In 2016 the Toyota TSO50 hybrid sports car of Anthony Davidson, Kazuki Nakajima and Sebastien Buemi was leading by 90 seconds with just over a lap to go in the 84th running of the Le Mans 24-hour endurance race, and heading for an historic victory.
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While the team held their collective breath there came the anguished voice of driver Nakajima. “I’m losing power-I’m losing power.”
The distraught team looked on helplessly as the car came to a stop allowing the second-placed Porsche 919 hybrid of Romain Dumas, Neel Jani and Marc Lieb to sweep past and score a record 19th victory for Porsche.
It was a devastating result for the Gazoo Racing Toyota team who were aiming to claim their first win in the twice-round-the-clock race, only the second Japanese manufacturer to do so.
In 1991 the Mazda 787B, powered by a unique four-rotor engine, claimed Japan’s only win to date and the only win by a rotary-powered car.
With the previously dominant Porsche and Audi teams not contesting the race this year, it’s no surprise that the revised versions of the 2016 TSO50 car will start as favourites and early speed in the lead-up sessions is an ominous sign for the opposition.
The two works cars will be driven by Sebastein Buemi, Kazuki Nakajima and Fernando Alonso in car number 8 while Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Jose Maria Lopez will be in car number 7.
At the end of qualifying ... the Nakajima, Buemi, Alonso car had secured pole position ...
For Buemi and Nakajima it would be an emotional and deserved win if they could cross the line first and a fitting reward for the Toyota Gazoo race team.
A win would also be very special for McLaren F1 driver and two-time world champion Fernando Alonso who will be aiming to complete the second leg of the ‘big three’ which is the Monaco GP, the Indianapolis 500 and Le Mans 24-hour race.
He has won the Monaco race twice and it would be almost certain he will go back to Indianapolis at some stage after a great debut performance at the brickyard last year.
McLaren F1 team boss Zac Brown has made no secret that he wants his United Autosports team to become involved in Indy Car racing and Alonso would be an obvious choice to try and match the late Graham Hill as the only driver to achieve a win in all three.
There are 60 cars entered in this weekend’s race across several classes. and in the LMP1 class there are just ten cars vying for outright honours with all except the Toyotas made up of small privately-run and financed teams without significant manufacturer support.
That’s not to say they don’t have a chance of outright glory and as the old saying goes “to finish first—first you have to finish”.
There are no Australians competing for outright honours this year but since the first race in 1923 four Australians have stood on the top step to spray the champagne.
In 1928 Australian-born Bernard Rubin, who had moved to England, won the race in a 4.5 litre Bentley with Woolf Barnato as part of the famed “Bentley Boys” team.
It would be another 55 years in 1983 before another Australian stood on the top step with South Australian Vern Schuppan crossing the line in the ailing Porsche 956 as the engine seized.
Ten years later Sir Jack Brabham’s eldest son Geoff won the race in a Peugeot 905 Evo and then in 2009 his brother David won in a Peugeot 908 HDi.
David also won the GT1 class in the 2007 and 2008 race driving an Aston Martin DBR9 and is now heading up the manufacture of the $1.8 million BT62 Brabham supercar of which only 70 will be built in Adelaide.
There are four Australian drivers competing this weekend with Ryan Briscoe driving one of the four Chip Ganassi Ford GT entries in the hotly-contested GTE Pro class which is for cars that are closer to the production version driven by professional drivers.
Rising star Matt Campbell will make his Le Mans debut in the Dempsey Racing Porsche 911 RSR in the GTE Am class catering for non-professional drivers, and he will be up against Alex Davison driving the Gulf Racing Porsche 911 RSR.
Davison raced at Le Mans in 2008 in a Porsche GT3 RSR to finish fifth in class and 27th overall which was a very strong performance and the former Australian Porsche Carrera Cup champion is well-placed to duke it out with his fellow Aussie.
The fourth Australian, who has done almost all of his racing overseas, is 21-year-old James Allen driving a G Drive Racing prototype LMP2 car.
At the end of qualifying on Thursday night the Nakajima, Buemi, Alonso car had secured pole position for the rolling start a full two seconds faster than the sister car.
Of the Australians Allen was 11th in class and 21st overall, Briscoe was seventh in class and 37th overall with Davison and Campbell second and third respectively in class and 47th and 48th overall.
