Kobayashi Claims First Hyperpole of the Year for the 6 Hours of Sao Paulo

July 13, 2024Ramon Jones
WEC

Toyota secured a front row sweep in Hyperpole for the 6 Hours of Sao Paulo with Kamui Kobayashi leading the way for the team. Kobayashi drove the No. 07 Toyota Gazoo Racing Hypercar to a 1:23.140 beating the team’s sister car by just over a tenth of a second to pole position. Kamui Kobayashi said, “We got the best possible result as a team. Me and Séb certainly enjoyed it today. We had an amazing car, and it was fun to drive, especially because Interlagos is such a great track. We have struggled a bit in qualifying at times this season because the competition is really strong, but finally we have a pole position which is a fantastic feeling. After Le Mans, the team made a big effort for this race, thank you to them and everyone at TOYOTA GAZOO Racing, and a special thanks to the fans here at Interlagos for their support.”

Toyota Gazoo Racing Sweep Front Row

The Toyota Gazoo Racing camp left nothing to chance in qualifying by locking out the front row. The team will attempt to use this advantage to finish the way they started. After Hyperpole Sébastien Buemi (Driver, car #8) said, “I really enjoyed it. It was my first qualifying for a long time, so it was nice to have the chance and I am very pleased with the result. It’s a great performance from the team and a one-two in qualifying for the first time since last year. It is just qualifying and there’s a long race to go, but it gives us a good starting position. Hopefully we can help car #7 win the race and get some good manufacturers’ World Championship points as well.”

Sarah Bovy Leads the Iron Dames to in Class Pole

Sarah Bovy lead the Iron Dames to their second FIA pole position for the LMGT3 class during qualifying. Despite an early red flag in the session Bovy put her head down using the 12 minutes left to the drivers to set a fastes tin class 1m34.413 lap. “Taking pole at São Paulo feels different because it is a track synonymous with Ayrton Senna,” said Bovy. “I’m a bit emotional right now because this is very special. Thank you very much to the entire team for giving me a great car again and I can’t wait go racing tomorrow.”

Qualifying Results From Sao Paolo