6 Hours of Nürburgring
Course:NÜRBURGRING
GRAND PRIX CIRCUIT
SOLID START FOR TOYOTA GAZOO Racing
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing made a solid start to practice for the 6 Hours of Nürburgring, the fourth round of the 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC).
With two wins from three races this season, Toyota is battling for the manufacturers' World Championship, 24.5 points behind Porsche with a total of 264 points to fight for from the remaining six races.
Drivers' World Championship challengers Sébastien Buemi, Anthony Davidson and Kazuki Nakajima, who are second in the standings in the #8 TS050 HYBRID, set the third fastest time from today's two practice sessions at the Nürburgring, 1.110secs off the quickest.
Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and José María López took their #7 TS050 HYBRID to fourth fastest on a day when race preparation was the priority over one-lap performance.
This week, the team has reverted to its high-downforce car, which won the opening races of the season at Silverstone and Spa. It generates increased grip in corners at the expense of top speed, making it better suited to the twisty Nürburgring lay-out.
With two races and extensive testing already completed using this specification, the team has plenty of experience with it and spent today's two practice sessions optimising the set-up for the specific demands of the 5.137km Nürburgring Grand Prix track.
In contrast to Toyota, rivals Porsche are running their high-downforce car for the first time in an official session, so interest was high to compare relative performance when practice began in bright sunshine at lunchtime in temperatures of around 18°C.
First practice suggested that Sunday's race could be a closely-fought affair, with just 0.367secs separating all four hybrid LMP1 cars. However, second practice saw the gap increase as the two TS050 HYBRIDs continued with set-up and tyre evaluation.
Despite light rain in the second half of the session, both cars completed their programmes focusing on race performance for a total of 138 laps, 708km following a smooth day of testing.
The Nürburgring has generated few positive memories for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing since the Eifel track joined the WEC calendar in 2015, with a best result of fifth. The team will continue to work hard to get the best out of the TS050 HYBRID for Sunday's race.
Free practice 1 results
| Pos | N° | Cat | Team/Car | Driver | Best time | Gap | Laps | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | LMP1-H | Porsche LMP Team Porsche 919 Hybrid | Timo BERNHARD Earl BAMBER Brendon HARTLEY | 1:41.612 | - | 25/32 | M |
| 2 | 8 | LMP1-H | TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Toyota TS050 HYBRID | Sébastien BUEMI Anthony DAVIDSON Kazuki NAKAJIMA | 1:41.816 | +0.204 | 3/32 | M |
| 3 | 1 | LMP1-H | Porsche LMP Team Porsche 919 Hybrid | Neel JANI André LOTTERER Nick TANDY | 1:41.896 | +0.284 | 25/29 | M |
| 4 | 7 | LMP1-H | TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Toyota TS050 HYBRID | Mike CONWAY Kamui KOBAYASHI Jose Maria LOPEZ | 1:41.979 | +0.367 | 2/32 | M |
| 5 | 31 | LMP2 | Vaillante Rebellion Oreca 07 - Gibson | Julien CANAL Bruno SENNA Filipe ALBUQUERQUE | 1:47.717 | +6.105 | 2/26 | D |
