Driver Line-up for FIA World Endurance Championship in 2012

Tokyo, Japan, November 7, 2011 - Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) announces that Alex Wurz, Nicolas Lapierre and Kazuki Nakajima will share its new hybrid LMP1 car in selected World Endurance Championship races, including the Le Mans 24 Hours.

 

All three drivers will also work to learn more about the specific demands of endurance racing, as well as to continuously develop the car. In the near future, this will include sessions on Toyota Motorsport GmbH (TMG)’s driving simulator, which already features the Le Mans track and an LMP1 vehicle model.

 

All three drivers are expected to drive the hybrid LMP1 car for the first time at the roll-out, which will take place early in the new year at an as-yet-unconfirmed European venue.

The drivers made the following statements;

 

Alex Wurz:

 

“As soon as I heard about the possibility to join the team I was instantly excited and keen to be involved. I love endurance racing and I have been a fan of Le Mans since my childhood so I have great memories of Toyotas competing there, particularly the GT-One which was a really sexy, cool-looking car. As an ambitious Le Mans racer, this heritage combined with the immense technical capabilities at TMG makes a very attractive combination. So I am extremely happy to be involved, along with Nicolas and Kazuki. One of the most important things in endurance racing is the connection between the drivers. If the drivers are working together it is a very productive situation for the team and ultimately improves lap times and results. Nicolas has shown his speed while I really rate Kazuki as a person and a driver so I think we will be a strong team. I can’t wait to get started and I am fascinated by the new challenge of competing with a hybrid car. It is the future of racing so I am very excited that Toyota comes in with this technology. I know Toyota has a lot of expertise in this area and I hope this plays to our advantage.”

 

Nicolas Lapierre:

 

“To be selected by a company like Toyota for such a new and interesting project is a proud moment for me. We are at the beginning of a big challenge and I am very excited. TMG has some very impressive capabilities and, together with the hybrid system, we have the potential to develop a really strong car.

I raced against Kazuki in GP2; he is definitely a fast driver and also a good team player, which is very important in endurance racing. Alex is a two-time Le Mans winner so he is a great benchmark for us, but he is also able to build a strong team spirit. I believe the choice of drivers is very good and I am looking forward to working together as a team.”

 

Kazuki Nakajima:

 

“I am thrilled to have been chosen to become a member of Toyota’s World Endurance Championship team. Le Mans will be a new experience for me but it is one I am very much looking forward to. The challenge of Le Mans is famous throughout motorsport so I can’t wait to race there for the first time. Obviously it is a new experience but I am familiar with endurance racing thanks to my time in Japanese Super GT and this will help me to adjust. It’s great to join such a strong driver line-up, especially because I am already familiar with both of my new team-mates, having worked with Alex in Formula 1 and raced against Nicolas in GP2. I am looking forward to working closely with Alex and Nicolas; I want to learn about Le Mans from them and I hope I will be able to do a good job.”

 

Alex Wurz Profile

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Born 15 February 1974, Waidhofen an der Thaya, Austria
Height 1.87m
Weight 79kg
Best achievement Youngest Le Mans winner (1996)

 

Career History

 

 

Nicolas Lapierre Profile

 

 

Career History

 

 

 

Kazuki Nakajima Profile