Mike Conway will miss Lone Star Le Mans this weekend at CoTA after injuring his collar bone in a training accident last week.
His place alongside Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries in the #7 GR010 HYBRID will be taken by José María López, who was originally scheduled to race in Austin with AKKODIS ASP in a Lexus RC F LMGT3.
Lopez’s replacement in the Lexus is expected to be confirmed later today.
The switch is the same that applied at Le Mans in 2024 after Conway was injured in a cycling accident.
Kamui Kobayashi (Team Principal and driver, car #7) said: “It’s always great fun to race in America because the fans are so welcoming, and they really love motorsports. There is a different atmosphere around the track and it’s something I really enjoy. The Circuit of the Americas is a fantastic circuit, really nice to drive, and I can’t wait to be on track again in our GR010 HYBRID.
“As a team we’ve had a few weeks to analyse what happened in Brazil and we aim to come back much stronger in Austin. Of course, we are all disappointed that Mike cannot join us in the #7 car, but José has proved he is a very capable substitute. As well as wishing Mike a quick recovery, I would like to say a big thanks to AKKODIS ASP for their support in allowing José to step in.”
López added: “I’m sad for Mike, who is a great friend, and I know he is so disappointed that he cannot race in Austin. I wish him all the best for a speedy recovery.
“It’s an unexpected opportunity for me to work with everyone in the team again, and I am sure it will be just like old times very quickly. I feel ready for the challenge, and I will give everything to get a strong result with Kamui and Nyck.”
Nyck de Vries echoed the thoughts of his teammates: “Naturally we will miss Mike, but we know José well, and he’s the ideal replacement. We were very competitive last year at COTA and, of course, we hope to have a similar performance this weekend, but we know it won’t be easy.
“We need to execute a clean weekend and maximise our performance in all areas. As a team we have performed well this season, even though the results have not been what we wanted. We will all be pushing to be at the right end of the grid this time.”
Lopez’s return is not the only driver news at Toyota for the event. Sébastien Buemi returns to the #8 GR010 HYBRID with Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa, who competed as a two-driver crew at the last round in Brazil in mid-July.
“I’m looking forward to joining up with Brendon, Ryo and the whole team again in Austin,” Buemi said.
“It felt a bit strange watching them race in Brazil without me, but I was following everything, and I could see how hard everyone was pushing despite the difficult circumstances. Hopefully we are in a much better position this weekend so we can fight at the front again.”
Jack Hawksworth was later confirmed as filling in for Lopez in the #87 Lexus RCF GT3 at CoTA, his second start of the season for the team after filling in for an injured Ben Barnicoat in the sister #787 car at Le Mans in June.
