The Japanese manufacturer announced that they have teamed up with Gazoo Racing for the first production Lexus LFA participation at the 38th edition 24 Hours Nurburgring race.
The company will field two Lexus LFA exemplars, car 50 driven by Kinoshita, Iida, Ohshima, Wakisaka and car 51 with Hahne, Krumbach, Lotterer behind the wheel, and this would be another chance for further fine tuning before the LFA enters production in December.
The Gazoo Racing Lexus LFA features a series of mandatory safety elements and other modifications including an
aero package with a fixed rear wing plus a larger fuel tan.
Lexus press release :
Playing a key role in helping to finalise the development of the LFA
before it enters production in December, the gruelling 24h race offers
Lexus and Gazoo Racing the unique opportunity to not only foster the
peerless quality, durability and reliability by pushing cutting-edge
technology to the extremes of mechanical endurance but also to hone the
technical skills of the personnel involved in the development of future
Lexus and Toyota production vehicles.
Furthermore, by participating in the 24 Hours Endurance Race Lexus
and Toyota aim to showcase their dedication through Gazoo Racing to
produce more emotional cars and becoming more attractive and desirable
to a wider range of customers.
This year’s race marks the third consecutive entry of the Lexus LFA
and, significantly, the first participation of the car in standard
production guise.
Competing in the SP8 (‘Near production’) class, the race version of
the LFA does not differ substantially from the road car, particularly
with regard to construction, engine and transmission. Mandatory safety
equipment has been installed and other modifications such as a refined
aero package including a fixed rear wing and a larger fuel tank are made
to reflect the format of the 24h race and the Nürburgring circuit.
Led by Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC)’s master test driver Hiromu
Naruse, the Gazoo Racing team will make its fourth appearance at the
Nürburging 24h race. It is a team comprised of engineers and technicians
from TMC, and, whilst they’ve regularly come together over recent
months to support the LFA in the build-up to the 24h race, their
‘day-jobs’ are within the TMC engineering community. This kind of
virtual organisation ensures that the collective learning is transmitted
directly back into the core of the engineering activity.
The driver line-up includes four Japanese and three German pilots
with outstanding endurance and GT racing credentials, including three
champions from the Japanese Super GT series.
As part of the preparation of the cars and the drivers, Gazoo Racing
entered the first three VLN races of 2010. Consistently finishing in
leading positions in its SP8 class, the LFA has also demonstrated its
competitiveness against track-prepared specialist racing cars, with a
best finish of 17th overall in VLN2.
Gazoo Racing team for 38th 24 Hours Nürburgring
| Team Name | Gazoo Racing |
| Vehicles | Lexus LFA (2 units) (No. # 50 & # 51) |
| Team Manager | Hiromu Naruse (Toyota master test driver) |
| Mechanics & Engineers | TMC personnel |
| Cars |
LFA race car – Number 50 – driven by Kinoshita, Iida, Ohshima, Wakisaka LFA race car – Number 51 – driven by Hahne, Krumbach, Lotterer |
Gazoo Racing drivers for 38th 24 Hours Nürburgring
| Name (Nationality) | Results |
|
Armin Hahne (Germany) |
– Winner of the 1982 and 1983 Total 24 Hours of Spa race – Winner of Nürburgring 24 Hours 1991 |
| Jochen Krumbach (Germany) | – Second in overall 2008 24 Hours Nürburgring in 2008 |
|
Andre Lotterer (Germany) |
– Champion of Formula BMW ADAC 1999 – German F3 2000, 1 win / Rookie of the year – Champion of 2006 and 2009 Super GT GT500-class with Lexus SC430, together with his team mate, Juichi Wakisaka |
|
Takayuki Kinoshita (Japan) |
– repeated participation in the 24 Hours Nürburgring races marking the highest (5th overall) place – Sixfold series champion of Super Taikyu Endurance Series |
|
Akira Iida (Japan) |
– Champion of 2002 JGTC GT500-class race – Overall winner of the 1995 and 2007 Tokachi 24 Hours Race – Participation in Le Mans 24Hours (1994/1996/2000) |
|
Juichi Wakisaka (Japan) |
– Champion of the 1996 Japanese F3 Championship – Jordan MUGEN F1 Team Test Driver in 1998 – Champion of the 2002 JGTC* race (* former name of SUPER GT) – Champion of 2006 and 2009 SUPER GT GT500-class with Lexus SC430 |
|
Kazuya Ohshima (Japan) |
– Champion of the 2007 Japanese F3 Championship – Champion of 2007 Super GT GT300-class races – F3 Euro Series 2008, 1 win – Driver of Toyota Young Drivers Program (TDP)　 |
Specifications of Lexus LFA for 38th 24 Hours
Nürburgring
| Vehicle | Lexus LFA　(racing specs) | |||
| Entry category/class | Division 2 / SP8 | |||
| Engine | Type | V10 | ||
| Displacement | 4,805cc | |||
| Maximum output | Over 367kW (500PS) | |||
| Body | Total length | 4,455mm | ||
| Total width | 1,950mm | |||
| Total height | 1,200mm | |||
| Wheelbase | 2,605mm | |||
| Material | Carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) | |||
| Vehicle layout | Front-mid-engine, rear-mid-transaxle, rear radiator | |||
| Transmission | Paddle-shift sequential manual transmission | |||
| Tyres | Front / Rear size | 330/40R18 | ||
| Type | Bridgestone racing tyres | |||
Results for Gazoo Racing Lexus LFA in 2010 VLN races
| VLN | Car Number | Drivers | Qualifying | Finish | Fastest Lap | ||||
| Date | Round | SP8 | Overall | SP8 | Overall | Time | Avg. km/h | ||
| 27-Mar | 1 | 127 | Iida Wakisaka Ohshima |
1 | 52 | 1 | 28 | 8’44"074 | 167.397 |
| 10-Apr | 2 | 128 | Hahne Ohshima Krumbach |
1 | 24 | 1 | 17 | 8’38"593 | 169.166 |
| 10-Apr | 2 | 127 | Kinoshita Wakisaka |
2 | 47 | 5 | 105 | 8’44"067 | 167.399 |
| 24-Apr | 3 | 128 | Naruse Kinoshita |
1 | 25 | 2 | 28 | 8’38"841 | 169.085 |
About Gazoo Racing
Gazoo Racing is about communicating pleasure, passion, and dream of
the automobile to a new generation. Various programs are prepared to
showcase the appeal of automobiles, split into three themes that reflect
different facets of the sport.
1. The pride and pleasure of ownership: Introducing the process in
which cars are honed and refined through race participation and other
tests.
2. The joy and excitement of driving: Communicating the joy through
the thrills and excitement of the racing circuit.
3. Talking cars and sharing passion: Providing a forum for car fans
to gather and talk about their passion.
