page_title: Toyota TS040 Hybrid
section_title: 2015
hierarchical_section_title: Toyota TS040 Hybrid / Racing history / 2015
caption_attribution_description: That was quite a nice view I was able to get a shot of. SOme kind of a double blue flag. As the Morgan evo (LMP2) was overtaking an Aston Martin V8 Vantage (LMGTE AM) he had to go out of the way for the Toyota TS040 (LMP1). It was really nice to see this happening and I'm glad I managed to get a shot of this action.
context_page_description: The Toyota TS040 Hybrid is a Le Mans Prototype 1 sports car built and used by Toyota Motorsport GmbH in the 2014 and 2015 seasons of the FIA World Endurance Championship. Work on the car's design began in November 2012, when the Automobile Club de l'Ouest published its 2014 technical regulations and Toyota utilised its resources after the 2013 24 Hours of Le Mans. The car is an aerodynamic improvement on its predecessor, the TS030 Hybrid, and its design allowed four-wheel drive. It has two kinetic energy recovery system regenerative-braking devices at the front and rear axles to charge a supercapacitor and, in accordance with the 2014 regulations, was placed in the 6 MJ class. The TS040's engine was carried over from the TS030; its displacement was increased from 3.4 l to 3.7 l for better efficiency, producing 513 horsepower to the rear wheels.
  The TS040 was shown to the press for the first time at the 26 March preseason test session at Circuit Paul Ricard, and was driven 25,000 km before the start of the 2014 season. Toyota supplied two cars, driven by six drivers, for the season.
context_section_description: The 2015 TS040 Hybrid was introduced at the Circuit Paul Ricard on 26 March, after 25,000 km (16,000 mi) of testing at the Ciudad del Motor de Aragón and the Algarve International Circuit. There were two driver changes, as Nakajima moved to the renumbered No. 1 TS040 full-time (after leaving Super GT) and Conway was promoted to a full-time spot in the No. 2 car. Former Formula One racer Kamui Kobayashi was signed as Toyota's reserve driver, and Lapierre became the team's test driver. At the season-opening 6 Hours of Silverstone, Davidson and Nakajima qualified the No. 1 car in fourth position, and Sarrazin and Conway placed the sister No. 2 car in sixth. Toyota were briefly first and second, challenging rivals Audi and Porsche before the No. 1 car finished fifteen seconds behind the No. 7 Audi of Marcel Fässler, Lotterer and Benoit Treluyer. The No. 2 car finished fourth; Conway had to enter the pit lane for a nose-cone change after running over a thin trackside bollard while lapping the No. 50 Larbre Compétition Chevrolet Corvette C7.R at Becketts corner.
  During practice for the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, Nakajima collided heavily with the back of Oliver Jarvis's No. 8 Audi on the Kemmel Straight due to spray-impaired visibility and broke his back. He was not replaced by Kobayashi because the latter was unavailable, and Buemi and Davidson drove the No. 1 TS040 as a two-person entry. Starting in sixth place, they held fifth until Duval and di Grassi passed them; Conway and Sarrazin qualified in seventh. Both cars lacked the Audis' and Porsches' speed; the No. 2 car finished fifth, and the No. 1 car finished eighth with throttle and electrical problems. Nakajima was cleared by FIA medical delegate Jacques Tropenat to participate in the 24 Hours of Le Mans test day on 30 May, and was announced as taking part in the race four days later. In its three qualifying sessions, Sarrazin put the No. 2 car seventh; the No. 1 entry, driven by Nakajima, took eighth in the first session. None of Toyota's drivers improved their respective car's times in the later sessions.
  Toyota could not match Audi and Porsche's race pace, despite being more than two seconds per lap faster than in 2014. Davidson damaged the front right corner of the No. 1 car when he made contact with a Ferrari he was lapping (affecting its handling), and had another minor collision soon after. A thirteen-minute pit stop for replacement front and rear bodywork and the installation of a new left-rear suspension dropped him five laps behind the leader, and the car finished eighth. The No. 2 car passed the No. 9 Audi (when it had technical problems in the final hours) to finish sixth. Buemi and Davidson were nominated to drive the No. 1 TS040 to qualify for the inaugural 6 Hours of Nürburgring as part of the World Endurance Championship and placed fifth, with Wurz and Sarrazin starting from sixth. Both cars again could not match Audi and Porsche's pace, finishing three and four laps behind for fifth and sixth place.
  In qualifying for the 6 Hours of Circuit of the Americas, Buemi and Davidson's No. 1 car narrowly clinched fifth place ahead of teammates Sarrazin and Conway in the No. 2 car. Buemi briefly moved to fourth place on the opening lap, with Wurz fifth. Davidson later relieved Buemi, but incurred a stop-and-go penalty for missing the pit-lane entry and narrowly avoided running out of fuel. After a 12-minute full-course yellow when an LMP2 car crashed, Conway spun to avoid hitting slower LMGTE traffic he was lapping. He soon lost control of the No. 2 car on turn eleven kerbing while going past slower cars, and retired after a heavy impact with the barrier. Nakajima later drove the No. 1 car to fourth after the No. 18  Porsche experienced technical problems. Buemi and Nakajima qualified fifth, and Sarrazin and Conway took sixth for the 6 Hours of Fuji. Changeable weather conditions in the race's first two hours allowed Toyota to challenge Audi and Porsche until they were distanced. Sarrazin hit the No. 88 Abu Dhabi-Proton Racing Porsche 911 RSR in the third hour,
caption: The No. 2 TS040 lapping competitors at the 2015 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps
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