Toyota brings hybrid power to the 2012 World Endurance Championship with its TS303 Hybrid LeMans racer!

Toyota sells over a million hybrid cars each year, spearheaded by the Toyota Prius Hybrid, the most successful hybrid car ever. Now, the Japanese auto giant will usher in some hybrid power to the 2012 FIA World Endurance Championship, a race series that has some epic races like LeMans 24 hour and Sebring 12 hour races in its calendar. Even as Peugeot exited the world endurance championship unexpectedly last week, Toyota will be an automaker which will be the latest entrant to the Endurance Racing circuit.

Toyota TS303 Hybrid LeMans Racer

The Toyota TS303 Hybrid LeMans racer will be the first ever hybrid car to enter the series, as a showcase of Toyota’s expertise in hybrid car technology, with which it will aim to gun for top glory in the endurance racing championship. The TS303 Hybrid will be powered by a 3.4-litre naturally aspirated V8 petrol engine mated to an electric motor working on a capacity storage system. The TS303 Hybrid will use a carbon fiber monocoque and will be able to operate in all electric mode to save fuel. Now, that is something coming from an out an out race car, isn’t it?

Toyota TS303 Hybrid LeMans Racer

Toyota will begin its campaign in the World Endurance Championship at the second race in the calender at Spa Francorchamps race circuit in May, 2012. Toyota will run two cars in the championship. The first car’s drivers have been finalized while the automaker is yet to announce drivers for the second slot. The drivers for the first race car are Alex Wurz, Nicolas Lapierre and Kazuki Nakajima, two of whom have participated in Formula1. An Indian race car driver, Karun Chandhok, will be driving in the 2012 World Endurance Championship for a British outfit, JRM Racing.

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