The Japanese manufacturer has revealed that problems with the clutch were the reason why the race-winning #8 Toyota GR010 HYBRID Le Mans Hypercar lost a handful of seconds at each pitstop to the second-placed sister car over the closing stages of the eight-hour race.
Toyota Gazoo Racing Europe technical director Pascal Vasselon stated that the problem became “critical” and that “during one stop we were nearly not able to restart the car”.
The clutch problem meant the drivers of the #8 had trouble restarting the car conventionally in the pits, forcing them to leave the box on electric power from the front-axle hybrid system and effectively bump start the GR010’s twin-turbo V6 engine.
“The clutch was not opening so we could not use the starter [motor],” explained Vasselon.
“We had to pull the car with the front, but the problem was that the cold tyres meant the fronts were spinning and the rears were not rotating.
“The tyres were dragging and not cranking the engine. It was taking quite a long time to get started.”
Source: Autosport