Mike Conway is set to make his return to the FIA World Endurance Championship in Sao Paulo after being unable to participate in the 24 Hours of Le Mans due to injuries sustained while cycling. The two-time WEC champion will join his teammates Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries in the #7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid for the upcoming 6 Hours of Sao Paulo on 14 July. This will be Conway’s first race since the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, as he was replaced by Jose Maria Lopez at Le Mans while he recovered from his injuries.
The race in Sao Paulo will also mark Conway’s return to the Brazilian venue, where he last competed in 2014 as part of the Toyota LMP1 team. Prior to that, he had made his debut in the previous season for the #26 G-Drive Oreca 03 LMP2 team. In his previous outing at Sao Paulo, Conway finished fourth in the #7 TS040 Hybrid alongside Alex Wurz and Stephane Sarrazin, following their victory in Bahrain.
Conway expressed his excitement about getting back on track and his frustration at having to miss Le Mans. He praised Lopez for his performance in his absence and is now focused on competing at the front and helping his team win the World Championship.
The #7 Toyota put up a strong fight for the win at Le Mans, battling the #50 Ferrari 499P crew until the end. Lopez closed in on Nicklas Nielsen, resulting in the second-closest finish in the history of the event, with a gap of just 14.221 seconds.
The upcoming race in Sao Paulo will be crucial for Kobayashi and de Vries as they aim to climb up the championship standings. They currently sit in third place with 82 points, behind the Le Mans-winning trio of Fuoco, Molina, and Nielsen with 90 points, and the leaders Lotterer, Estre, and Vanthoor with 99 points.
