Mike Conway
It was surprising just how much quicker the #7 Toyota TS050 HYBRID was than its sister, from the first qualifying session on Wednesday evening to the end of the race. But that didn’t mean Briton Mike Conway, teamed with Kamui Kobayashi and Jose Maria Lopez, left Le Mans with the first Le Mans victory he deserved at a race that counts for more than any other in the world of sports car racing.
Conway put in a heroic performance this weekend, marking himself out as probably the best sports car racer in the world right now, and he fully deserved to finally win the ‘big one’. But like his countryman Anthony Davidson before him, Toyota’s British star appears to lack the sprinkling of luck that is required to secure a Le Mans win.
As the 24th hour approached, Lopez had pitted but was immediately informed he had a puncture. The sensors suggested the right front was the problem, but it turned out to be the right rear. Whatever, it required another stop – which handed the lead and victory to the #8 crew.
That means Fernando Alonso, along with team-mates Sebastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima, is a two-time Le Mans winner – but the trio, who have also now secured the 2018/19 World Endurance Championship titles, knew they did not deserve the victory on this day.
Conway will just have to come back and try again. But right now, this one will hurt.