Toyota 94C-V
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The Toyota 94C-V was an LMP sports car that was developed for use in sports car races in the fall of 1993 .
Development history and technology
The Toyota 94C-V was the last Toyota sports car in the CV series, which started with the 88C-V in 1988. Technically, the car was largely based on the 93 model, the 93C-V . The 3.6-liter V8 turbo engine has been improved and has a better response from slow corners. Since the Automobile Club de l'Ouest had developed new technical regulations for the Le Mans 24-hour race , the 94C-V corresponded to the new LMP1-C90 class in terms of weight, dimensions and turbocharger performance. The Le Mans prototypes replaced the vehicles of the previous Group C from 1994 .
Racing history
The main goal of the Toyota Board of Management was to achieve overall victory in the Le Mans 24-hour race, where the omens were favorable. After the 1993 victory , Peugeot had stopped racing in the sports car scene, leaving Toyota as the only works team. However, the Japanese racing teams SARD and Nisso handled the use in Le Mans. Roland Ratzenberger , Mauro Martini and Jeff Krosnoff were supposed to drive the SARD-94C-V with starting number 1 . Ratzenberger, who had been a regular driver at Toyota and SARD since 1990, had a fatal accident on a Simtek S941 during qualifying for the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix . Eddie Irvine was registered for him . Ratzenberger remained on the vehicle as the fourth name alongside the three starters. The Nisso-94C-V with starting number 4 was driven by Steven Andskär , George Fouché and Bob Wollek , who made another attempt at overall victory.
In training it became clear that Toyota had underestimated the opposition. The test day on May 8th was skipped and the well-prepared Courage C32s were equal in qualification training . Nevertheless, the SARD-94C-V led the race for a long time and was in the lead 90 minutes before the end of the race with a lap lead when transmission problems forced the car into the pits. This began a long series of late Toyota failures, which many experts have already called a curse. This failure series only ended in 2018 and Toyota clinched its first overall victory. In 1994 the transmission problems prevented the overall victory. Eddie Irvine was able to catch up one more lap in the final phase to finish at least second overall behind a duration of 962 LM . The second Toyota was classified in fourth place.
In the second and final race that Mauro Martini and Jeff Krosnoff contested in the Suzuka 1000 km race in 1994 , the SARD car was clearly in the lead before it was irreparably damaged in an accident in Martini.
