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Le Mans / ALMS
LE MANS: WEC Pre-Season Testing For Toyota, Strakka
Toyota completes first endurance test at Paul Ricard, Strakka rolls out new HPD at Snetterton...
Strakka's new HPD ARX-03a took the track for the first time this week at Snetterton. (Photo: Strakka Racing)
Preparations for the FIA World Endurance Championship have been in full swing this week, with numerous teams taking to the track ahead of next month’s season-opening 60th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.
In addition to Greaves Motorsport, which ran its new Zytek Z11SN-Nissan for the first time at Silverstone, Strakka Racing took the wraps off its HPD ARX-03a in Snetterton on Friday, while Toyota undertook its first major endurance test for its new TS030 Hybrid at Paul Ricard.
Braving the cold U.K. weather, Strakka’s HPD ARX-03a fired up to complete an initial shakedown, with Danny Watts, Jonny Kane and team owner Nick Leventis all taking turns in the 3.4-liter V8-powered LMP1 car.
Strakka became the second team to run the new Wirth Research-designed LMP1 challenger, the first coming from the Muscle Milk Pickett Racing squad at last week’s American Le Mans Series Winter Test at Sebring.
“It’s been eight weeks since the new tub arrived at Strakka, and the team has done an incredible amount of work to enable us to shake the car down at Snetterton,” said team principal and technical director Piers Phillips. “It’s good to be out of the workshop and back at a race track – and the sound of the V8 engine has put a huge smile on all our faces.”
Some 800 miles away in the south of France, Toyota’s new factory LMP1 machine took part in a planned 30-hour endurance test, with new signing Sebastien Buemi getting his first laps in the hybrid along with co-drivers Hiroaki Ishiura, Alex Wurz, Nicolas Lapierre and Kaz Nakajima.
“From a technical point of view the car is very impressive although we still need to make progress in some areas, which is normal at this stage of testing,” said Buemi, who is making the transition from F1. “I did some long stints and learned about new aspects of endurance racing, like driving at night, managing fuel consumption and adapting my driving style. I can see that every detail is important in order to be fast in this discipline.”
While Toyota will skip the season-opener at Sebring next month, further testing is scheduled for April, where Peugeot refugee Anthony Davidson is expected to take the wheel for the first time.
The Japanese manufacturer will make its WEC debut at the Six Hours of Spa on May 5.
John Dagys is SPEED.com’s Sportscar Racing Reporter, focusing on all major domestic and international championships. You can follow him on Twitter @johndagys or email him at
In addition to Greaves Motorsport, which ran its new Zytek Z11SN-Nissan for the first time at Silverstone, Strakka Racing took the wraps off its HPD ARX-03a in Snetterton on Friday, while Toyota undertook its first major endurance test for its new TS030 Hybrid at Paul Ricard.
Braving the cold U.K. weather, Strakka’s HPD ARX-03a fired up to complete an initial shakedown, with Danny Watts, Jonny Kane and team owner Nick Leventis all taking turns in the 3.4-liter V8-powered LMP1 car.
Strakka became the second team to run the new Wirth Research-designed LMP1 challenger, the first coming from the Muscle Milk Pickett Racing squad at last week’s American Le Mans Series Winter Test at Sebring.
“It’s been eight weeks since the new tub arrived at Strakka, and the team has done an incredible amount of work to enable us to shake the car down at Snetterton,” said team principal and technical director Piers Phillips. “It’s good to be out of the workshop and back at a race track – and the sound of the V8 engine has put a huge smile on all our faces.”
Some 800 miles away in the south of France, Toyota’s new factory LMP1 machine took part in a planned 30-hour endurance test, with new signing Sebastien Buemi getting his first laps in the hybrid along with co-drivers Hiroaki Ishiura, Alex Wurz, Nicolas Lapierre and Kaz Nakajima.
“From a technical point of view the car is very impressive although we still need to make progress in some areas, which is normal at this stage of testing,” said Buemi, who is making the transition from F1. “I did some long stints and learned about new aspects of endurance racing, like driving at night, managing fuel consumption and adapting my driving style. I can see that every detail is important in order to be fast in this discipline.”
While Toyota will skip the season-opener at Sebring next month, further testing is scheduled for April, where Peugeot refugee Anthony Davidson is expected to take the wheel for the first time.
The Japanese manufacturer will make its WEC debut at the Six Hours of Spa on May 5.
John Dagys is SPEED.com’s Sportscar Racing Reporter, focusing on all major domestic and international championships. You can follow him on Twitter @johndagys or email him at
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