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2012 Le Mans: Toyota Racing Finalises 2012 Driver Line-Up
TOYOTA Racing can confirm that Anthony Davidson, Hiroaki Ishiura and Sébastien Buemi will drive its additional TS030 HYBRID car at the Le Mans 24 Hours.
The team’s full-time entry in the FIA World Endurance Championship is for one car, with an additional TS030 HYBRID confirmed for Le Mans on 16-17 June.
Anthony Davidson, from Great Britain, is a winner of the Sebring 12 Hours and the Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, bringing significant recent experience of manufacturer participation at Le Mans.
Hiroaki Ishiura joins following a promising career in the competitive Super GT series in his native Japan, while he has also experienced European endurance racing having participated in the 2011 Nürburgring 24 Hours.
Swiss driver Sébastien Buemi, an accomplished single-seater racer, will make his debut in endurance racing at the wheel of the TOYOTA TS030 HYBRID whilst remaining third driver for Red Bull Racing in Formula 1.
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The driver line-up for the regular TS030 HYBRID which will participate in the FIA World Endurance Championship from the Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps (5 May) onwards is already confirmed as Alex Wurz, Nicolas Lapierre and Kazuki Nakajima. Andrea Caldarelli is the team’s junior driver.
Yoshiaki Kinoshita, Team President: “This is an exciting driver line-up for our additional car. Anthony, Hiroaki and Sébastien are talented and intelligent drivers who have achieved plenty already in motorsport, so we are very confident they can make a positive contribution to TOYOTA Racing. Our drivers are selected on the basis not only of their speed and consistency, but also their ability to work well within a team and it’s been great to see the positive attitude all three have already brought to our project. Combined with our regular line-up of Alex, Nicolas and Kazuki, I believe we have a really strong team of drivers who will fly the TOYOTA Racing flag with pride during the Le Mans 24 Hours.”
Anthony Davidson: “I'm really happy to be a part of the TOYOTA Racing team, and delighted to be returning to Le Mans this year. Competing at the Le Mans 24 Hours is always hugely exciting, but to be joining a team like TOYOTA Racing and competing with a hybrid powertrain makes this particularly special. I’ve heard a lot about the TS030 HYBRID and the technology behind it, and I'm looking forward to experiencing hybrid power for the first time in my career. I know this is a learning year for the team but I believe TOYOTA Racing has huge potential, and I hope we can prove that at Le Mans.”
Hiroaki Ishiura: “This is a big opportunity for me to achieve one of my lifetime ambitions: to race in the Le Mans 24 Hours. Over the last few years I have done a lot of endurance racing so I am familiar with this style of motorsport but I expect the scale and speed of Le Mans to be something else. The TS030 HYBRID is already quite familiar to me because I tested the car at the roll-out; in fact I was the first person to drive it! It’s a great-looking car and seems to have strong potential so I am looking forward to contributing to its development. More than anything, I am looking forward to getting behind the wheel at Le Mans; I can’t wait!”
Sébastien Buemi: “I am really proud to be a TOYOTA Racing driver at Le Mans; it’s a huge event and one of the biggest in motorsport. It’s particularly great to be going there as a TOYOTA driver because my grandfather has been a TOYOTA dealer for over 40 years so I’ve basically grown up with the brand. It’s also exciting to be driving a hybrid car; I think this is the future and it’s nice to see TOYOTA pushing a lot in that direction. I’ve driven hybrid cars in the past - the first and second generation Prius - but the TS030 HYBRID is something else. I’m looking forward to racing it; LMP1 cars are fast and it’s a professional environment so it is going to be a very positive experience for me.”
