Lexus may have some big plans for its RC F GT3 race car, but for now, some of those plans will be delayed — from Racer:
The RC F has been under development in Europe by Farnbacher Racing and Emil Frey Racing, and also in Japan, but the car was not present at last week’s FIA Balance of Performance test at Michelin’s Ladoux test track in France.
The need to redevelop the car has taken precedence over FIA GT3 homologation, and the new plan, according to Frey, is to spend the next year solving the RC F’s problems and present it at Ladoux in 2016 so it can officially compete in 2017.
Homologation is a certification process to meet all regulations and specifications for racing by the FIA, and is required to officially race in various FIA events in Europe. The RC F GT3 has been racing in a non-homologated class in VLN races in Germany over the last few months.
How this decision will affect Lexus USA’s plan to enter the IMSA’s WeatherTech SportsCar Championship remains to be seen, but there have been delays in awarding the racing team contract:
After a prolonged bout of silence, a letter from the marque went out to those teams earlier in the month thanking them for their patience, and promising a decision was being finalized. An announcement early in October has been suggested as a possibility.
Provided Lexus continues with its original goal of seeing the car race in IMSA in 2016, and due to its lack of official FIA GT3 homologation, IMSA would be required to create a GTD-specific BoP for the RC F to compete in the WeatherTech Championship.
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