Toyota Gazoo Racing wins 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps

Toyota Gazoo Racing won the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps of the 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) season.

Steering the #7 the GR010 Hybrid to victory were Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and José María López. The three have to overcome the strong challenge from Hypercar competitors and infamous Ardennes weather two win the round of the 2022 season, which is the final event before the Le Mans 24 Hours.

The latest triumph was the team’s sixth at Spa-Francorchamps with the #7 recuperating from an accident at Sebring to make it seven wins out of eight races since the GR010 Hybrid was introduced at Spa last year.'

Only one GR010 Hybrid crossed the checkered flag at Spa. Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa were ahead driving the #8 car when an issue on the hybrid system erupted, forcing retirement after 90 minutes.

The #8 started strong with Buemi moving up from fourth on the grid to second on the first lap. Conway was on third spot, briefly losing a spot after being boxed in at the exit of the first corner.

The GR Hybrids took the lead from Glickenhaus on Lap 16 with Buemi leading the pack. However, rain started to fall around the hour mark followed by a red flag due to an LMP2 accident, which changed the pace of the race.

The race resumed after a 25-minute delay but the leading #8 car stopped on the side of the track and Buemi stepped out of the car. At the said juncture, rain poured heavier and Conway brought the #7 into the pits for wet tires, dropping to third spot.

The weather worsened that caused more delays and the race resumed with just over two hours left and Kobayashi in second place. As soon as the track conditions improved, he immediately overtook #31 WRT to gain the lead.

In the final hour-and-a-half of the race, López drove the #7, now on hybrid intermediate tires, and resumed in the lead of a tight battle for victory among the three Hypercar competitors until three full course yellows late in the race disrupted the fight at the front.

López controlled the final stages of the race and crossed the finish line after six hours to win by 27.473secs from the #36 Alpine.

The team will go back to Cologne to prepare for the Le Mans 24 Hours on June 11-12 where it will try to get its fifth straight win.

Photos from Toyota Gazoo Racing

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