Toyota TS010

The Toyota TS010 was a prototype, which was developed in 1991 by Toyota for sports car racing.

Development history and technology

When the TS010 was constructed, Toyota had already several years in Rennsportwagenbau behind. With the Toyota 90C - V 1990 had Geoff Lees, Hitoshi Ogawa, Masanori Sekiya and achieved sixth place in the overall standings in the 24- hour race at Le Mans. When the FIA 1992 approved a new technical regulations for the race of the World Sportscar Championship, Toyota was the last car manufacturer who built a racing car for this new racing concept. Under the influence of the Formula 1 organizer Bernie Ecclestone, the FIA ​​wanted to move the automobile manufacturers Toyota, Mercedes -Benz, Peugeot, Jaguar and Porsche to switch from the World Sportscar Championship in Formula 1. That this would lead to the end of the great sports car racing, has been taken into account. Therefore, the new technical rules corresponded almost to the rules of Formula 1 critic described the new prototypes as Formula 1 cars with bodywork. Toyota works driver Andy Wallace was at test drive the TS010 end of 1991 at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza faster than Ayrton Senna with the McLaren MP4 / 6 at the Grand Prix of Italy 1991. Andy Wallace reported after the test drives that the contact pressure in the high gears enormously had.

In developing the TS010 Toyota took a different way than previous prototypes. So far, always Japanese technicians had the cars designed for the construction of the TS010 but the Briton Tony Southgate was committed. Southgate had gained considerable experience in the construction of Formula 1 racing cars and developed in recent years, the Jaguar XJR prototypes. Toyota built a new 3.5-liter V10 engine and took this inspiration from the Renault and Ferrari Formula 1 engines. As these engines had the Toyota aggregate five valves per cylinder and an inclination angle of 72 degrees.

Southgate built a car at the weight limit of 750 kg, with a nearly 700 -hp engine, a power to weight ratio of 0.8 hp per 1 kg resulted. The monocoque was clad in carbon fiber and the rear wheels to improve aerodynamics by covers. The g - force was very high in fast corners with 5 g.

Racing history

His racing debut in the TS010 in the 430 - km race at Auto Polis 1991. The race was the eighth championship round and the final event of the World Sportscar Championship in 1991. The race was so far well chosen, since the World Cup was indeed long been decided, with the factory team from Jaguar, Peugeot, Clean and Mazdaspeed but the main group C teams were at the start. For this, the customer Porsche 962 came this strong competition made ​​it possible Toyota to pull a first comparison with the own prototypes. Dangers was the car of the two experienced British sports car drivers Geoff Lees and Andy Wallace. After the race, followed by disillusionment. It was obvious that against major competitors considerably development work was to be paid. Although Geoff Lees and Andy Wallace reached the sixth place in the standings, had the goal but only three laps behind the Mercedes -Benz C291 by Michael Schumacher and Karl Wendlinger. Even Jaguar and Peugeot placed their cars in the Toyota factory. Leave behind you could see the two Mazda 787B and some Porsche 962

At the first race of the World Sportscar Championship in 1992 followed by extensive testing of the first race win. Jaguar and Sauber had finished their sports car programs. Jaguar had withdrawn completely from motorsport and Sauber prepared to enter the Formula 1 World Championship in 1993. As an opponent Peugeot remained a further stage of development of the Peugeot 905 and Mazdaspeed. In the 500 - km race at Monza won Geoff Lees and Hitoshi Ogawa Japanese before the Peugeot of Derek Warwick, Yannick Dalmas and. However, in this race only two vehicles came in the standings. The second TS010, driven by Jan Lammers and Andy Wallace, failed after an accident. How close the Group C cars were already approached the speed of the Formula 1 single-seater, one could refer to the fact that driven by Derek Warwick pole position time of 1.26,019 minutes was faster than the fastest race lap by Nigel Mansell in the Williams FW14B the Grand Prix of Italy in the late summer of the year. Mansell drove a time of 1.26,119 minutes. In the qualification of the Italian Grand Prix Mansell drove though a significantly faster time of 1.22,221 minutes, but had Warwick 's enough time to qualify for the 23 starting position in the F1 field!

In the second race of the season, the 500 - km race at Silverstone, there was no finish line for both reported Trailer. The car of Jan Lamb and Andy Wallace had already after nine rounds an engine failure, and the vehicle by Geoff Lees and Hitoshi Ogawa stopped after 55 laps damage to the electrical system.

The highlight of the season was the 24 - hour race at Le Mans, where Toyota was with three cars at the start. The car with the start number 7 drove Geoff Lees, David Brabham and Ukyo Katayama. In the TS010 with the number 8 sat with Jan Lamb and Andy Wallace, the Italian Teo Fabi. The third car with the number 9 drove Pierre -Henri Raphanel, Kenny Acheson and Masanori Sekiya. While the number 7 failed with engine damage and the car overall came up with the number 8 after a few unplanned pit stops in eighth place finish, the car reached the number 9 second overall, beaten only by the Peugeot 905 of Derek Warwick, Yannick Dalmas and Mark Blundell.

This was followed by a third place at the 500 - km race at Donington and a second place overall at the 1000 km race at Suzuka. The second win of the season there was the 1000- km race at Fuji, a race of the Japanese Sports Car Championship. In so far last race of the World Sportscar Championship, the 500 - km race at Magny -Cours, Geoff Lees and Jan Lamb occupied the third place. Andy Wallace and David Brabham were fourth.

After the end of World Sportscar Championship in 1993, the commitment was limited to the 24 - hour race at Le Mans. Again there were three works cars at the start. The car with the number 36 piloted by Eddie Irvine, Toshio Suzuki and Masanori Sekiya to the fourth place overall. The car of Pierre -Henri Raphanel, Andy Wallace and Kenny Acheson retired with gearbox failure and Geoff Lees Jan Lamb, Juan Manuel Fangio II classified at the eighth position of the final score. With this race the TS010 project ended. Toyota did not return until 1998 with the GT -One to Le Mans.

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