Toyota Racing have announced their 2012 line-up for this year’s racing, revealing their intention to put Anthony Davidson behind the wheel of their TS030 Hybrid.
Davidson is just one of the drivers announced, with Hiroaki Ishiura and Sébastien Buemi also making the list.
These drivers have all received previous recognition for their aptitude behind the wheel, with Ishiura known for his performance in the GT and Buemi recognised for his contributions to Formula 1 racing.
Also featuring in the line-up are Alex Wurz, Nicolas Lapierre and Kazuki Nakajima who will drive the Six hours of Spa-Francorchamps in the FIA World Endurance Championship in May.
For Davidson, Ishiura and Buemi, however, the big day will come slightly later when they prepare to join the Le Mans 24 Hours in June.
The race is a huge demonstration of endurance – something which all of Toyota’s chosen drivers are known for, giving them a good chance of success.
Ishiura, in particular, is expected to fare well during the race having taken part in the Nürburgring 24 Hours last year.
Alongside this experience, he also benefits from having been a part of Toyota’s roll-out team for their TS030 model – making him the first person to have driven the vehicle.
Yet despite his qualifications for the race, Ishiura remains somewhat cautious about his potential for success.
Commenting on the race, he claimed it to be one of his “lifetime ambitions” and explained that despite his previous endurance experience he “expect[s] the scale and speed of Le Mans to be something else.”
Davidson showed a similar enthusiasm for the race, commenting on his “delight” to be returning to this renowned event.
Davidson also commented on the vehicle in which he will sit, expressing his excitement over “experiencing hybrid power for the first time in [his] career.”
Buemi also made similar remarks, claiming that he saw hybrid vehicles as “the future” of automotive development and commended Toyota for their dedication to this area of development.
With a team of experienced and skilled drivers and a powerful hybrid vehicle, Toyota is quite confident about their chances of success in endurance racing this year.
Yoshiaki Kinoshita, the Team President for Toyota Racing, labelled the line-up as a “really strong team of drivers” that were expected to be victorious.
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