After the Porsche 919 Hybrid and the Audi R18 e-tron quattro, it's Toyota's turn to unveil its new prototype compliant with the LM P1 class regulations in effect as of January 1st. The TS040 Hybrid will defend the Japanese manufacturer's chances in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) and the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June.

Son of Hollywood actor and producer Steve McQueen, Chad McQueen died on 11 September 2024. As a child, he and his older sister Terry had a front-row seat during the shooting of the 1970 movie 'Le Mans', produced by and starring their father.

Born on 28 December 1960, Chad McQueen was the second child of Steve McQueen and his first wife, fellow actor Neile Adams.

He was nine-and-a-half years of age when his father settled in Sarthe for almost six months, from June to November 1970, to film&nbsp;Le Mans. He even sat on his father&rsquo;s lap while he drove a Porsche 917. Following in his parents&rsquo; footsteps, he appeared in over 20 movies between 1978 and 2001. He also developed a passion for motorsport, competing a number of times on two wheels in the Baja 1000 Mexican off-road race or on four wheels in circuit races organised by the SCCA (Sports Car Club of America).&nbsp;

The 24 Hours of Le Mans were, however, always in the background throughout Chad&rsquo;s life. At the 2004 Goodwood Festival of Speed, he shared the wheel of a Porsche 959 with six-time Le Mans winner Jacky Ickx and his daughter, Vanina.&nbsp;Ten years later, he visited the seventh Le Mans Classic while filming the documentary Steve McQueen, The Man And Le Mans. Directed by Joel McKenna and Gabriel Clarke, it was presented at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival before release the following November.&nbsp;&ldquo;I remember walking around the racetrack with my father, mother and sister,&rdquo; he reminisced during a press call at Le Mans Classic.&nbsp;&ldquo;I could name everyone in the movie, I knew all the drivers by name as I&rsquo;d read a whole lot of things on motorsport before coming to Le Mans to shoot. The movie&rsquo;s legacy and how much attention it still arouses today are awesome.&rdquo;

The Automobile Club de l&rsquo;Ouest extends its sincerest condolences to Chad&rsquo;s family and loved ones.

Photo: Louis Monnier

The ACO pays tribute to Chad McQueen

Hyundai has announced plans to enter endurance racing* with a Hypercar programme centred on its premium Genesis brand. This decision heralds a new era for the South Korean manufacturer as it looks to strengthen its image as a purveyor of high performance and technological innovation.

<h2>Hypercar &ndash; a strategic choice for Genesis</h2>

In a statement, Hyundai points out that the project is not only a sporting endeavour, but a strategic step &lsquo;as part of a broader vision for the future of mobility&rsquo;. Following a thorough analysis of the options in various spheres of motorsport competition, the firm chose Hypercar (via an LMDh programme) which offers the possibility of using hybrid technologies and powerful combustion engines. The programme was identified as offering the best opportunity for Hyundai to showcase the cutting-edge technology and trailblazing design of Genesis.

Hypercar has rapidly become an ideal platform for any manufacturer looking to gain a foothold in endurance. With several major manufacturers committed to Hypercar programmes, Genesis will have the opportunity to rub shoulders with a host of elite competitors, especially at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The French endurance classic is the ultimate showcase where performance, reliability and innovation are tested under the toughest conditions.

The South Korean carmaker is also looking to develop technologies that will have a direct impact on its furture production models. Hypercar is viewed as the perfect development platform for new mobility solutions harnessing performance and sustainability, a combination that Genesis intends to build into its road cars in the near future.

Hyundai has yet to reveal when it hopes the Hypercar will make its race d&eacute;but or any details of the chassis it will be based on.

*Subject to invitation by the FIA WEC and 24 Hours of Le Mans selection committee.

Hyundai set to enter 24 Hours of Le Mans and FIA WEC with Genesis

The FIA World Endurance Championship will make a stop in Asia for the 6 Hours of Fuji, the seventh of eight rounds on this season's calendar. The three-way battle between Toyota, Porsche and Ferrari for the championship title is sure to see sparks fly on the track!

The 2024 6 Hours of Fuji is&nbsp;scheduled on the heels of <a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/fia-wec-af-corse-wins-lone-star-le-mans-58930" target="_blank">Lone Star Le Mans won by AF Corse&#39;s #83&nbsp;Ferrari 499P</a>. This&nbsp;unique&nbsp;4,563-km circuit is located approximately&nbsp;100 km from Tokyo and boasts a stunning 1.5-km straight, fast corners and several serpentine sections. This particular race is one of the most emblematic on the calendar with Mt. Fuji serving as&nbsp;a breathtaking backdrop to throngs of wildly enthusiastic Japanese fans.

