SHANGHAI SHOWDOWN FOR TOYOTA GAZOO RACING

Maandag 31 oktober 2016 — TOYOTA GAZOO Racing heads to China in a positive mood for the penultimate race of the 2016 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), the 6 Hours of Shanghai at the Shanghai International Circuit.

Victory in the last race, on TOYOTA’s home ground at Fuji Speedway, enhanced the position of Stéphane Sarrazin, Mike Conway and Kamui Kobayashi in the drivers’ World Championship.

With two races to go and a maximum of 52 points to fight for, the #6 TS050 HYBRID drivers are second in the standings, 23 off the lead, having reduced the deficit by 21 points since the Nürburgring race in August.

Anthony Davidson, Sébastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima head to Shanghai targeting a first podium of a season which has seen various misfortune strike the #5 TS050 HYBRID.

Competition is expected to again be extremely close, with the last two races both having seen a top three from three different manufacturers separated by less than 30 seconds after six hours of racing.

TOYOTA has a strong record at the 5.451km Shanghai International Circuit, winning the race in 2012 and 2014 among the four podiums the team has achieved there.

The circuit, located around 40km from central Shanghai, was built in 2004 and has hosted WEC since the championship was reborn in 2012. Prior to that, China was already a destination for endurance racing, with the Zhuhai International Circuit in Guangdong hosting races in 2010 and 2011.

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing faces a busy preparation in China, with Friday’s two 90-minute practice sessions, followed by a one-hour final practice on Saturday morning, to optimise set-up of the TS050 HYBRID on its first visit to Shanghai. Grid positions, and a point for pole, will be decided on Saturday afternoon while the race begins at 11am local time on Sunday.

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