In the driving seat for #LeMans
Driving Simulator at TMG
The countdown for Toyota’s return to Le Mans started just a few weeks ago, and our team at Toyota Motorsport GmbH (TMG), based in Germany, are in full preparation mode in the run-up to next year’s inaugural FIA World Endurance Championship. A little bit more about the team was revealed today with the announcement of the drivers who’ll be taking the helm of the new TMG-developed hybrid LMP1 contender. (Drum roll please…) Welcome to the team, Messrs. Alexander Wurz, Nicolas Lapierre and Kazuki Nakajima.
A key part of the on-going activities, of course, is prepping the drivers for the specific nature of endurance racing, such as Le Mans. TMG is definitely the right place to be as they are fully equipped with their own high-tech driving simulator (originally developed for F1). Just a few months ago, the driving sim received an upgrade and now includes the legendary La Sarthe Circuit as well as the gruelling Nürburgring Nordschleife.
Let’s meet our new drivers!
 Alexander Wurz Alexander Wurz Alex is a two-time Le Mans winner, lifting the trophy on his first time out in 1996 as the youngest winner ever (a record which still stands). His second Le Mans win came in 2009 after several years in Formula 1, including a stint with Williams in 2007 in a Toyota-powered car. The 2010 and 2011 seasons saw him pick up wins at the Sebring 12 Hours and the Spa 1,000 km races.
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 Nicolas Lapierre Nicolas Lapierre Nicolas has had a strong career as a single-seater driver with wins in GP2 and winning the A1 Grand Prix Championship in the 2005-6 season with Team France. In 2007, Nicolas moved into endurance racing, quickly establishing himself with wins in the 1,000 km races at Portimao and Silverstone and picking up a race win at this year’s Sebring 12 Hours race.
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 Kazuki Nakajima Kazuki Nakajima A successful graduate from the Toyota Young Drivers’ Programme, Kazuki has enjoyed race wins in Formula 3 and GP2 before making his way into Formula 1, in the driver’s seat of the Toyota-powered Williams in 2007. Upon returning to Formula Nippon in Japan, he quickly won his first race during the second round of the season at Autopolis.
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[...] Source : Toyota Motorsport et Blog Toyota [...]