AUTO RACING
Toyota dominates again in Le Mans
LE MANS, France -- Toyota won the 24 Hours Le Mans in the classic endurance race for the fifth consecutive time, with the No. 8 car finishing ahead of the No. 7 in another dominant performance on Sunday.
New Zealander Brendan Hartley had clinched pole position and was at the wheel as Toyota Gazoo's No. 8 completed the race in sunny and warm conditions, with teammates Sebastien Buemi and Ryo Hirakawa watching from the team garage.
Swiss driver Buemi has won the race four times while Hartley clinched his third win, and second for Toyota after his first victory with Porsche in 2017. Both had modest Formula One careers.
Dane Tom Kristensen holds the records with nine wins.
Hirakawa secured his first victory to join Japanese countrymen Kazuki Nakajima (3 wins) and Kamui Kobayashi (1) as winners in the famed race, which was first held in 1923.
Jose Maria Lopez of Argentina followed a couple of minutes behind for Toyota's No. 7 at the Circuit de la Sarthe in northwestern France.
Lopez was joined by Kobayashi and British driver Mike Conway, his teammates when No. 7 won last year to underline how Toyota has broken the stranglehold of Audi and Porsche.
After a calm night, Toyota experienced a rare blip when the No. 8 punctured with Buemi at the wheel at around 7:30 a.m. and 15 minutes later Lopez stalled and needed an electrical reset, costing one lap.
Ryan Briscoe closed out the race as the Glickenhaus 007 car finished in third place, five laps behind the winners.
American Josh Pierson became the youngest driver to participate at 16 years old, 188 days -- making him slightly younger than fellow 16-year-old Matt McMurry was in 2014.
Toyota Gazoo Racing car a Toyota GR010 Hybrid with Sebastien Buemi of Switzerland, Brendon Hartley of New Zealand and Ryo Hirakawa of Japan takes a curve during the 24-hour Le Mans endurance race in Le Mans, western France, Sunday June 12, 2022. (AP Photo/Jeremias Gonzalez)
Mechanics work on the Toyota Gazoo Racing car a Toyota GR010 Hybrid driven by Sebastien Buemi of Switzerland, Brendon Hartley of New Zealand and Ryo Hirakawa of Japan during a stop in the pits in the 24-hour Le Mans endurance race, in Le Mans, western France, Sunday June 12, 2022. (AP Photo/Jeremias Gonzalez)
Australia's Ryan Briscoe, Britain's Richard Westbrook and France's Franck Mailleux spray Champagne after finishing third in their Glickenhaus Racing 007 in the 24-Hour Le Mans endurance race in their in Le Mans, western France, Sunday June 12, 2022. (AP Photo/Jeremias Gonzalez)
Sebastien Buemi of Switzerland, shows four fingers after winning the 24-Hour Le Mans endurance race with Brendon Hartley of New Zealand and Ryo Hirakawa of Japan in the Toyota Gazoo Racing GR010 Hybrid in Le Mans, western France, Sunday June 12, 2022. (AP Photo/Jeremias Gonzalez)
Mechanics rush to the Toyota Gazoo Racing car a Toyota GR010 Hybrid driven by Sebastien Buemi of Switzerland, Brendon Hartley of New Zealand and Ryo Hirakawa of Japan during a stop in the pits in the 24-hour Le Mans endurance race, in Le Mans, western France, Sunday June 12, 2022. (AP Photo/Jeremias Gonzalez)
Mechanics work on the Totota Gazoo Racing GR010 Hybrid driven by Britain's Mike Conway, Japan's Kamui Kobayashi and Argentina's José Maria Lopez during a stop in the pits in the 24-hour Le Mans endurance race, in Le Mans, western France, Sunday June 12, 2022. (AP Photo/Jeremias Gonzalez)
Mechanics gather around the Dempsey-Proton racing Porsche 911 driven by USA's Fred Poordad and Maxwell Root and Belgium's Jan Heylen during a stop in the pits in the 24-hour Le Mans endurance race, in Le Mans, western France, Sunday June 12, 2022. (AP Photo/Jeremias Gonzalez)
Mechanics gather around the Totota Gazoo Racing driven by Britain's Mike Conway, Japan's Kamui Kobayashi and Argentina's José Maria Lopez during a stop in the pits in the 24-hour Le Mans endurance race, in Le Mans, western France, Sunday June 12, 2022. (AP Photo/Jeremias Gonzalez)