Kent’s Mike Conway and his TOYOTA GAZOO Racing team experienced a tough challenge in the season-opening Qatar 1812 KM and earned valuable FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) points after a determined team effort to finish the race in sixth place.
The team faced a challenging start to the FIA WEC season at the Lusail International Circuit with the circuit not suiting the characteristics of the GR010 HYBRID, and the added challenge of adapting to the additional Balance of Performance weight for the opening race weekend.
Having completed the weekend’s three practice sessions, with the #7 GR010 HYBRID finishing in 8th, 8th, and 9th respectively, Nyck de Vries was selected for qualifying duties and earned the #7 a second-place start on the grid for Saturday’s 10-hour race.
Saturday’s race started under the midday sun and the action was equally hot on the opening lap. Mike started on the front row but suffered oversteer going into turn one, forcing him wide and dropping the #7 down to seventh.
Despite the setback and challenges faced, Mike and the team’s hard work coupled with a smart race strategy meant that the #7 GR010 HYBRID of Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries maximised the car’s potential and scored significant World Championship points for a hard-earned sixth place.
Mike Conway said at the end of the race: “That was quite a tough race. We didn’t have the pace to fight up front, but our pace was ebbing and flowing depending on what stage in the race we were at.”
“At some points we were more competitive, and at others less so. Going into the race we were not sure what we would take home from Qatar, but it has been pretty good in terms of points.”
“We got a bit fortunate at the end to get sixth, which is a decent result all in all. We will keep pushing and aim for better at Imola.”
Having experienced a tough weekend in Qatar, Mike and his TOYOTA GAZOO Racing team are determined to achieve an instant return at the next round of the 2024 season, the 6 Hours of Imola, in Italy on 21st April.