| 6 | 26 | LMP2 | G-Drive Racing Oreca 07 - Gibson | Roman RUSINOV Pierre THIRIET Ben HANLEY | 1:48.379 | +6.767 | 5/32 | D |
| 7 | 28 | LMP2 | TDS Racing Oreca 07 - Gibson | François PERRODO Matthieu VAXIVIERE Emmanuel COLLARD | 1:48.401 | +6.789 | 4/28 | D |
| 8 | 38 | LMP2 | Jackie Chan DC Racing Oreca 07 - Gibson | Ho-Pin TUNG Oliver JARVIS Thomas LAURENT | 1:48.501 | +6.889 | 4/31 | D |
| 9 | 25 | LMP2 | CEFC Manor TRS Racing Oreca 07 - Gibson | Roberto GONZALEZ Simon TRUMMER Vitaly PETROV | 1:48.809 | +7.197 | 4/34 | D |
| 10 | 36 | LMP2 | Signatech Alpine Matmut Alpine A470 - Gibson | Nicolas LAPIERRE Gustavo MENEZES Matthew RAO | 1:48.987 | +7.375 | 7/32 | D |
| 11 | 4 | LMP1 | Bykolles Racing Team Enso CLM P1/01 - Nismo | Oliver WEBB Dominik KRAIHAMER Marco BONANOMI | 1:49.012 | +7.400 | 5/6 | M |
| 12 | 13 | LMP2 | Vaillante Rebellion Oreca 07 - Gibson | Mathias BECHE David HEINEMEIER HANSSON Luis Felipe DERANI | 1:49.096 | +7.484 | 3/19 | D |
| 13 | 37 | LMP2 | Jackie Chan DC Racing Oreca 07 - Gibson | David CHENG Alex BRUNDLE Tristan GOMMENDY | 1:49.168 | +7.556 | 5/25 | D |
| 14 | 35 | LMP2 | Signatech Alpine Matmut Alpine A470 - Gibson | Pierre RAGUES André NEGRÃO Nelson PANCIATICI | 1:49.486 | +7.874 | 7/29 | D |
| 15 | 24 | LMP2 | CEFC Manor TRS Racing Oreca 07 - Gibson | Tor GRAVES Jonathan HIRSCHI Roberto MERHI | 1:50.166 | +8.554 | 6/12 | D |
| 16 | 34 | LMP2 | Tockwith Motorsports Ligier JSP217 - Gibson | Nigel MOORE Philip HANSON | 1:51.644 | +10.032 | 26/27 | D |
| 17 | 71 | LMGTE Pro | AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE | Davide RIGON Toni VILANDER | 1:57.170 | +15.558 | 4/36 | M |
| 18 | 92 | LMGTE Pro | Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR | Michael CHRISTENSEN Kevin ESTRE | 1:57.307 | +15.695 | 4/27 | M |
| 19 | 51 | LMGTE Pro | AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE | James CALADO Alessandro PIER GUIDI | 1:57.483 | +15.871 | 3/32 | M |
| 20 | 66 | LMGTE Pro | Ford Chip Ganassi Team UK Ford GT | Stefan MÜCKE Olivier PLA | 1:57.618 | +16.006 | 4/30 | M |
| 21 | 91 | LMGTE Pro | Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR | Richard LIETZ Frédéric MAKOWIECKI | 1:57.632 | +16.020 | 5/29 | M |
| 22 | 67 | LMGTE Pro | Ford Chip Ganassi Team UK Ford GT | Andy PRIAULX Harry TINCKNELL | 1:57.939 | +16.327 | 11/33 | M |
| 23 | 95 | LMGTE Pro | Aston Martin Racing Aston Martin Vantage | Nicki THIIM Marco SØRENSEN | 1:57.993 | +16.381 | 3/40 | D |
| 24 | 97 | LMGTE Pro | Aston Martin Racing Aston Martin Vantage | Darren TURNER Jonathan ADAM Daniel SERRA | 1:58.224 | +16.612 | 5/35 | D |
| 25 | 77 | LMGTE Am | Dempsey - Proton Racing Porsche 911 RSR (991) | Christian RIED Matteo CAIROLI Marvin DIENST | 1:59.208 | +17.596 | 3/28 | D |
| 26 | 54 | LMGTE Am | Spirit of Race Ferrari 488 GTE | Thomas FLOHR Francesco CASTELLACCI Miguel MOLINA | 1:59.346 | +17.734 | 5/35 | M |
| 27 | 86 | LMGTE Am | Gulf Racing UK Porsche 911 RSR (991) | Michael WAINWRIGHT Benjamin BARKER Nicholas FOSTER | 1:59.370 | +17.758 | 6/25 | D |
| 28 | 98 | LMGTE Am | Aston Martin Racing Aston Martin V8 Vantage | Paul DALLA LANA Pedro LAMY Mathias LAUDA | 1:59.456 | +17.844 | 4/36 | D |
| 29 | 61 | LMGTE Am | Clearwater Racing Ferrari 488 GTE | Weng Sun MOK Keita SAWA Matt GRIFFIN | 1:59.728 | +18.116 | 7/35 | M |
