Toyota to run liquid hydrogen car at Le Mans for the first time
Three-time Le Mans winner Kazuki Nakajima will drive the TR LH2 Racing Prototype at La Sarthe next week, alongside hydrogen cars from Ligier-Bosch and Alpine.
Toyota Racing says three-time Le Mans winner Kazuki Nakajima will drive its liquid hydrogen-fuelled TR LH2 Racing Prototype on demonstration laps of the Circuit de la Sarthe next week - the first public running of a liquid hydrogen car on the full Le Mans circuit. The prototype is based on the same chassis as the TR010 HYBRID Hypercar contesting the 24 Hours on 13-14 June, according to Toyota.
Nakajima, who is also Toyota Racing's vice-chairman, said the car had completed several months of track testing ahead of the Le Mans appearance.
Runs are scheduled for Thursday 11 June at 12:50 and Saturday 13 June at 12:45, starting from Maison Blanche with passes along the pit straight. The Toyota will not be alone on circuit - the Ligier JS2 RH2, a hydrogen combustion car co-developed by Bosch Engineering, Maserati, and Ligier Automotive, joins the Saturday session alongside Alpine's Alpenglow.
Three hydrogen cars on the La Sarthe circuit in the same week is new territory, up from a single modified GR Corolla completing one demonstration lap at the circuit in 2023.
Toyota TR LH2 Racing Prototype liquid hydrogen car at Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans 2026. (Image: Toyota)
Ligier runs a 650 hp Maserati V6 on hydrogen alongside Toyota
The Ligier's engine is a Maserati Nettuno - a 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged V6 modified for hydrogen direct injection using Bosch's HIDI injectors. Bosch says the motorsport-spec unit produces around 480 kW (roughly 650 hp) and 880 Nm of torque, figures the company claims exceed the standard petrol Nettuno fitted to Maserati's road cars. The JS2 RH2 has accumulated roughly 8,000 km of track testing since its first Le Mans appearance in 2023, according to Bosch, and carries around 6.3 kg of compressed hydrogen.
Toyota has published neither output figures nor fuel capacity for the TR LH2. Where the Ligier and Alpine use compressed gaseous hydrogen, Toyota stores it as a liquid at -253°C - denser and carrying more energy per unit of tank volume, but adding considerable engineering complexity. Toyota's Rookie Racing team in the Japanese Super Taikyu series switched from gaseous to liquid hydrogen in 2023, and the company unveiled a liquid hydrogen racing concept at Le Mans last year. It has also demonstrated hydrogen combustion in rallying, including at this year's Rallye Monte-Carlo.
FIA writes the hydrogen rulebook, Toyota targets 2028
The FIA published its first liquid hydrogen safety and technical regulations earlier this year, covering storage systems, refuelling procedures, and vehicle integration - part of a broader effort by the ACO and FIA to introduce a competitive hydrogen class in the World Endurance Championship. ACO President Pierre Fillon said at Fuji Speedway last September that the hydrogen ruleset is still targeted for 2028 or 2029, though a Garage 56 experimental entry may prove the most realistic first step.
Alpine's Alpenglow will join the Saturday laps, but the French manufacturer has paused its broader hydrogen racing programme. All three demonstration cars will be on display at the Hydrogen Village exhibition from Wednesday 10 June. Toyota is now the only major OEM with a stated commitment to race hydrogen at Le Mans, and has said it plans to field a hydrogen car alongside its existing hypercar from 2028.
