Mike Conway finished on the podium in the opening World Endurance Championship (WEC) race of the season with his Toyota Racing team in a hard-fought 6 Hours of Imola.

It was a double podium for the Toyota team, with Conway and his teammates finishing in third, whilst the sister car took the race victory in what was their 100th race with hybrid power.

A weekend crowd of 92,175 – a new record for a WEC event at Imola – witnessed a close and exciting race, interrupted by two short safety car periods, before light rain and strong winds in the closing stages.

On its race debut, the two TR010 HYBRIDs and their driver crews showed consistent race pace, which was complemented by effective fuel and tyre strategies to gain positions over their Hypercar rivals during an intense six-hour contest.

The #8 TR010 HYBRID started from the front row and Brendon ran third in his opening stint. Gains at the first pit stops initially elevated the #8 back into second, before Ryō took the lead early in the third hour. He established a small gap over the chasing Ferrari, which Sébastien extended in the final two hours. He navigated tricky track conditions during a light shower to hold the advantage until the end.

The #7 TR010 HYBRID was sixth at the start but fell to seventh. Mike pushed to rejoin the top-six throughout his stint before Nyck made progress. He was fourth before half race distance and claimed third in the fourth hour. Kamui then moved up to second and, on very used tyres, enabled the #8 to extend its lead by holding the #51 Ferrari at bay until finally stopping for new rubber inside the final hour.

When the chequered flag flew after six hours, Sébastien crossed the line 13.352secs ahead of the #51 Ferrari, with Kamui bringing the #7 home in third, 27.835secs behind second place.

After its second successive win – following its victory in last year’s Bahrain finale – TOYOTA RACING holds the lead in both the manufacturers’ and drivers’ World Championships. It will aim to defend those positions at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps on 9 May, the final race before the Le Mans 24 Hours.

Speaking after an excellent weekend, Conway said: “It’s a great result for the team and I’m pleased to be on the podium. I think this is more than we expected. It’s awesome for car #8 to win and for car #7 to be on the podium.

“We gave our maximum and brought home a double podium. It’s a strong start to the season and we’ll try to build on this in Spa.”