Mike Conway and the Toyota Gazoo Racing team head to Texas this weekend for the second North American trip in a fortnight, the 6 Hours of the Circuit of the Americas.

After securing another podium finish last time out in Mexico City, the #6 TS050 HYBRID of Mike Conway, Stéphane Sarrazin and Kamui Kobayashi travel 1,500km north to Austin for the sixth round of the 2016 FIA World Endurance Championship.

The team’s success two weeks ago has lifted them to second place in the drivers’ World Championship and they will be working hard for an even better result in Austin to help drag themselves closer to the top spot.

The TS050 HYBRIDs will again use the ultra-high-downforce aerodynamic package which demonstrated strong pace in Mexico City after a challenging debut at the Nürburgring.

The 5.513km Circuit of the Americas, located 19km south of Austin, is a firm favourite among drivers thanks to its unique design, which is a perfect showcase for the high-speed, high-grip LMP1 cars.

Weather conditions are a talking point, with temperatures above 30°C creating a challenging environment for drivers and pit crew, who must wear fireproof overalls during all sessions. As well as heat, thunder storms have previously disrupted the event, notably in 2014 when a race-day downpour caused chaos.

Conway himself is looking forward to taking on one of his preferred tracks and feels he is entering the event well prepared.

“Austin is one of my favourite circuits on the calendar. It’s a great lay-out that makes for fun racing, as well because traffic management is difficult in places. Austin is also a fantastic city and I love going there.”

“I will spend some days in Arizona before this event, training in the heat to get acclimatised. So I’ll arrive well prepared and really motivated to get another positive result for the team; I hope we can stand on the podium again.”