TOYOTA RACING: WORLD CHAMPIONS 2014

New Delhi, 09 December, 2014: Toyota Racing is the 2014 drivers’ and manufacturers’ World Champion after a successful conclusion to the FIA World Endurance Championship season in the Six Hours of Sao Paulo, at Interlagos.

The eighth and final race of the season was a thrilling one, with the #8 TS040 Hybrid of World Champions Anthony Davidson and Sébastien Buemi finishing second after a late safety car halted a potentially-successful battle for victory.

The #7 of Alex Wurz, Stéphane Sarrazin and Mike Conway were handed a harsh drive-through penalty which meant they finished fourth. That also dropped Alex and Stéphane to fifth in the drivers’ championship.

But the focus was on the team result today, with Toyota ending a 15-year wait for a title, following the 1999 World Rally Championship triumph.

Today’s result marks a historic moment in sportscar racing history as it is the first time a Japanese manufacturer has won the World Endurance Championship in any of its guises since its inception in 1953.

It also marks a significant milestone for the Toyota Hybrid System – Racing. The project to pioneer a motorsport hybrid system began in 2006 and in July 2007 a Toyota Supra became the first-ever hybrid winner, in the Tokachi 24 Hours.

That pioneering super capacitor technology has been extensively developed, reducing weight and increasing power, leading to the 1,000PS, four-wheel-drive TS040 Hybrid which has simultaneously reduced fuel consumption by 25% compared to 2013.