[Articus]

Originally Posted by Acid09

Most manufacturers stay around to win at least two times because winning Le Mans once is always seen as a bit of a one-off.

BMW was an exception as they had their F1 programme already lined up that couldn't be postponed and doing both was no option. Renault was never big into sports cars and probably just wanted it crossed off the list.

As one poster said above, one win would mean Toyota would "just" tie Mazda, I doubt that'll be enough for them.

Also, Toyota gets the most PR-payoff from the current rules as unlike Porsche & Audi, they're actually seen as a manufacturer who's big about hybrid road cars. So going down this road suits them, it has a lot of promo value.

They're also doing it on a sensible budget which seems sustainable for a long run. Also, let's not forget that they have to have something to keep TMG busy, their involvement in the rally programme seems to be minimal.

TMGs involvement in the WEC programme has shrunken from earlier reports. Seems like much of the car development has moved to technical center in Japan.