Lexus Racing Megathread

[mikeavelli]

Here at Laguna Seca!

 

[mikeavelli]

Good times today.

 

[mikeavelli]

Next up Long Beach! Make it to an IMSA race if you can and support the team!!

 

[bogglo]

what day is LBC

 

[mikeavelli]

what day is LBC

what day is LBC

Next weekend

Tickets - New | IMSA

www.imsa.com

 

[bogglo]

Next weekend

Tickets - New | IMSA

www.imsa.com

damn won't be back on time to make it.

 

[Jezza819]

Lexus has confirmed it plans to enter in both the new GT Pro division and the existing GTD division of IMSA for 2022. Both cars will still be ran out of Vasser-Sullivan.

https://racer.com/2021/09/22/lexus-confirms-gtd-pro-and-gtd-with-vasser-sullivan/

 

[mikeavelli]

Last race of the year this weekend at Michelin Raceway and a special one. Details below

LexFest Weekend | Friday- Fun Meet Saturday Lexus Racing at Petit Le Mans & Sunday Lexus Owners Meet

Event in Braselton, GA by Shameke Forsythe on Friday, November 12 202110 posts in the discussion.

fb.me

We have nearly 80 Lexus cars going to the race and over 100 expected on Sunday. Why Sunday? FREE LEXUS OWNERS MEET HOSTED BY LEXUS RACING!!

From 8:30am to 12 join other Lexus owners and enthusiasts for breakfast and good times at the Lexus Racing Hospitality Suite. The shirt attached is a limited edition shirt made just for the event. We have many out of towners confirmed to attend!

Hope to see you there!

 

[Jezza819]

Toyota previews GR GT3 concept. Possible Lexus RC F GT3 replacement? It doesn't have the shape of a Supra. Unless Toyota is pulling Lexus out of racing and putting a Toyota model into the GT3 class? But you would think Lexus would announce a new replacement or update for the RC street model before the race version. This is a real head scratcher.

https://www.autoblog.com/2022/01/07/toyota-gr-gt3-concept-tuned-gr-yaris-tokyo-auto-salon-teaser/

 

[Faisal Sheikh]

RCF GT3 is still going to be racing till 2023 and it is slated to retire. The 2UR and RCF are also on life support because of the racing homologation requirements. As soon as the RCF GT3 is retired, both RCF and 2UR would retire with it in all likelihood.

Toyota previews GR GT3 concept. Possible Lexus RC F GT3 replacement? It doesn't have the shape of a Supra. Unless Toyota is pulling Lexus out of racing and putting a Toyota model into the GT3 class? But you would think Lexus would announce a new replacement or update for the RC street model before the race version. This is a real head scratcher.

https://www.autoblog.com/2022/01/07/toyota-gr-gt3-concept-tuned-gr-yaris-tokyo-auto-salon-teaser/

 

[Jezza819]

RCF GT3 is still going to be racing till 2023 and it is slated to retire. The 2UR and RCF are also on life support because of the racing homologation requirements. As soon as the RCF GT3 is retired, both RCF and 2UR would retire with it.

Yeah I knew that was the case with the current RCF but I was puzzled as to what this could be a preview of.

 

[Faisal Sheikh]

Yeah I knew that was the case with the current RCF but I was puzzled as to what this could be a preview of.

It might be the long-term replacement. My guess is, they might race both of them for the first little while until the RCF GT3 retires. That is more or less like they raced the Gazoo LFA and the RCF GT3 together in the first year (2015) or so at the Nurburgring under the banner of Lexus Gazoo Racing.

 

[carguy420]

Toyota previews GR GT3 concept. Possible Lexus RC F GT3 replacement? It doesn't have the shape of a Supra. Unless Toyota is pulling Lexus out of racing and putting a Toyota model into the GT3 class? But you would think Lexus would announce a new replacement or update for the RC street model before the race version. This is a real head scratcher.

https://www.autoblog.com/2022/01/07/toyota-gr-gt3-concept-tuned-gr-yaris-tokyo-auto-salon-teaser/

Since GT3 cars are based on production cars, wouldn't that mean TGR has something really spicy in the pipeline? I mean it looks nothing like any of the cars they are producing now, those proportions and profile look amazing though, looks like a very low drag design.

 

[Faisal Sheikh]

Since GT3 cars are based on production cars, wouldn't that mean TGR has something really spicy in the pipeline? I mean it looks nothing like any of the cars they are producing now, those proportions and profile look amazing though, looks like a very low drag design.

Very true. There are very stringent rules around how a GT3 car can be homologated. For example, even the engine placement cannot be changed one inch. Since it is much longer than a Supra, this must be a new Sports Car.

 

[Levi]

looks like the car is related to Mazda RX7 Concept. LC F could have become new Toyota GT3 car with TTV8 (?). Mazda version looks like it will get 3 cylinder wankel. They would have transaxle.

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taku2-4885.hatenablog.com

 

[CRSKTN]

interesting… based on what I’ve heard from the Lexus side, I am very curious to see if this is tied at all to what i think it is.

