The World Endurance Championship returns to Europe this weekend with a fierce 11-strong Hypercar battle set to resume at the 6 Hours of Portimao following a blockbuster opening round at Sebring.
New Zealander Brendon Hartley was on the podium in that race, along with #8 Toyota Gazoo Racing driving partners Sebastien Buemi and Ryo Hirakawa. It was their sister car, the #7 of Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Jose Maria Lopez that won in the 1000 Miles of Sebring, a Toyota one-two seeing in a new era of Hypercar racing.
“Sebring was our first taste of the battle with the new Hypercar competitors, and it was exciting for everyone,” said Hartley, discussing the season-opener.
“We met the challenge, and we have to keep raising our game to stay ahead of the competition this season. The team did an amazing job in pre-season and at Sebring, now we go again at Portimão where I’m sure it will be even closer. It’s great for the series and our fans, and as a team we’re relishing the challenge, so we are all looking forward to this race.”
Portimao is a circuit the Kiwi has tasted World Endurance Championship success on before, having won the inaugeral 8-Hour race in 2021. Buemi was also involved in that victory, with the duo also having Japanese driver Kazuki Nakajima alongside.
“I have nice memories of Portimão from our victory two years ago so it’s good to be going back there again,” says Buemi. “We will have a big challenge from the other Hypercar manufacturers, I’m sure.
“Sebring is a special track so I’m not sure we have a clear picture yet of where everyone is in terms of performance; Portimão will give us a much clearer indication. Our car looks strong, and we saw in Sebring that the team is at the top of their game, so I’m confident. It will not be easy but let’s try to stay in front.”
Hirakawa comes into the event off the back of some Super Formula success over the weekend, having finishing third in the season’s opening race which was won by New Zealander Liam Lawson.
Hypercar’s are a completely different style of racing, however, with the iconic Portimao circuit being where Hirakawa begun his World Endurance Championship career following a test drive in 2021.
“I am looking forward to driving at Portimão again,” he said. “It feels like a long time ago, because so much has happened since, but my first experience behind the wheel of the GR010 HYBRID was at Portimão, back in June 2021.
“At the time, everything was new to me and I had so much to learn, but now I am much more familiar with the car and the team. We made a strong start to the season in Sebring and we will be pushing hard to maintain that high level in Portimão.”
Five further rounds follow this weekend’s event with Hartley and co looking to build towards what would be the Kiwi’s fourth World Endurance Championship title and second in a Hypercar.
The 6 Hours of Portimao begins at 10.30pm this Sunday and will be shown live on Sky Sport 5.
Header Image: Toyota Gazoo Racing
