With the introduction of technical laws for hydrogen-powered prototypes for the FIA World Endurance Championship and Le Mans 24 Hours delayed to 2028, Toyota has revealed plans to race each its present GR010 HYBRID Hypercar and a first-generation hydrogen-powered prototype through the first season for the brand new laws.
The present goal for the producers creating hydrogen-powered vehicles is to finish a partial season program in yr one (2028), however as Toyota is already a part of the WEC’s high class with its GR010 — a automobile now eligible to compete by means of the 2029 season following the current guidelines extension — it is going to compete with each vehicles on the similar time if it commits to racing with hydrogen expertise.
“It will depend on what the laws permit us,” stated Toyota Motorsports’ venture chief John Litjens. “We’ll run them in parallel and we will regulate relying on how the event will go along with the hydrogen automobile.”
The following-generation laws that may incorporate hydrogen — which is being put collectively through common technical working group conferences — should not but finalized, with many key choices but to be taken. Will each hydrogen gas cell and hydrogen combustion-powered vehicles be permitted? Will each gasoline and liquid storage choices be allowed? How will pit stops, stint instances and goal lap instances be dealt with? Will these vehicles be competing for total wins earlier than 2030, and can they compete in a category separate from the present Hypercar class?
Thierry Bouvet, the ACO’s director of competitors, stated at Le Mans final month that there’s a want for the laws to be as open as doable.
“What we need to permit is the likelihood for producers to reveal their applied sciences,” he stated. “It’s too early for particulars, we have to draw the massive traces.”
Litjen expects there to be three races for hydrogen vehicles within the opening season.
“They at all times talked about three occasions within the yr and Le Mans was for positive considered one of them,” he stated. “There shall be a transition, that’s why they’ve prolonged the present laws. It can depend upon how good and fast the hydrogen vehicles are and even the opposite applied sciences. I feel the following step for the FIA and ACO is to outline the second-generation Hypercars and this will likely not solely be hydrogen, however different fuels.
“Let’s see what the brand new technology shall be. In the long run, folks assume we go from the present Hypercars to solely hydrogen vehicles, however I don’t assume this may occur. I feel what is going to come is a second technology of LMH. Some producers need hydrogen, however others are specializing in various things, perhaps totally different fuels. There’s nonetheless quite a bit to return.”
Litjens famous the prospects for creating cutting-edge high-performance hydrogen expertise in time for 2028, following the sequence of delays from the unique goal of 2026, stay unclear.
“If every thing goes effectively, if we get the laws in time (then 2028 is life like),” Litjens stated. “In the long run, the extension (to the present guidelines) has been achieved to present a bit extra time for, let’s say, the ‘new technology.’ And the ‘new technology’ Hypercars will be totally different applied sciences like hydrogen. In the long run, we are going to run these vehicles a bit longer — I don’t assume it’s an enormous downside.”
Though the GR010 is the one automobile nonetheless racing from the Hypercar class’s inaugural season in 2021, Litjens stated it might be too sophisticated to exchange it alongside the brand new hydrogen system.
“It will be very tough. That may be two sorts of automobile,” he famous. “We will take into consideration efficiency evolution jokers (growth efficiency upgrades), however to develop two full vehicles in parallel is just not doable.
“What is just not mentioned but is whether or not you additionally get extra jokers or not. This stuff usually get mentioned within the technical working teams and we didn’t have one after Le Mans, the following one is in September.”
The ACO had beforehand acknowledged that two further joker upgrades may also be permitted for the 2028 and ’29 seasons.