And I’m not talking LCF

 

[mikeavelli]

Oh I’m really excited… Lexus is committed to the Racing Progeam

looks like the car is related to Mazda RX7 Concept. LC F could have become new Toyota GT3 car with TTV8 (?). Mazda version looks like it will get 3 cylinder wankel. They would have transaxle.

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taku2-4885.hatenablog.com

im hearing nothing to do with Mazda.
LC 500 is just too heavy for GT3 racing. The RC F already is too heavy.

 

[Faisal Sheikh]

Oh I’m really excited… Lexus is committed to the Racing Progeam


im hearing nothing to do with Mazda.
LC 500 is just too heavy for GT3 racing. The RC F already is too heavy.

The GT3 RCF is officially 3000 lbs and makes 500 HP from a bored out 5.4L version of the 2UR (focused on low end torque due to air restrictors limiting rpm/horsepower) while using the same basic monocoque as the production car. Not having an interior, insulation. luxury items, lots of lightweight CF materials make a big difference. Main issue is, how much luxury and amenities we get because it is a Lexus. I wish my carbon/TVD came without the 17-speaker ML stereo, heated seats, heated steering, A/C'ed seats. Never used them in my 4+ years of ownership. For example, our seats (as amazing as they are) alone weigh 70 lbs apiece.

Some excerpts from the press kit of the GT3.

The GT3 car is a race-specific car that is based on the commercial production model with regulations requiring the use of the monocoque of the production model and forbidding any changes in the layout of the engine mounting position, so LEXUS RC F GT3 is while also adopting the same front-mounted engine and rear-wheel drive layout. The reason that the portion from the A pillar to the C pillar is painted white is that it uses the same parts as the production model.
The rest of the bodywork uses carbon to reduce weight, and especially notable are the front and rear fenders with aerodynamic shapes added. In the production model, the exhaust from the engine extends to the rear of the car, but on the GT3 car it is extended to the sides.

In line with the philosophy behind the GT3 car regulations, the important thing is to make the best possible use of the individuality of the production model RC F, while giving the machine optimized performance as a racing car. Even though some performance adjustments will be made, a car design with a high level of basic performance potential can make racing performance better, so that the racecar can compete in the races with solid, stable performance. However, if the final racecar differs from the base production model too much, that is not compliant with the spirit of the GT3 regulation. We believe it can be said with confidence that this LEXUS RC F GT3 has cleared this difficult package of requirements at a very high level.

Both the production car and GT3 car developed side by side and then deviated when Lexus wanted to put all of the heavy luxury stuff in the production car.

In 2014, the LEXUS RC F was released as a high-performance coupe. At the same time the RC F was being developed, an R&D project to build an RC F GT3 car was begun.At the time, luxury brand manufactures around the world were already producing GT3 cars, and LEXUS was in need of a car that symbolized state-of-the art road performance.

 

[mikeavelli]

The GT3 RCF is officially 3000 lbs and makes 500 HP from a bored out 5.4L version of the 2UR (focused on low end torque due to air restrictors limiting rpm/horsepower) while using the same basic monocoque as the production car. Not having an interior, luxury items, lots of lightweight CF materials make a big difference. For example, our seats alone weigh 70 lbs apiece.

Some excerpts from the press kit of the GT3.

Respectfully, I work with Lexus Racing in multiple capacities. Have quite a bit of insight. The RC F was never developed from the start to race. It was modified to race. The results the team have gotten are absolutely superb considering this. Hopefully a car developed with racing part of the development is exactly what’s needed. That would be amazing. Just imagine a bespoke platform race car. Oh the possibilities.

 

[F1 Silver Arrows]

Respectfully, I work with Lexus Racing in multiple capacities. Have quite a bit of insight. The RC F was never developed from the start to race. It was modified to race. The results the team have gotten are absolutely superb considering this. Hopefully a car developed with racing part of the development is exactly what’s needed. That would be amazing. Just imagine a bespoke platform race car. Oh the possibilities.

Exactly. The RC F was shockingly competitive given the obvious fact that it was a hard task to make it into a racecar. If anything, that makes the RC F more impressive than Porsches and other European brands which had cars that were either meant for racing from the get go, or because of how capable they were as a street car, it was easier for them to make a racing variant. I wouldn't consider this a dig against the RC F, rather as a point to flex on the other manufacturers. Obviously, BOP does wonders to help equalize cars, but it's still not something to scoff at.

With all that being said, the RC F be outdone with a car that was born on the racetrack, then is available for the street.

If Lexus and Toyota want to better their already storied racing pedigree, then they need to dig even deeper, and push themselves further. This announcement frankly blew me away. I always had visions that the A90 GR Supra would have a GT3 version (and I'm still holding out on it to be honest), but this thing looks like the A100 GR Supra to me. I can't think of it being anything else.

Whatever this thing is, it looks like a cross between the AMG GT and a 992 911.