#7, TOYOTA GAZOO RACING, Toyota GR010 - Hybrid*, [Hybrid Class], Mike Conway (GBR), Kamui Kobayashi (JPN), Jose Maria Lopez (ARG). 2021 FIA World Endurance Championship, Francorchamps, Belgium. Photo © John D Stevens.

Toyota took the first ever Hypercar and overall pole for tomorrow’s Total 6 Hours of Spa Francorchamps, the season opening race of the FIA World Endurance Championship. 

Kamui Koybayashi in the #7 Toyoto GR010 Hypercar set a 2:00.747 lap around the picturesque Belgian Ardennes circuit to pip teammate Kaz Nakajima in the #8 sister car to the pole. United Autosports with the #22 Oreca LMP2 will line up third on the grid tomorrow after Filipe Alburquerque set a 2:02.404. The #36 RebAlpine in the hands of Nico Lapierre managed to put in a 2:02.652 in the dying seconds of the session to claim fourth place overall. 

#22, UNITED AUTOSPORTS USA, Oreca 07 – Gibson, Philip Hanson (GBR), Fabio Scherer (CHE), Filipe Albuquerque (PRT). 2021 FIA World Endurance Championship, Francorchamps, Belgium. Photo © John D Stevens.

Nyck de Vries put in a heroic effort to set a 2:02.948 but it wasn’t quite enough to outpace Alburquerque. Guido van de Garde took third in class in the #29 Racing Team Nederland Oreca with a 2:03.435. Norman Nato in the #70 Realteam Racing LMP2 set a 2:03.474 lap to claim fourth in class. 

#25, G-DRIVE RACING, Aurus 01 – Gibson, [Pro/Am Class], John Falb (USA), TBA, Rui Andrade (PRT). 2021 FIA World Endurance Championship, Francorchamps, Belgium. Photo © John D Stevens.
The first of the Pro/Am LMP2 cars, and sub-class pole-sitter was Roberto Merhi in the #25 G-Drive Aurus 01, setting a 2:03,485

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