Toyota praises Glickenhaus’ performance at the 24h of Le Mans – After all, the internal combustion hypercar was on a par with Toyota at times in the race
Toyota dominated the 24h of Le Mans, but as the Japanese were the only team to field hypercars with hybrid engines, the double victory was no surprise. Nevertheless, the manufacturer praised Glickenhaus’ efforts. The team of the small manufacturer had shown a “remarkable” performance and was at times on a par with Toyota with its combustion engine hypercar.
Glickenhaus finished on the overall podium for the first time at the 2022 Le Mans 24 Hours. Ryan Briscoe, Richard Westbrook and Franck Mailleux managed to drive the 007 LMH to a third place finish. Before that, the two Toyotas saw the chequered flag in first and second place. Although Glickenhaus put in a strong performance, the Japanese double victory was never in danger.
The best Glickenhaus trio finished five laps behind the winning Toyota. Although the gap was large, Toyota’s technical director praised the competition’s programme: “Glickenhaus was a little behind during the night, but the times were on our level. On the open track there were three cars with 3:27.7 laps. In terms of pure potential, they were on a par. They just lacked consistency because of the conditions. “
But what actually makes the difference between Toyota and Glickenhaus – apart from the engines of the cars? According to Vasselon, the Japanese are quicker to adapt to changing conditions. “But they have potential,” the technical boss said of the rivals. “Given the young age of the car and the organisation, that is remarkable.”
According to Vasselon, the gap between Toyota and Glickenhaus was not five laps in reality. The trio in third place had to pit three times, which is why three laps were lost. “The actual gap is two laps, which is not much,” said the technical director. Toyota will face much more competition next season as more manufacturers enter the top category.
