Toyota extends championship lead after winning dramatic WEC 6 Hours of Monza

Toyota Gazoo Racing have got their 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship title fight back on track after the Japanese manufacturer won today’s 6 Hours of Monza, round five of the FIA World Endurance Championship.

With 65,000 fans in attendance over three days in sweltering hot conditions, today’s race saw action from start to finish including three different manufacturers on the overall Hypercar podium – Toyota, Ferrari and Peugeot.

Monza race winners Mike Conway, Jose-Maria Lopez and Kamui Kobayashi crossed the finish line in the No. 7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid 16.250s ahead of the No. 50 AF Corse Ferrari 499P Hypercar driven by Antonio Fuoco, Nicklas Nielsen and Miguel Molina.

In LMP2, complex and exhilarating LMP2 battle went the way of JOTA after a tight battle with the No.31 Team WRT entry in the last 90-minutes of the race. David Heinemeier Hansson, Pietro Fittipaldi and Oliver Rasmussen took their first victory of the season after a complex race of strategy saw the trio lead the 12-car field home.

Meanwhile, Dempsey-Proton Racing trio Christian Ried, Julien Andlauer and Mikkel Pedersen took a stealthy victory while Ben Keating, Nicolas Varrone and Nicky Catsburg sealed the title with two rounds remaining.

The No.77 Dempsey-Proton Porsche 911 RSR-19 made its way through the field in strong fashion making one fewer pitstop than the No.60 Iron Lynx Porsche of Matteo Cressoni, Alessio Picariello and Claudio Schiavoni who trailed the winners by just 11.184 seconds.

Next in the 2023 FIA WEC calendar is the 6 Hours of Fuji as the World Championship prepares for its first trip to Asia this year for the Japanese classic which takes place at the iconic Fuji Speedway (8-10 September).