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Old 20th June 2016, 09:03   #1
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2016 Le Mans: Heartbreak for Toyota, wins for Porsche

Endurance racing: The world of the most technologically advanced machines on wheels is also the world of massive heartbreaks as well.

It was Toyota's turn this time.

5 years after their re entry to the Le Mans, Toyota was one Lap away from a victory in the Hybrid engines Era of Le Mans.

Just above 3 Minutes to the completion of the race, their No. 5 TS050 Hybrid ground to a halt just outside the pit window and handed the win to the next most Reliable performer of the Grid, the No. 2 Porsche 919.

A video doing the rounds is most heartbreaking to see.



In other news. Ford takes the top step of the Podium in the GTE Pro Class with the GT40 on the golden Jubilee of its 1-2-3 at the 1966 Le Mans.

The victory should have been another feather in the Cap for Raj Nair and his team at Ford.

The victory was not the sweetest of them because of the protests and Penalties post race.

Last edited by GTO : 20th June 2016 at 12:49. Reason: Embedding video :). Thanks for sharing!
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Old 20th June 2016, 13:37   #2
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What a heartbreak for Toyota! To be leading until the penultimate lap and then to lose like this must have been absolutely gut-wrenching! And it's really heartening to see the support from Porsche and Audi post the race towards Toyota.
#MassiveRespect to Toyota!

Last edited by a*ed : 20th June 2016 at 14:03.
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Old 20th June 2016, 16:50   #3
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Re: 2016 Le Mans: Heartbreak for Toyota, wins for Porsche

So close to a win for one of the most consistent and persevering teams in Le Mans, I feel so sorry for Toyota, especially since I earnestly believed that Toyota would break Audis' winning streak this year.

But again a close shave for Toyota and the crowds' as well as the rival teams' reactions show how Toyota deserved the win, but then again.

An endurance race is a race, even if it means your car ran perfectly till the last couple of minutes and then broke down.
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Old 20th June 2016, 18:38   #4
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Re: 2016 Le Mans: Heartbreak for Toyota, wins for Porsche

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Originally Posted by DicKy View Post
So close to a win for one of the most consistent and persevering teams in Le Mans, I feel so sorry for Toyota, especially since I earnestly believed that Toyota would break Audis' winning streak this year.

But again a close shave for Toyota and the crowds' as well as the rival teams' reactions show how Toyota deserved the win, but then again.

An endurance race is a race, even if it means your car ran perfectly till the last couple of minutes and then broke down.
Porsche already broke Audi's streak by winning last year.
Although, it could still count as the trophy having stayed in the 'family' so-to-speak

Cheers !

Sundar
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Old 20th June 2016, 23:22   #5
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Re: 2016 Le Mans: Heartbreak for Toyota, wins for Porsche

Can't really understand why there is such an emotional support for Toyota over media worldwide. Fact is- They participated in "24 hours" of Le Mans and not "23 hours and 55 mins".

And their car was just not the most reliable one for the event. Be it few mins or few seconds even, it was the Porsche that came out victorious through the 24 hour event. But looks like Toyota has got way more coverage than even the winner.

From media POV- "Heartbreak for Toyota" might get more clicks than "Win for Porsche".

Last edited by CrAzY dRiVeR : 20th June 2016 at 23:24.
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Old 21st June 2016, 08:28   #6
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Re: 2016 Le Mans: Heartbreak for Toyota, wins for Porsche

If i may opine. It is not just media, but the collective human psyche which roots for the underdog.

There are reasons people cannot forget the 1999 Cricket world cup Semifinal where South Africa went down fighting valiantly. Similarly 2007 F1 world Championship where Hamilton binned it in Shanghai, people rooted for him. 2008 when the same Hamilton snatched the championship from Massa, there were a vast majority rooting for Massa as well.

That is the beauty of sports, it creates heroes for you.

Toyota for sure has massive R&D spend on Motorsports, but the teutonic brands inside VAG are just too big in front of them. You've got a recipe for classic David Vs Goliath.
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Old 29th June 2016, 19:50   #7
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Re: 2016 Le Mans: Heartbreak for Toyota, wins for Porsche

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Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR View Post
Can't really understand why there is such an emotional support for Toyota over media worldwide. Fact is- They participated in "24 hours" of Le Mans and not "23 hours and 55 mins".
Porsche already holds the record for most consecutive wins and also most wins. They would not even care about 'coverage'. Toyota was far behind when it came to being a competitive team in the 2016 season. They surprised everyone with the progress they made and almost beat the most successful team. "23 hours and 55 mins" is quite a harsh way to put it. An underdog taking down a veteran would have been a dream finish. The outcome caused the high amount of support for the Toyota team. It is nearly impossible not to feel bad for them if one knoes the sheer amount of sleepless nights that go into making the car.
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