GET THE COMPLETE RACE RESULTS AND CHRONO
Free practice 2 results
| Pos | N° | Cat | Team/Car | Driver | Best time | Gap | Laps | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | LMP1-H | Porsche LMP Team Porsche 919 Hybrid | Timo BERNHARD Earl BAMBER Brendon HARTLEY | 1:38.663 | - | 2/39 | M |
| 2 | 1 | LMP1-H | Porsche LMP Team Porsche 919 Hybrid | Neel JANI André LOTTERER Nick TANDY | 1:39.629 | +0.966 | 5/40 | M |
| 3 | 8 | LMP1-H | TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Toyota TS050 HYBRID | Sébastien BUEMI Anthony DAVIDSON Kazuki NAKAJIMA | 1:39.773 | +1.110 | 2/38 | M |
| 4 | 7 | LMP1-H | TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Toyota TS050 HYBRID | Mike CONWAY Kamui KOBAYASHI Jose Maria LOPEZ | 1:41.656 | +2.993 | 5/36 | M |
| 5 | 26 | LMP2 | G-Drive Racing Oreca 07 - Gibson | Roman RUSINOV Pierre THIRIET Ben HANLEY | 1:47.188 | +8.525 | 8/36 | D |
| 6 | 13 | LMP2 | Vaillante Rebellion Oreca 07 - Gibson | Mathias BECHE David HEINEMEIER HANSSON Luis Felipe DERANI | 1:47.410 | +8.747 | 23/28 | D |
| 7 | 36 | LMP2 | Signatech Alpine Matmut Alpine A470 - Gibson | Nicolas LAPIERRE Gustavo MENEZES Matthew RAO | 1:47.604 | +8.941 | 7/34 | D |
| 8 | 35 | LMP2 | Signatech Alpine Matmut Alpine A470 - Gibson | Pierre RAGUES André NEGRÃO Nelson PANCIATICI | 1:47.755 | +9.092 | 8/36 | D |
| 9 | 25 | LMP2 | CEFC Manor TRS Racing Oreca 07 - Gibson | Roberto GONZALEZ Simon TRUMMER Vitaly PETROV | 1:47.889 | +9.226 | 27/29 | D |
| 10 | 38 | LMP2 | Jackie Chan DC Racing Oreca 07 - Gibson | Ho-Pin TUNG Oliver JARVIS Thomas LAURENT | 1:48.326 | +9.663 | 12/35 | D |
| 11 | 4 | LMP1 | Bykolles Racing Team Enso CLM P1/01 - Nismo | Oliver WEBB Dominik KRAIHAMER Marco BONANOMI | 1:48.592 | +9.929 | 14/20 | M |
| 12 | 37 | LMP2 | Jackie Chan DC Racing Oreca 07 - Gibson | David CHENG Alex BRUNDLE Tristan GOMMENDY | 1:48.705 | +10.042 | 15/31 | D |
| 13 | 28 | LMP2 | TDS Racing Oreca 07 - Gibson | François PERRODO Matthieu VAXIVIERE Emmanuel COLLARD | 1:49.127 | +10.464 | 13/30 | D |
| 14 | 24 | LMP2 | CEFC Manor TRS Racing Oreca 07 - Gibson | Tor GRAVES Jonathan HIRSCHI Roberto MERHI | 1:49.179 | +10.516 | 29/34 | D |
| 15 | 34 | LMP2 | Tockwith Motorsports Ligier JSP217 - Gibson | Nigel MOORE Philip HANSON | 1:50.165 | +11.502 | 39/40 | D |
| 16 | 91 | LMGTE Pro | Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR | Richard LIETZ Frédéric MAKOWIECKI | 1:56.244 | +17.581 | 2/41 | M |
| 17 | 95 | LMGTE Pro | Aston Martin Racing Aston Martin Vantage | Nicki THIIM Marco SØRENSEN | 1:56.343 | +17.680 | 12/32 | D |
| 18 | 51 | LMGTE Pro | AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE | James CALADO Alessandro PIER GUIDI | 1:56.766 | +18.103 | 26/32 | M |
| 19 | 66 | LMGTE Pro | Ford Chip Ganassi Team UK Ford GT | Stefan MÜCKE Olivier PLA | 1:56.812 | +18.149 | 17/29 | M |
| 20 | 71 | LMGTE Pro | AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE | Davide RIGON Toni VILANDER | 1:56.919 | +18.256 | 27/32 | M |
| 21 | 97 | LMGTE Pro | Aston Martin Racing Aston Martin Vantage | Darren TURNER Jonathan ADAM Daniel SERRA | 1:56.965 | +18.302 | 8/35 | D |
| 22 | 54 | LMGTE Am | Spirit of Race Ferrari 488 GTE | Thomas FLOHR Francesco CASTELLACCI Miguel MOLINA | 1:57.592 | +18.929 | 9/31 | M |
