Toyota, on the eve of the start of its attempt to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the sixth time in a row, which is equivalent to an achievement achieved only by Ferrari and Porsche in 100 years of marathons at the Circuit de la Sarthe, presented (us) a vision for the future of the most important endurance race in motorsport, clearly supported with the electrification strategy pursued by all manufacturers.

Le Mans intends to introduce a class of hydrogen-fueled prototypes as early as 2026, in order to prepare for the possibility of generalizing the technology in 2030, using this element both in internal combustion engines and in fuel cells (fuel cells). Fuel converts it into the energy needed to run electric motors). In France, during this announcement, Toyota committed to the program and, to underscore it, became the first manufacturer to submit a competition prototype in that class.

The GR H2 Racing Concept even ran a demonstration lap around Sarthe, with Akio Toyoda, chairman of the Japanese consortium at the prototype controls with a hydrogen heat engine powered by a hybrid system that includes an electric machine. The technical specifications of the competing machine, 5,100 meters long and 2,050 meters wide, are unknown.

Photos courtesy of Noriaki Mitsuhashi of N-RAK Pictures.