<h2>Toyota Gazoo Racing, the king of its domain</h2>

TOYOTA GAZOO&nbsp;Racing will be looking to dominate at&nbsp;home and extend its series&nbsp;of nine wins at this&nbsp;circuit. At Lone Star Le Mans, the #7&nbsp;Toyota GR010 Hybrid reached the second step on the podium, earning the marque the top spot and an 11-point lead on Porsche in the provisional championship standings.

For&nbsp;Kamui Kobayashi (#7&nbsp;Toyota driver), this race is especially significant:&quot;Everyone in the team is looking forward to our home race. It is very important; after Le Mans, Fuji is the second most significant race of the season for us. As a Japanese driver and as a Japanese manufacturer, competing in Fuji is very important, plus it&rsquo;s great to meet our Japanese fans. We have always been strong there and we have a fantastic record, with nine wins. Of course, we want to keep that successful run going in front of our fans, partners and colleagues.&quot;

<h2>Porsche Penske Motorsport still in the race</h2>

Despite a disappointing result at Lone Star Le Mans, Andr&eacute; Lotterer/K&eacute;vin Estre/Laurens Vanthoor and&nbsp;Porsche Penske Motorsport retain&nbsp;the lead in the championship&nbsp; Lotterer&nbsp;feels highly motivated going in to this round.&quot;It was the first race weekend this year where not everything went perfectly. Despite that, we earned some important points. We&rsquo;re still leading the drivers&rsquo; championship. Next up is Fuji. I&rsquo;ve spent many years in Japan, so it&rsquo;s a home race for me.&quot;

Third at Lone Star Le Mans is&nbsp;AF Corse&#39;s #50 Ferrari&nbsp;499P,&nbsp;currently third in the championship, trails Toyota by only&nbsp;19 points. Antonio Fuoco​:&quot;We&rsquo;ll have to give our absolute best in Japan, as the battle for both the Driver&rsquo;s and Manufacturer&rsquo;s world championships remains wide open.&quot;&nbsp;Nicklas Nielsen:&quot;The goal in Japan is to win as many points as possible.The race will be challenging, not only because the track isn&rsquo;t the best fit for our car&rsquo;s characteristics, but also due to the formidable competition. his year, though, as well as winning at Le Mans, we have continued to improve and get to know the 499P, so we line up confident and ready to do our best.&quot;&nbsp;

<h4>The&nbsp;FIA Endurance Hypercar Manufacturers Championship Top 5:</h4>

1. Toyota &ndash; 147 points 
2. Porsche &ndash; 136 points 
3. Ferrari &ndash; 128 points 
4. Alpine &ndash; 37 points 
5. BMW &ndash; 31 points

<h2>Manthey PureRxcing on its way to winning the title</h2>

In the LMGT3 category, Manthey PureRxcing is on its way to securing the title with the #92&nbsp;Porsche 911 GT3 R LMGT3 thanks to a 28-point lead on Manthey EMA&#39;s #91&nbsp;Porsche. The #92 is a favourite&nbsp;to win at Fuji, but Heart of Racing&#39;s #27 Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3 proved virtually untouchable at Lone Star Le Mans.

Qualifying and the 2024&nbsp;6 Hours of&nbsp;Fuji will be streamed live&nbsp;on the&nbsp;<a href="https://discover.fiawec.tv/" target="_blank">official FIA WEC app</a>. Qualifying is set for Saturday&nbsp;at 07:20 local time. The start of the race will be given on Sunday 15 September at 02:00 (GMT).

Click here for the&nbsp;<a href="https://press.fiawec.com/assets/fileuploads/66/dd/66dd1b6370ecf.pdf" target="_blank">2024 6 Hours of Fuji entry list</a>.

FIA WEC – Toyota, Porsche and Ferrari face off again at upcoming 2024 6 Hours of Fuji

The Asian Le Mans Series continues to be a big hit with competitors as 44 cars are poised to take part in the 2024-25 season. Six major manufacturers will be represented in the GT class.

The 2024-25 Asian Le Mans Series grid will feature 11 LMP2 and six LMP3 prototypes, and 27 GTs.&nbsp;&nbsp;Six manufacturers are represented in the GT class: Aston Martin, Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren, Mercedes and Porsche.

