Toyota team wins FIA endurance race in Shanghai

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TOYOTA Racing dominated the Six Hour of Shanghai, the eighth and final round of the 2012 FIA World Endurance Championship. Alex Wurz and Nicolas Lapierre finished a lap ahead of the No. 2 Audi R18 e-tron quattro of Allan McNish and Tom Kristensen, having led the way from the start.

However, it was also a day of celebration and smiles in the Audi garage. By crossing the finish line to the third place, Andre Lotterer, Benoit Treluyer and Marcel Fassler scored enough points to capture the World Drivers' Championship – the first for this new FIA championship.

The trio made history in June by becoming the first hybrid powered car to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and followed this with two more wins at the Six Hours of Silverstone and Six Hours of Bahrain.

The No. 7 Toyota TS030 Hybrid's victory in China was its third in the season and the result confirms a remarkable debut season for the Japanese manufacturer. They have secured three wins in six races and raised the bar in terms of performance.

While there was laughter and champagne at one end of the pit lane, there was heartbreak and tears at the other. LMP1 Privateer champions Rebellion Racing were on course to finish fourth with their No. 12 Lola-Toyota entry of Nicolas Prost and Neel Jani. The duo took the lead after the third lap of the race but their car ground to a halt with just eight minutes of the race to run and they watched the Drivers' Championship slip through their fingers.

There was some consolation for the Swiss team as their second No. 13 entry was promoted to the first among the Private teams. The only Chinese driver in the field, Cheng Congfu, stood proudly on the podium alongside his team mates Andrea Belicchi and Harold Primat.

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