According to Motor Trend, Lexus will be taking the LFA and the experience they gained at the Nürburgring into the FIA GT1 Championship:
In a series that is widely considered to be the pinnacle of sports car racing, Toyota will come up against the likes of Aston Martin, Corvette, Ford, Lamborghini, Nissan and Maserati.
LFA drivers will reportedly include Japanese aces Junichi Wakisaka and Takayuki Kinoshita as well as a couple of European pilots. Toyota will also be looking to recoup some of the LFA’s sizeable R&D costs by racing in the series. That’s why we will also see the LFA competing in Japan’s GT series. Be sure to keep an eye on the starting grid for next year’s Le Mans 24 Hours as well, because the LFA is expected to be there.
This is huge news — expanding the LFA into a racing platform provides an immediate return on the investment made into the supercar’s development, especially if it leads to good finishes in these major events.
Of course, these races all have different rules and regulations — in the case of GT1, the LFA will need a .2L bump in displacement to meet the 5.0L requirement, and will almost certainly be getting a major boost in power.
Admittedly, this is all still rumor, but exciting nonetheless — let’s hope for something official soon.
[Source: Motor Trend]
Comments