The 11 LMP2 entries include former champions such as Algarve Pro Racing&nbsp;(two cars), Nielsen Racing and DKR Engineering. Reigning GT champions Pure Rxcing are entering the LMP2 class with an Oreca 07-Gibson operated by TF Sport. Proton Competition, AF Corse, Inter Europol Competition and RD Limited complete the field.

Six Ligier JS P320-Nissans will compete in the final season of LMP3 before an upgrade is introduced. The six teams entered are Graff Racing, Inter Europol Competition, RLR MSport, Bretton Racing, Ultimate and High Class Racing.

The GT class is the largest contingent on the grid with no fewer than 27 cars &ndash; a 17% increase on last season&rsquo;s 23 entries. Several new teams are joining the championship. Two Aston Martin Vantage AMR Gt3s will take on seven Ferrari 296 GT3s, a Lamborghini Hurac&aacute;n GT3 EVO 2, two McLaren 720S GT3s, eight Mercedes AMG GT3 EVOs and seven Porsche 911 GT3 Rs. Triple Eight, the 2023-24 runners-up, will be back to try and go one better with a Mercedes AMG GT3 EVO. AF Corse is entering four Ferrari 296 GT3s with the other three fielded by Kessel Racing, Car Guy and Hong Kong-based outfit Absolute Racing. The teams running a Porsche 911 GT3 R are Manthey Racing (one car), Proton Competition (two), Car Collection (two), Origine (one) and Tsunami RT (one).

Check out the&nbsp;<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1e5SO5oteP5k6lobDT8NeGoAHOgiVwgXo/view?pli=1" target="_blank">entry list</a>&nbsp;for the 2024-25 Asian Le Mans Series.

Pierre Fillon, President, Automobile Club de l&rsquo;Ouest:&nbsp;How pleasing it is to see that the Asian Le Mans Series will have a packed grid this season! Several prestigious teams are planning to enter the championship which is due to begin in Sepang in less than three months&rsquo; time. The action will then switch to the United Arab Emirates with four rounds in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. It&rsquo;s all shaping up to be an exciting campaign. Roll on the opener in Malaysia on 7 December!

Fr&eacute;d&eacute;ric Lequien, CEO, ALMEM and LMEM:&nbsp;We are extremely pleased to announce a maximum sized grid for the Asian Le Mans Series this year. The series continues to provide a very attractive programme to both existing and new teams, including the welcome arrival of two Chinese teams Climax Racing and Origine. This season the Asian Le Mans Series has expanded to six 4-hour races, and we will continue to work with everyone involved to enable the series to continue to grow and evolve.

St&eacute;phane Ratel, Founder and CEO, SRO Motorsports Group:&nbsp;The Asian Le Mans Series&rsquo; very impressive 2024/25 entry list once again underlines motorsport&rsquo;s ever-increasing popularity across the continent following SRO&rsquo;s own record-breaking year there. Our partnership with the ACO is not outwardly visible but close collaboration and shared knowledge has undoubtedly contributed towards the success of this region&rsquo;s two biggest championships, which not only co-exist but actively support each other. Naturally, my eye is drawn to the 27 GT3 entries, some of which are Fanatec GT World Challenge Asia Powered by AWS regulars, but the depth of the prototype classes is also worthy of note. Congratulations to Frederic Lequien and his Asian Le Mans Series team.

Head to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.asianlemansseries.com/" target="_blank">Asian Le Mans Series</a>&nbsp;official website for further information.&nbsp;

Asian Le Mans Series attracts 44-car grid for the 2024-25 season

Toyota came up second in the 90-year anniversary edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, slipping between two cars of its rival, Audi. With the implementation of the new regulations and the return of Porsche in the top class, the cards have been shuffled and Toyota hopes to become the second Japanese manufacturer to win in La Sarthe after Mazda in 1991. So is the TS040 Hybrid the ultimate weapon? The answer June 15th at 3:00 p.m..

	<img class="imgVideo" id="2416" src="/wpphpFichiers/video/2416-2014-toyota-racing-ts040-hybrid-running-footage.jpg" />

	<a href="http://on.fb.me/P5kG8u" target="_blank">&gt; Photo Gallery of the Toyota TS040 Hybrid &lt;</a>

	C&eacute;cile Bonardel / ACO

24H LE MANS

Le Mans 2014 - The Toyota TS040 Hybrid finally revealed!

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Hyundai set to enter 24 Hours of Le Mans and FIA WEC with Genesis

FIA WEC – Toyota, Porsche and Ferrari face off again at upcoming 2024 6 Hours of Fuji

Asian Le Mans Series attracts 44-car grid for the 2024-25 season

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