However, greater mechanical failure was to befall the Toyota as, with a one minute 24 second lead, and just over five minutes of the 24 hours remaining, Nakajima reported a power failure after crossing the start-finish line for the final lap.
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An desperate conclusion to a race in which Toyota had defied expectations as it took the fight to favourites Porsche with better-than-expected race pace, the unprecedented ending left all three drivers dumbfounded not least given Toyota’s history of heartbreak in previous Le Mans attempts.
With three minutes to though, Nakajima – who was set to drive the vehicle home to the chequered flag – reported a loss of power and stopped on the start-finish straight in front of the Toyota pit wall.
Ford took victory in the LMGTE Pro class on the 50th anniversary of the first of its four outright victories in the 1960s. Standing in the middle of the track, he held a French flag as the race began in pouring rain with the 60 cars starting behind the safety vehicle.
Unfortunately for Toyota, even if the vehicle managed to be driven further and completed the final lap, the crew would not have won the race.
The vehicle was fine on fuel and driver Kazuki Nakajima was not instructed to change anything in order to get ready for a photo finish, team sources told Daily Sportscar. Driven to 2nd place, the Toyota # 6 crossed the finish line driven by Stéphane Sarrazin. He fell more than a minute behind, but barely five minutes later, Porsche was celebrating its 18th victory at Le Mans. As the race reached its 10-hour mark, Toyota kept the advantage as both the Audi and Porsche teams lost ground. “We were in control of the race and were so close to the win that we all want”.
The team will analyze the cause of the problem as part of its preparations for the 2017 Le Mans 24 Hours, which begin immediately. “We go to the next race now at Nurburgring and we go again but this, this is hard to take right now”.
Frenchman Roland Dumas and Germany’s Marc Lieb were the other winning drivers for No. 2 Porsche, while ex-Formula One driver Sebastien Buemi of Switzerland and British driver Anthony Davidson were the others to taste bitter defeat for No. 5 Toyota. Look out for the ‘sore losers, ‘ Toyota, on the track next year.
Dirk Muller, Joey Hand and Sebastian Bourdais piloted the No. 68 GT to victory.
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“What a Le Mans race!”