| 23 | 67 | LMGTE Pro | Ford Chip Ganassi Team UK Ford GT | Andy PRIAULX Harry TINCKNELL | 1:57.613 | +18.950 | 26/31 | M |
| 24 | 92 | LMGTE Pro | Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR | Michael CHRISTENSEN Kevin ESTRE | 1:57.685 | +19.022 | 9/39 | M |
| 25 | 61 | LMGTE Am | Clearwater Racing Ferrari 488 GTE | Weng Sun MOK Keita SAWA Matt GRIFFIN | 1:57.802 | +19.139 | 8/33 | M |
| 26 | 77 | LMGTE Am | Dempsey - Proton Racing Porsche 911 RSR (991) | Christian RIED Matteo CAIROLI Marvin DIENST | 1:57.985 | +19.322 | 29/31 | D |
| 27 | 98 | LMGTE Am | Aston Martin Racing Aston Martin V8 Vantage | Paul DALLA LANA Pedro LAMY Mathias LAUDA | 1:58.330 | +19.667 | 15/37 | D |
| 28 | 86 | LMGTE Am | Gulf Racing UK Porsche 911 RSR (991) | Michael WAINWRIGHT Benjamin BARKER Nicholas FOSTER | 1:59.211 | +20.548 | 13/15 | D |
| 29 | 31 | LMP2 | Vaillante Rebellion Oreca 07 - Gibson | Julien CANAL Bruno SENNA Filipe ALBUQUERQUE | 0/0 | D |
GET THE COMPLETE RACE RESULTS AND CHRONO
TS050 HYBRID #7 (Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi, José María López)
Free practice 1: 4th (1min 41.979secs), 32 laps
Free practice 2: 4th (1min 41.656secs), 36 laps
Mike Conway (TS050 HYBRID #7)
“In session one it looked fairly close between us and Porsche but in the second session they looked a bit quicker so we need to improve some areas. We need to find a bit of lap time. We will look through the data and make changes overnight. The target is to have a competitive race set-up.”
Kamui Kobayashi (TS050 HYBRID #7)
“It's great to be back at the track because I enjoy driving this car. Obviously it wasn't amazing today because there wasn't a lot of grip. We will see how it goes tomorrow when hopefully the track evolution will help. We will try to put everything together and get the set-up right for the race.”
José María López (TS050 HYBRID #7)
“I am happy to be back in the car with Mike and Kamui. I like this track and I really enjoyed driving this car here. We made improvements through the day but we need to continue to work hard on the set-up. The competition is strong and it will be hard but we will keep pushing.”
TS050 HYBRID #8 (Sébastien Buemi, Anthony Davidson, Kazuki Nakajima)
Free practice 1: 2nd (1min 41.816secs), 32 laps
Free practice 2: 3rd (1min 39.773secs), 38 laps
Sébastien Buemi (TS050 HYBRID #8)
“The first session looked promising but later in the afternoon we were lacking a bit. We will work hard to find more pace for the race. We know that Nürburgring is not one of our best tracks but we are pushing to get as many points as possible; the race is long and we still believe in our chances.”
Anthony Davidson (TS050 HYBRID #8)
“It was a difficult day because we were fighting the balance of the car. But we did our best and all drivers got a good amount of time in the car; I'm feeling well prepared but we still have work to do. We will work on the set-up tonight and aim to come back stronger.”
Kazuki Nakajima (TS050 HYBRID #8)
“It has been quite difficult today with the car balance and the track conditions, which were not great. But it was exciting to jump in the car again after Le Mans and I was interested to see how we compare with Porsche. They looked strong today but our target is the race and points for the championship.”