Anthony Davidson Profile
Born 18 April 1979, Hemel Hempstead, Great Britain
Lives Northamptonshire, Great Britain
Status Married to Carrie
Height 166cm
Weight 56kg
Hobbies Mountain biking, running, music
Favourite track Spa
Pets One dog
Favourite food Sushi
Best achievement Winning the 12 Hours of Sebring
Career History
Le Mans Debut 2003
Le Mans Starts 4
Le Mans Best Result 4th (2011)
1999 British Formula Ford Winter Series (Haywood Racing): 1st
2000 British Formula Ford (Haywood Racing): 3rd
2001 British Formula 3 Championship (Carlin): 2nd
European Formula 3 Cup (Carlin): 1st
Formula 1 (BAR): Test driver
2002 Formula 1 (BAR): Test driver
Formula 1 (Minardi): N/C (2 races)
2003 Formula 1 (BAR): Test driver
American Le Mans Series (Prodrive Racing): 11th
Le Mans 24 Hours (Prodrive Racing): DNF
2004 Formula 1 (BAR): Test driver
2005 Formula 1 (BAR): Test driver
Formula 1 (BAR): N/C (1 race)
2006 Formula 1 (Honda): Test driver
2007 Formula 1 (Super Aguri): 23rd
2008 Formula 1 (Super Aguri): 22nd
Formula 1 (Honda): Test driver
2009 Formula 1 (Brawn GP): Test driver
Le Mans 24 Hours (Aston Martin Racing): 13th
2010 Le Mans Series (Peugeot Sport): 15th (1 race)
Le Mans 24 Hours (Peugeot Sport): DNF
Sebring 12 Hours (Peugeot Sport): 1st
2011 Formula 1 (Mercedes GP): Test driver
Le Mans 24 Hours (Peugeot Sport): 4th
Hiroaki Ishiura Profile
Born 23 April 1981, Tokyo, Japan
Lives Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan
Status Married, one daughter
Height 178cm
Weight 72kg
Hobbies Radio-controlled cars
Favourite track Fuji Speedway
Pets Two cats
Favourite food Sushi
Best achievement Three pole positions in 2011 Super GT season
Career History
Le Mans Debut n/a
Le Mans Starts 0
Le Mans Best Result n/a
1999 Karting, NTC YAMAHA class
2000 Karting, NTC PRD series: 2nd
Karting, NTC CUP SS class, 2 wins
2001 Karting, Motegi series FA class: 1st
2002 Formula TOYOTA Racing School
2003 Formula TOYOTA: 4th
2004 Formula TOYOTA: 6th
2005 Formula TOYOTA: 3rd (2 wins)
GC21: 1st (5 wins)
2006 Japanese Formula 3 (Now Motorsports): 9th (1 win)
Super GT 300 Suzuka 1,000km: DNF
2007 Japanese Formula 3 (Team TOMs): 4th (2 wins)
Super GT 300 (TOYOTA MR-S): 1st
2008 Formula Nippon (Team LeMans): 16th
Super GT 500 (LEXUS SC430): 15th
2009 Formula Nippon (Team LeMans): 6th
Super GT 500 (LEXUS SC430): 9th (1 win)
2010 Formula Nippon (Team LeMans): 8th
Super GT 500 (LEXUS SC430): 6th (1 win)
2011 Formula Nippon (Team Kygnus Sunoco): 6th
Super GT 500 (LEXUS SC430): 7th
Nurburgring 24 Hours (Gazoo Racing): 3rd (SP-8 class)
Sébastien Buemi Profile
Born 31 August 1988, Aigle, Switzerland
Lives Monaco
Status Single
Height 1.75m
Weight 68kg
Hobbies Skiing, mountain biking, tennis
Favourite track Spa
Pets One cat
Favourite food Italian
Best achievement Scoring points in his first F1 grand prix
Career History
Le Mans Debut n/a
Le Mans Starts 0
Le Mans Best Result n/a
2004 Formula BMW ADAC (Lars Kaufmann Motorsport): 3rd
2005 Formula BMW ADAC (ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg): 2nd (7 wins)
2006 Formula 3 Euro Series (Mücke Motorsport): 12th (1 win)
Formula Renault Northern European Cup (Motopark Academy): 7th (2 wins)
Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 (Motopark Academy): 11th (1 win)
2007 A1GP (Team Switzerland): 8th
Formula 3 Euro Series (Mücke Motorsport): 2nd (3 wins)
GP2 Series (ART Grand Prix): 21st
2008 GP2 Asia Series (Team Arden): 2nd (1 win)
GP2 Series (Team Arden): 6th (2 wins)
Formula 1 (Red Bull Racing): Test and reserve driver
2009 Formula 1 (Scuderia Toro Rosso): 16th
2010 Formula 1 (Scuderia Toro Rosso): 16th
2011 Formula 1 (Scuderia Toro Rosso): 15th
PaddockTalk Perspective
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