Press Release
1.
Lexus is increasing its focus on motorsport in 2017 with the RC F GT3, aiming to strengthen the performance image of its brand with a growing audience of race enthusiasts worldwide.
The all-new car, now homologated by the sport’s governing body, the FIA, will participate in racing championships in USA and Japan, as well as a number of selected European races.
In the USA, Lexus has supplied two Lexus RC F GT3 to the 3GT Racing team, to compete in the GTD class of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Series.
In Japan, two cars are contesting the GT300 class of the Super GT Series with the LM corsa team.
In Europe, Farnbacher Racing and Emil Frey Racing, the two teams which competed in VLN Endurance series with RC F GT3 prototype vehicles last year, will continue their development work this season, aiming to compete at higher levels in GT3 racing in Europe in the future. On this basis, they will compete in European races in 2017, including selected events in the International GT Open series.
Last year, Lexus became the first Asian carmaker to win a VLN Endurance Championship race at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, with a RC F GT3 prototype claiming overall victory at the VLN9 race on 8 October.
Lexus also achieved outstanding results last year with the RC F GT500, another racing car derived from the RC F. The 2016 RC F GT500 dominated the Super GT series in Japan last year, with Team SARD and drivers Heikki Kovalainen and Kohei Hirate respectively claiming the team and drivers’ championship titles in the GT500 category.
SPECIFICATIONS
Vehicle Name LEXUS RC F GT3
Engine 5.4 L V8
Power 373+ kW (500+ hp)
Torque not available
Transmission 6-sd sequential racing box
Wheels 13×18 ft, 13 x 18 rr – centre-lock
Brakes iron rotors
Wheelbase 2730 mm
Overall Length 4845 mm
Overall Width 2030 mm
Overall Height 1270 mm
Curb Weight 1,300 kg
2.
Lexus Gazoo Racing is to enter its Lexus RC F GT3 for customer racing in international GT series in North America and Japan, starting from the 2017 season.
The competition car is based on the RC F performance coupe and has been engineered to compete in GT3 category races worldwide. It will make its debut at the 24 Hours of Daytona in the USA on 29 January, launching two-car entries in the leading GT series in North America and Japan.
In the USA it will compete in the GTD category in the IMSA WeatherTechSportsCar Championship series with 3GT Racing; in Japan it will contest the Super GT GT300 class with LMcorsa.
Koei Saga, Chief Officer and Technical Director of Toyota Gazoo Racing, said: “I’m pleased that we are able to introduce the Lexus RC F GT3 in the GT3 category, which represents the highest level of customer racing. The first step is to place four cars in races in the USA and Japan, but in the future we will nurture our RC F GT3 into a model that is loved by customers worldwide.”
Lexus Gazoo Racing will increase its focus on motorsports participation with the production model-based RC F GT3 race car, strengthening the performance image of the Lexus brand with an even larger global audience.