Publications
We all have those handful of Youtube clips we keep on going back too, it's like a drug we can't get enough of.
This is my one: Toyota's Kamui Kobayashi smashing the lap record of the Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans during qualifying for the 2017 race.
It's a remarkable bit of driving, that leaves me floored every time I watch the clip and therefore deserves the spot in this week's Flashback Friday.
The clip focuses on Kobayashi's insane lap in the no.7 Toyota TS050 Hybrid LMP1 car, and it's sweetened like a Canderel with the commentary of British racing driver Sam Hancock who has seven Le Mans races under his belt.
Kobayashi had already secured pole position for the race but cemented it with one of the best driving performances ever, completing the lap in a record 3:14.791 and averaged 251.882km/h.
The Japanese driver whizzes passed the GTE cars as if they're standing still and rips passed chicanes at over 150km/h, it's simply mesmerising to watch as he powers the 745kW TS050 around the famous track.
Hancock says: "In qualifying for the 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans, Toyota's Kamui Kobayashi smashed the previous lap record with his extraordinary pole position lap. I was on commentary duties for Eurosport at the time, and it was my great pleasure to find myself describing one of the most sensational laps I have ever witnessed."
Unfortunately, the no.7 car powered by a twin-turbo internal combustion engine and two electric motors suffered a clutch failure 10 hours into the race and was forced to retire.
