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Toyota Withdraws Silverstone Appeal, Rebellion Win Confirmed

Rebellion Racing takes first WEC non-hybrid victory since 2012

Toyota Gazoo Racing has officially withdrawn its appeal against the exclusion of both its TS050 HYBRIDs from last weekend’s 6 Hours of Silverstone.

After the team scored a 1-2 finish, provisionally its third in a row to start the season, its TS050 HYBRIDs failed the skid block deflection test post race and were excluded. The team blamed the new kerbs at the Silverstone circuit for the damage caused to the cars.

With the result now final, Rebellion Racing has been confirmed as the winner of the 6 Hours of Silverstone, the third round of the WEC Super Season. The win by the #3 R-13 Gibson of Mathias Beche, Thomas Laurent and Gustavo Menezes, is therefore the first overall privateer win in an FIA World Endurance Championship race and the first non-hybrid to claim overall victory since Spa 2012.

The final results and championship classifications show a 1-2 for Rebellion Racing, with SMP Racing’s #17 BR1 AER claiming third place.

“All our drivers drove our cars with their full power and the fight for victory was truly exciting for the fans so I truly feel disappointed to lose the result,” Toyota Motor Corporation President Akio Toyoda said in a statement.

“I would like to apologise to the six drivers that we could not make a car with which they can win even though they drove all out.

“On the other hand, I would also like to thank our drivers for their trust in our cars and for pushing to the limit, as this meant we could learn about improvements which can be made.

“We will make our cars even stronger for the next race so that the drivers can drive all out again at Fuji Speedway and fight for another one-two victory to strengthen our challenge for the World Championship.

“For the fans, thank you very much for your continued support. I hope you are looking forward to see an exciting race in October.”

Photo courtesy of Toyota