15 Jun Toyota Take Its Sixth Victory At Le Mans
Toyota Racing lifted the iconic trophy at the Circuit de la Sarthe to claim its first victory since 2022, securing a sixth overall triumph at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and equalling the tally of Bentley. In front of hundreds of thousands of spectators at the venue and millions more watching around the world, the Japanese powerhouse executed a perfect, textbook strategy throughout the race.
Drivers Kamui Kobayashi, Mike Conway and Nyck de Vries emerged as the team to beat at the end of the race, guiding the #7 Toyota to victory after 24 hours of racing. It marked a second Le Mans victory for Kobayashi and a second triumph for Conway, while de Vries became the latest Dutch driver to conquer Le Mans for the first time in 38 years.
The race developed into an epic four-way battle to the chequered flag, underlining the “Platinum Era” status that the Hypercar category is building. The #7 Toyota finished ahead of the #20 BMW M Team WRT and the #8 Toyota Racing entry, with Cadillac also in close contention following impressive pace and a never-say-die attitude throughout the event.
BMW claimed second overall with the #20 crew after a determined performance, while Toyota could still be delighted with third place despite a few costly mistakes and strategy calls denying the #8 car another victory. Cadillac, a crowd favourite throughout the week, gave everything in pursuit of victory and demonstrated pace that suggests it will remain a contender for years to come.
In LMP2, Inter Europol Competition worked well overnight to bring both cars into rostrum contention, with the #43 Oreca driven by Jakub Smiechowski, Tom Dillmann and Nicholas Yelloly ultimately securing the win after a close contest over the full race distance.
Corvette captured the magic of Le Mans once again in LMGT3, with the iconic yellow #33 TF Sport entry claiming victory. Lexus secured a first Le Mans podium finish with the #78, while Aston Martin also joined the celebrations in third place.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans once again delivered a spectacular and closely fought race, with multiple manufacturers in contention, highlighting the strength and growing competitiveness of endurance racing at the highest level.
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