Le Mans 24h: Toyota beats BMW, Cadillac for first win in four years
Motorsport.com • • sports
Key Points:
- Toyota secured a decisive victory at the Le Mans 24 Hours with their overhauled TR010 Hybrid, driven by Nyck de Vries, Kamui Kobayashi, and Mike Conway, finishing first and third, outperforming strong competition from BMW and Cadillac.
- BMW's #20 M Hybrid V8, driven by Robin Frijns, Rene Rast, and Sheldon van der Linde, achieved second place, marking BMW's most competitive Le Mans performance since its 2024 return, while Cadillac faced setbacks including a retirement due to power steering issues.
- Ferrari experienced its first Le Mans defeat since returning to top-class sportscar racing, with their best finish being fifth place, hindered by penalties and mechanical issues, while Alpine and Aston Martin had modest results further down the order.
- Inter Europol Competition dominated the LMP2 class with a 1-2 finish, led by the #43 Oreca driven by Jakub Smiechowski, Nick Yelloly, and Tom Dillmann, capitalizing on the retirement of key rivals like Duqueine due to brake troubles.
- In the LMGT3 category, TF Sport's #33 Corvette Z06 GT3.R won convincingly, overcoming early favorites Aston Martin and Lexus, with the Corvette's late-race surge securing their first Le Mans win in the LMGT3 era.