Virtually overnight, Toyota Gazoo Racing (TGR) — Toyota's in-house performance brand and motorsport operator — has taken the world by storm after years of focusing on the Japanese domestic market.
Founded in 2007 by CEO Akio Toyoda and his driving mentor Hiromu Naruse, the pair immediately focused on the pinnacle of motorsport: the World Endurance Championships.
Beginning life as purely an amateur passion project, TGR intended to use their experience to build better road cars. Something they've already shared with us in the form of the GR Corolla and GR Yaris.
However, it didn't take long before Toyota handed the reins over to TGR to become the brand-backed motorsport team.
In a move that seemed controversial at the time due to Akio Toyoda's affiliation with the company, the project is proving to be anything but amateur after this morning marks their fifth straight overall victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Proving to be one of the best races in recent memory, fans enjoyed intriguing races from the LMP2 and GTE Pro categories that saw the JOTA racing team, and Porsche team dominate their respective classes.
24 Hrs Of Le Mans Is The Pinnacle Of Motorsport
As the world's oldest active endurance race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans continues to maintain an aura of mystique as it relates to motorsport.
Featuring some of the greatest battles — and drivers — in the history of the sport, it's no wonder why the automotive world holds the race up in such high esteem.
However, in recent decades the appeal wore off after the explosion of interest in Formula 1 in the '70s, the Touring Car Championships in the '80s, and historic racing in the '90s managed to sway the fans away from Le Mans.
Luckily, the hypercar class that features some of the most iconic cars in automotive history helped fans find their way back to the storied event.
Toyota Combine Sustainability With Speed At Le Mans
Although TGR came into the event the clear favorite to win, Team Alpine — the leader of the constructor's cup before the race — looked to make it clear there were other teams in the hypercar class not named Toyota.
Fortunately for Toyota, Alpine struggled early on with mechanical issues, making way for Toyota and its GR010 hybrid prototype.
Not only did Toyota take home another Le Mans trophy, they did it this year as the first motorsport team ever to win utilizing 100% sustainable fuel — a victory in its own right.
The LMP2 category was the least interesting of the bunch, with the JOTA team and their Oreca 07 prototype taking home a dominant 1-2-3-4-5 finish.
However, it was the GTE Pro race that rivaled the Hypercar class in terms of pure racing, with Porsche, Ferrari, and Corvette Racing duking it out for supremacy.
Coming in as the clear favorites, Corvette Racing suffered two catastrophic retirements that ended their hopes of victory, with a mere six hours left of the race.
Taking full advantage of the opportunity, this allowed Porsche to lay claim to the final GTE at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, after officials decided to discontinue the race next year.