Toyota chose Jose Maria Lopez over official reserve Ritomo Miyata as a late stand-in for the Le Mans 24 Hours because the Japanese driver is still an event rookie.
The decision to recall Lopez to the #7 Toyota GR010 HYBRID Le Mans Hypercar for the double-points World Endurance Championship round on 15/16 June was “a very simple one”, according to Toyota Gazoo Racing Europe director Rob Leupen. He explained that it was a straightforward move to bring the Argentinian back after Mike Conway broke two ribs and his collarbone in a cycling accident on Thursday “because of his experience and the inexperience of Ritomo”.
Leupen revealed that the harder decision for Toyota was how to replace Lopez at the Auto Sport Promotion Lexus team in which he is contesting the full WEC this year in the new LMGT3 class. Expatriate Briton Jack Hawksworth has been flown in from the USA to take the seat for the professional driver in ASP’s #87 Lexus RC F GT3 alongside Esteban Masson and Takeshi Kimura.
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