TOYOTA GAZOO Racing brought the curtain down on a dramatic and successful 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) season with the annual rookie test at Bahrain International Circuit.
Just a few hours after celebrating the manufacturers’ World Championship thanks to its victory in the 8 Hours of Bahrain, the team was back in action for the traditional end-of-season test, the final official sessions of the year.
As part of the team’s commitment to giving opportunities to young, upcoming drivers, 20-year-old Frenchman Esteban Masson had the opportunity to test the #7 GR010 HYBRID. Esteban has impressed this season driving the #87 Lexus RC F LMGT3 entered by the Akkodis ASP Team in WEC’s LMGT3 category.
European Le Mans Series racer Reshad de Gerus, 21, was nominated by WEC as the official rookie to drive the World Championship-winning Hypercar and he shared the #7 with Esteban and Mike Conway, who was on hand to mentor the two young drivers.
Both Esteban and Reshad prepared with driving simulator sessions at the team’s base in Cologne, Germany, where bespoke driver seats were also created to ensure a comfortable ride. Their first experience of the GR010 HYBRID came in a two-hour morning session, when Estaban completed 17 laps and Reshad recorded 21.
The pair had the opportunity to try the GR010 HYBRID on new Michelin tyres early in the three-hour afternoon session, which was red flagged for 10 minutes in the opening hour when another car stopped on track.
By the end of the day, Estaban and Reshad had completed a total of 62 and 31 laps respectively. They acquitted themselves well during their first experience of a hybrid-powered Hypercar, showing their talent, professionalism and potential.
Esteban Masson: “I am grateful for the amazing opportunity only one year on from my first endurance race. I enjoyed driving such a great, World Championship-winning car and working with the team. I tried to learn as much as possible because a Hypercar is quite different to what I am used to. There is more power, more downforce and better braking, so it is just more performance everywhere, but the biggest difference is all the changes you do whilst you are driving. It was great to have Mike here alongside us for the test because he really helped me to get used to the car and find more performance.”
Reshad de Gerus: “I am really happy to have this experience. The team were very supportive, and it really helped to go to the factory for a simulator session and seat fitting. All that preparation meant I was quite confident from the start about what I had to do. It was great to discover the car and the world of Hypercar with a World Champion team. The car is quite different to the LMP2 car I am familiar with, mainly because the systems are so complex. As a driver you have to work closely with the engineers all the time, which I enjoyed. Bahrain is a new track for me, and of course a new car, so I was becoming more comfortable with every lap.”
