Toyota Planning Three-Day Sebring Test After Race

Toyota Gazoo Racing will undertake a three-day test at Sebring International Raceway starting on the Monday after next weekend’s FIA World Endurance Championship season-opener.

The Japanese manufacturer has brought a test car to Florida, in addition to the two Toyota GR010 Hybrids that are racing in the 1000 Miles of Sebring next Friday.

All six Hypercar drivers are slated to turn laps, as well as official reserve and test driver Kazuki Nakajima.

Toyota’s WEC technical director Pascal Vasselon told Sportscar365 that the Sebring outing will be the team’s final proper test before the 24 Hours of Le Mans, except for a basic shakedown at Spa-Francorchamps in May.

The reigning Hypercar world champion conducted two endurance tests with the latest updated version of its LMH car in Europe before heading to Florida for the curtain raiser.

“Through the night is not possible, but over the three days we will do endurance runs,” Vasselon said.

“We have been testing very little this year. We needed a third test and the problem we have had is that our test was planned where Portimao has been slotted.

“When Portimao came into the calendar, we had to move our last test of the season. The only solution was to do it after this race. It’s not ideal for the team, it’s very tough.”

Toyota has been open in the past about its lack of testing, with Vasselon stating last November that it was on the “back foot” compared to most of its Hypercar rivals who had been on track extensively, partly because several were ramping up for homologation.

According to the testing regulations, newcomers Ferrari, Porsche, Cadillac and Vanwall have more test days this year than Peugeot because the French manufacturer entered some of last season’s WEC rounds with its hybrid-powered LMH car, the 9X8.

Toyota, however, is limited to a dozen test days this year but is expected not to use its full allocation.

The testing allocation excludes ‘special testing’ such as shakedowns, tests organized by tire supplier Michelin and official sessions like the Prologue and Le Mans test day.

“It’s our last really proper test session,” Vasselon said of the Sebring test.

“We are testing a lot less than others, unfortunately. It makes it a bit more difficult, but we are as well a bit more experienced in WEC. So I just hope that it balances out.”