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Toyota TS030

Toyota has polished up its TS030 hybrid Le Mans race car for the 2013 season. Once again, the machine uses a 530-horsepower 3.4-liter naturally aspirated V8 paired with a capacitor-based hybrid system with an additional 300 horsepower on hand. This year, engineers have tweaked the drivetrain to deliver more power and efficiency while bolstering reliability. The chassis has received a few updates of its own, though Toyota is keeping those changes under wraps for the time being. Fans can expect to see a new aerodynamic package at work on the prototype, and the chassis will conform to new regulations that increase the minimum weight of LMP1 cars by 33 pounds.

Last year, the TS030 won three events over six races, but ran into a number of issues during the 2012 24 Hours of Le Mans. The No. 8 Toyota suffered a spectacle of a crash that saw driver Anthony Davidson hospitalized with two fractured vertebra. And while the No. 7 car briefly held the lead over rival Audi, trouble in the pits and engine failure eventually saw that car sidelined as well.

This year, the No. 7 TS030 will be piloted by Alex Wurz, Nicolas Lapierre and Kazuki Nakajima while the No. 8 machine will fall to the hands of Anthonay Davidson, Stephane Sarrazin and Sebastien Buemi. You can view the full press release below as well as a quick video on the 2014 TS030.

Continue reading Toyota updates Le Mans-ready TS030 hybrid for 2013 season [w/video]

Toyota updates Le Mans-ready TS030 hybrid for 2013 season [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 22 Feb 2013 10:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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