Toyota’s number five TS050 Hybrid LMP1 prototype is the subject of this year’s saddest story of motorsport. While we are aware the year is far from concluding, we are hoping we will not see such an emotional event in this sport, as it was excruciatingly painful to watch.
For those of you who are into pain, there is a video embedded below, where you can see the moment when the hybrid race car called it quits on the final lap of a 24-hour race of Le Mans.
We have seen race endings close to this in previous years, and distinctively remember Mika Hakkinen crying after his car broke down, as well as Carlos Sainz Sr’ mechanical failure that caused to him not winning the 1998 World Rally Championship Driver’s Title at the last race of the season, the 1998 RAC Rally.
At that time, he was just 500 meters away from the finish line when his Toyota Corolla WRC endured a severe engine problem in the final stage, with the finish line in sight. Mr. Sainz never won a third World Rally Championship Driver’s Title, and the year’s title went to Tommi Makinen.
Coming back to 2016, the mechanical failure of the #5 Toyota TS050 Hybrid was reportedly caused by a turbocharger problem. The driver, Kaz Nakajima, complained about progressive power loss in the penultimate lap, and he had to stop the car immediately after passing the finish line, Daily Sportscar reports.
Unfortunately for Toyota, even if the vehicle managed to be driven further and completed the final lap, the crew would not have won the race. The car had a final lap time of over 11 minutes, which went against the six-minute maximum allowed by the regulation.
Toyota has yet to confirm the true problem that led to this situation. However, we do know that the vehicle had enough fuel to complete the final lap, and that the power loss was progressive and consistent. Let's hope they figure things out by Le Mans 2017.
Sebastian's love for cars began at a young age. Little did he know that a career would emerge from this passion (and that it would not, sadly, involve being a professional racecar driver). In over fourteen years, he got behind the wheel of several hundred vehicles and in the offices of the most important car publications in his homeland. Full profile
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