Toyota hopes cruelly dashed at Le Mans because of one tiny thing

As it happens, a small electrical connector was behind Toyota’s heartbreaking last-minute loss at Le Mans.

Now here’s proof that you need everything to be in working order on the track and we mean everything. Things to be going as well as could be for the Toyota No. 5 car at Le Mans last weekend. It was comfortably ahead of the pack and nearing the chequered flag when it slowed to an inexplicable halt in the last three minutes, paving the way for Porsche to snatch up its 18th outright victory this race. After some investigation, the team discovered that all this could have been avoided if they’d been paying attention to one little thing.

“Car #5 suffered a technical defect on a connector on the airline between the turbo charger and the intercooler, causing a loss of turbo charger control.

“The team attempted to modify the control settings to restore power and this was eventually achieved, allowing the car to complete the final lap.

“However it was achieved too late to complete that lap within the required six minutes.”

Toyota Gazoo Racing

Nobody knows why this happened exactly, but it just goes to show that racing is very much a team sport. The best driver in the world would be lost without the best vehicle and the best vehicle without every minuscule cog accounted for.