +0.479 3 2:01.369 152.4
31 78 LMGTE Am Christian RIED, Wolf HENZLER, Joël CAMATHIAS Porsche 911 RSR M 36 +19.784 +0.118 9 2:01.487 152.2
32 86 LMGTE Am Michael WAINWRIGHT, Adam CARROLL, Ben BARKER Porsche 911 RSR M 32 +19.806 +0.022 23 2:01.509 152.2
33 36 LMP2 Gustavo MENEZES, Nicolas LAPIERRE, Stéphane RICHELMI Alpine A460 - Nissan D 4 +51.036 +31.230 3 2:32.739 121.1

GET THE COMPLETE RACE RESULTS AND CHRONO

Free practice 2 results

Pos N° Cat Driver Car T Laps Total Time Gap Gap Prev. Best lap Best time Best speed
1 1 LMP1 Timo BERNHARD, Mark WEBBER, Brendon HARTLEY Porsche 919 Hybrid M 37 - - 12 1:40.997 183.1
2 7 LMP1 Marcel FÄSSLER, André LOTTERER, Audi R18 M 35 +0.014 +0.014 7 1:41.011 183.1
3 8 LMP1 Lucas DI GRASSI, Loïc DUVAL, Oliver JARVIS Audi R18 M 45 +0.139 +0.125 25 1:41.136 182.9
4 6 LMP1 Stéphane SARRAZIN, Mike CONWAY, Kamui KOBAYASHI Toyota TS050 - Hybrid M 46 +0.825 +0.686 4 1:41.822 181.6
5 2 LMP1 Romain DUMAS, Neel JANI, Marc LIEB Porsche 919 Hybrid M 11 +0.946 +0.121 9 1:41.943 181.4
6 5 LMP1 Anthony DAVIDSON, Sébastien BUEMI, Kazuki NAKAJIMA Toyota TS050 - Hybrid M 40 +1.328 +0.382 26 1:42.325 180.7
7 13 LMP1 Mathéo TUSCHER, Dominik KRAIHAMER, Alexandre IMPERATORI Rebellion R-One - AER D 42 +5.793 +4.465 5 1:46.790 173.2
8 4 LMP1 Simon TRUMMER, Oliver WEBB, Pierre KAFFER CLM P1/01 - AER D 31 +6.333 +0.540 22 1:47.330 172.3
9 12 LMP1 Nicolas PROST, Nick HEIDFELD, Mathias BECHE Rebellion R-One - AER D 32 +6.613 +0.280 29 1:47.610 171.9
10 26 LMP2 Roman RUSINOV, René RAST, Alex BRUNDLE Oreca 05 - Nissan D 42 +7.968 +1.355 33 1:48.965 169.7
11 42 LMP2 Nick LEVENTIS, Jonny KANE, Lewis WILLIAMSON Gibson 015S - Nissan D 40 +9.034 +1.066 11 1:50.031 168.1
12 45 LMP2 Matthew RAO, Richard BRADLEY, Roberto MERHI Oreca 05 - Nissan D 39 +9.279 +0.245 22 1:50.276 167.7
13 36 LMP2 Gustavo MENEZES, Nicolas LAPIERRE, Stéphane RICHELMI Alpine A460 - Nissan D 42 +9.540 +0.261 6 1:50.537 167.3
14 44 LMP2 Tor GRAVES, Antonio PIZZONIA, Matthew HOWSON Oreca 05 - Nissan D 31 +9.640 +0.100 15 1:50.637 167.2
15 35 LMP2 David CHENG, Ho-Pin TUNG, Nelson PANCIATICI Alpine A460 - Nissan D 32 +9.847 +0.207 19 1:50.844 166.8
16 43 LMP2 Ricardo GONZALEZ, Filipe ALBUQUERQUE, Bruno SENNA LIGIER JS P2 - Nissan D 31 +10.472 +0.625 18 1:51.469 165.9
17 31 LMP2 Ryan DALZIEL, Luis Felipe DERANI, Christopher CUMMING LIGIER JS P2 - Nissan M 37 +10.863 +0.391 8 1:51.860 165.3
18 27 LMP2 Nicolas MINASSIAN, Maurizio MEDIANI, BR01 - Nissan D 28 +11.000 +0.137 23 1:51.997 165.1
19 30 LMP2 Scott SHARP, Ed BROWN, Johannes VAN OVERBEEK LIGIER JS P2 - Nissan M 30 +11.062 +0.062 3 1:52.059 165.0
20 37 LMP2 Vitaly PETROV, Kirill LADYGIN, Victor SHAITAR BR01 - Nissan D 37 +11.608 +0.546 4 1:52.605 164.2
21 97 LMGTE Pro Richie STANAWAY, Darren TURNER, Aston Martin Vantage V8 D 40 +15.911 +4.303 28 1:56.908 158.2
22 51 LMGTE Pro Gianmaria BRUNI, James CALADO, Ferrari 488 GTE M 39 +15.985 +0.074 9 1:56.982 158.1
23 71 LMGTE Pro Davide RIGON, Sam BIRD, Ferrari 488 GTE M 40 +16.190 +0.205 38 1:57.187 157.8
24 95 LMGTE Pro Nicki THIIM, Marco SØRENSEN, Aston Martin Vantage V8 D 37 +16.261 +0.071 36 1:57.258 157.7
25 66 LMGTE Pro Stefan MÜCKE, Olivier PLA, Ford GT M 31 +16.464 +0.203 29 1:57.461 157.4
26 67 LMGTE Pro Marino FRANCHITTI, Andy PRIAULX, Harry TINCKNELL Ford GT M 36 +17.542 +1.078 30 1:58.539 156.0
27 77 LMGTE Pro Richard LIETZ, Michael CHRISTENSEN, Porsche 911 RSR (2016) M 33 +17.926 +0.384 12 1:58.923 155.5
28 83 LMGTE Am François PERRODO, Emmanuel COLLARD, Rui AGUAS Ferrari F458 Italia M 37 +18.203 +0.277 20 1:59.200 155.1
29 50 LMGTE Am Yutaka YAMAGISHI, Pierre RAGUES, Paolo RUBERTI Chevrolet Corvette C7-Z06 M 37 +18.326 +0.123 15 1:59.323 155.0
30 88 LMGTE Am Khaled AL QUBAISI, David HEINEMEIER HANSSON, Patrick LONG Porsche 911 RSR M 36 +18.577 +0.251 11 1:59.574 154.7
31 98 LMGTE Am Paul DALLA LANA, Pedro LAMY, Mathias LAUDA Aston Martin Vantage V8 D 37 +18.878 +0.301 7 1:59.875 154.3
32 86 LMGTE Am Michael WAINWRIGHT, Adam CARROLL, Ben BARKER Porsche 911 RSR M 35 +18.901 +0.023 8 1:59.898 154.2
33 78 LMGTE Am Christian RIED, Wolf HENZLER, Joël CAMATHIAS Porsche 911 RSR M 39 +19.675 +0.774 5 2:00.672 153.3

GET THE COMPLETE RACE RESULTS AND CHRONO