Toyota TS040 Hybrid
The Toyota TS040 Hybrid is a Le Mans Prototype 1 (LMP1) sports car built and used by Toyota Motorsport GmbH in the 2014 and 2015 seasons of the FIA World Endurance Championship. Work on the car's design began in November 2012, when the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) published its 2014 technical regulations and Toyota utilised its resources after the 2013 24 Hours of Le Mans. The car is an aerodynamic improvement on its predecessor, the TS030 Hybrid, and its design allowed four-wheel drive. It has two kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) regenerative-braking devices at the front and rear axles to charge a supercapacitor and, in accordance with the 2014 regulations, was placed in the class. The TS040's engine was carried over from the TS030; its displacement was increased from to for better efficiency, producing to the rear wheels. The TS040 was shown to the press for the first time at the 26 March preseason test session at Circuit Paul Ricard, and was driven before the start of the 2014 season. Toyota supplied two cars, driven by six drivers, for the season. Nicolas Lapierre, Anthony Davidson and Sébastien Buemi won the season's opening two races in the No. 8 car; Lapierre aquaplaned, crashing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans before recovering to finish third. After the crash, Lapierre was dropped and Buemi and Nakajima won two more races and had another podium finish to win the 2014 World Endurance Drivers' Championship. Consistent performances from Alexander Wurz, Stéphane Sarrazin, Kazuki Nakajima and reserve driver Mike Conway won Toyota the World Endurance Manufacturers' Championship at the season-ending 6 Hours of São Paulo. The car was further developed after the 2014 24 Hours of Le Mans in accordance with the 2015 regulations. The front of the TS040 changed, a new suspension preserved tyre life, its supercapacitor was altered for better performance, and two body kits were created to match the car to a track. Although the season began with a third-place finish for the No. 1 car (driven by Buemi, Nakajima and Davidson) at the 6 Hours of Silverstone, the TS040 struggled against rivals Audi and Porsche in the seven remaining rounds before Wurz, Sarrazin and Conway's No. 2 entry finished second at the season-ending 6 Hours of Bahrain; Toyota placed third in the World Endurance Manufacturers' Championship. The TS040 was replaced by the TS050 Hybrid for the 2016 season. Development Concept The TS040's initial studies and simulations began immediately after the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) published its first revision of the 2014 FIA World Endurance Championship technical regulations in November 2012. Toyota gradually increased their involvement in the car's development, focusing on the project after the 2013 24 Hours of Le Mans. The TS040, designed to meet the new Le Mans Prototype 1 (LMP1) regulations to improve driver safety and enhance visibility, was an aerodynamic improvement on the TS030 Hybrid. Built at Toyota Motorsport headquarters in the North Rhine-Westphalia city of Cologne, the car's chassis design was supervised by engineer