Mike Conway and his Toyota Racing team took victory in an epic 94th Le Mans 24 Hours, the third round of the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC).
It is now a second victory for Conway in a race that he and his teammates had to battle for night and day.
A crowd of 350,105 fans watched an epic Hypercar contest in one of the closest and most unpredictable Le Mans 24 Hours for many years, which delivered TOYOTA’s sixth win in the legendary French race.
Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries completed a nerve-wracking win by just 10.913secs after 381 laps of relentless competition in their #7 TR010 HYBRID. For Mike and Kamui, it represents a second win after their 2021 triumph, while it is Nyck’s first overall win.
Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryō Hirakawa completed a race to remember for TOYOTA RACING with a podium for third place in their #8 TR010 HYBRID, just 20.417secs off the lead.
Despite starting from modest grid positions after a disappointing Hyperpole, the TR010 HYBRIDs used aggressive early strategy to refuel earlier than their rivals and taking advantage of a clear track to gain time. That brought both cars into contention for the top six, and the showed exceptional pace – setting new fastest laps – but setbacks interrupted their progress.
The #7 TR010 HYBRID suffered an early puncture which left it in a tight midfield battle. But relentless speed, particularly in the morning hours, brought it into the top three with six hours remaining.
Meanwhile, the #8 car led the early stages thanks to the alternative fuel strategy. But an off-track moment in the ninth hour, a drive-through penalty around half distance, and a brake drum mounting repair soon after left the #8 crew facing a tough task to return to the front.
A safety car with less than six hours remaining reset the field and gave both cars the opportunity to show their speed and race craft in a four-car battle at the front. With three hours to go, bold overtakes from Brendon and Nyck put TOYOTA RACING into a one-two lead.
The #7 car established a gap at the front, although fuel and tyre strategies caused the podium positions to fluctuate over the remaining hours. The #8 battled bravely for second but ultimately had to change tyres in the last hour, dropping to third. Kamui kept his cool in the afternoon heat and brought the #7 to the chequered flag, followed soon after by Sébastien in the #8.
The double points scored at Le Mans extends TOYOTA RACING’s advantage in the manufacturers’ World Championship to 36 points, while the #7 crew have taken the lead in the drivers’ standings. The next race comes in just four weeks’ time with the 6 Hours of São Paulo at Interlagos on 12 July.
Speaking after the race, a delighted Conway, said: “It was a crazy race. I knew we could move forward from our qualifying position, but I just didn’t know how far, or how tight the battle would be.
“Positions were swapping back and forth, and it wasn’t until the last couple of hours that we felt we were in with a chance. It has been an amazing job by everyone in the team.
“Kamui and Nyck were super-fast, they really got us into the fight at the front when it mattered, and credit to the pit crew because they were faultless. Thank you to everyone who has supported us, everyone in Cologne, Higashi-Fuji and at Toyota. This one is really special.”
Images courtesy of Paul Babington