Toyota could be set for a return to the Le Mans 24 Hours according to reports in the Japanese press over the weekend.
The manufacturer last competed at La Sarthe back in 1999, when Ukyo Katayama, Keiichi Tsuchiya and Toshio Suzuki finished second at the wheel of the GT-One, but could now return to take the fight to Audi and Peugeot with its own car running on alternative fuels.
However, unlike the R10 and 908 – which run on diesel power – Toyota would use an entry at La Sarthe to promote its hybrid products, with the Japanese company having already been a pioneer of the technology through its Prius road car.
Indeed, Toyota has already tasted success on-track with hybrid machinery after winning a major race back in Japan with a hybrid Supra HV-R last year – with an entry into the biggest sportscar race of them all being seen as the ideal platform to boost Toyota's image as an environmentally-friendly company and also develop hybrid technology that can then be carried over to production cars.
"Audi proved the superiority of the next generation diesel engine at Le Mans," an un-named Toyota official was quoted by the
Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper. "Toyota wants to do the same with the hybrid."
Should Toyota elect to throw its support behind a Le Mans programme, it remains to be seen what impact it would have on a continued presence in
Formula 1.
Despite the company re-affirming its commitment to the sport following the launch of the new TF108, Toyota has yet to see any real return on its vast investment in Formula 1 since its debut back in 2002.
As such, rumours have arisen that the company could switch away from
F1 as a constructor but continue to have a presence in the sport through its partnership with the Williams team, which would effectively become Toyota's representative on the grid.
The first year for Frank
Williams' team under Toyota power saw it finish two places – and 20 points – ahead of the Toyota factory team in the constructors' championship.
