Toyota have been hit with huge changes under the Balance of Performance regulations ahead of the next round of the World Endurance Championship.
The Japanese manufacturer has proven to have one of the strongest performing cars and driver line-ups in the hypercar class of the WEC this season with two wins so far, one for each of their cars.
The No. 7 Toyota Gazoo Racing machine – piloted by former Formula 1 drivers Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries and former IndyCar driver Mike Conway – took victory at the Six Hours of Imola.
Last time out in Sao Paulo, the No. 8 car driven by Sebastien Buemi, Brendan Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa dominated the field to win by over a minute. Both of the Porsche Penske Motorsport cars locked out the podium, while the other Toyota finished fourth.
As a result of their commanding victory, Toyota have been struck with some major changes to their cars under the BoP for the next round in Austin.
Toyota will run faster at more than 155mph in Austin
The BoP are a series of technical adjustments that mainly affect the power and weight of a car, with the intention of creating a level playing field amongst the different car designs and on the grid.
It is not aimed to lower the speed of a car out in front or to aid an abnormally slow competitor by giving them a boost, but rather to maximise the potential out of the differing concepts.
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Following the win at the Six Hours of Sao Paulo, Toyota have been the most affected team by the BoP changes, as they have lost power and gained weight for the Lone Star Le Mans race.
The Toyota GR010 Hybrid Le Mans Hypercars will run at the Circuit of the Americas at 497kW, or 666bhp base power, and at 1060kg minimum weight. This will be a loss of 9kW in power and an increase of 5kg from the race in Sao Paulo.
However, the Japanese manufacturer does have one key advantage in the latest adjustments, as they have been given a increase on the power gain feature.
This means that when the Toyotas reach above 250km/h, or roughly 155mph, they will receive 4.8% more power, which is actually a 1.8% increase from Interlagos.
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Toyota are in the hunt for the WEC 2024 title
The high-speed nature of the Texas circuit, including the long back straight will present a great opportunity for the team to gain on their rivals In their bid for the title.
The No. 7 drivers of Kobayashi and de Vries are sat third in the standings with 95 points having finished in the top five all but once this season. Conway missed the 24 Hours of Le Mans and was replaced by Jose Maria Lopez, where they finished second.
Toyota are sat in second in the manufacturers’ championship just four points behind Porsche. Both manufacturers’ have secured two wins thus far this season.
The race at Texas is followed by the Six Hours of Fuji two weeks later before the season finale with the Eight Hours of Bahrain.