Motor racing-Toyota take Peugeot's place in endurance series

Feb 2 (Reuters) - Toyota have entered the FIA world endurance championship after Peugeot abruptly pulled out of the new sportscar series last month, the Japanese manufacturer team said on Thursday.

Toyota, who are returning to the Le Mans 24 Hours this year with a works team after a 13-year absence, had intended to enter selected races only but Peugeot's unexpected exit forced their hand.

"The circumstances for the championship changed suddenly in the last weeks and Toyota Racing considers it important to work together with the FIA and (Le Mans organisers) ACO to establish a successful future for endurance racing," said team president Yoshiaki Kinoshita in a statement.

The promoters of the inaugural championship had needed two full-entrant manufacturers in the LMP1 category to satisfy the terms of an agreement with the governing International Automobile Federation (FIA).

Peugeot's departure for financial reasons had left only Audi, winners of Le Mans 10 times in the last 12 years, with the championship hanging in the balance.

Former F1 drivers Alex Wurz of Austria and Japan's Kazuki Nakajima, along with France's Nicolas Lapierre, will drive one of the hybrid Toyotas at Le Mans with the line-up yet to be announced for a second car. (Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Alison Wildey)