TOYOTA LE MANS HYBRID DRIVING THE TS030
Left-hand drive seating position is a big change for Wurz, as is the different power delivery of the hybrid engine. Cockpit is a very tight squeeze
electric power is very futuristic, then when you let the clutch go and the internal combustion engine kicks in it is like an old friend has returned! When we put on the slick tyres I could feel that the car generates a very good amount of grip, so I think we have a good base and I think we can turn this into a really fast car. I am definitely very happy,
‘I
t was cool to drive the car for the first time. Just leaving the garage on the
but my nature is to also be analytical so I know there is still a lot of work to be done. ‘Compared to the Peugeot
‘In the driver seat for the knees and leg positioning, it is quite good – 10mm more than the Peugeot at least – but in
“power output is very different, it influences your driving style”
908, it feels different for many reasons. First of all you are sitting on the left-hand side of the car, not the right, which is a big difference.
terms of space at the top, elbow, shoulder and head space it is much more squashed. I was scared of it at first but, once I had driven the car a bit, I was
okay, but there is less space than there is in a Formula 1 car, so you can tell how tight it is. ‘When you are operating on the limit, the delivery of torque and power of the diesel at low revs with a turbo is very different to a normally aspirated engine. You drive with power over a bigger band, so not so much torque but a different power shape. With high performance cars you can steer not only with the steering wheel but also with the throttle, so if your power output is very different, it influences your driving style. When you change the driving style, you change the tyres so, like everything in racing, it is a chain of small adjustments, but for a driver it is a big thing. ‘Under acceleration you really
feel the hybrid system. It is a lot of little horses pushing when you want the power, which is very good. We are still optimising the system and it has caused a few problems with traction, but now the systems are communicating better and we can already see the improvements coming.’ Alex Wurz
www.racecar-engineering.com • Le Mans
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