Lexus goes racing

[Plex]

Better known for their refinement and comfort, Lexus cars are also taking to the racetrack.

The SC 430 has succeeded the Supra in the Super GT series and the GS 450h petrol-electric hybrid tackled a Le Mans-style 24 hour race.

Four of the 15 teams competing in the 2006 Super GT series run a Lexus SC 430, with Team Cerumo�s Yuji Tachikawa and Toranosuke Takagi currently in joint second spot on the drivers� point rankings.

Scottish driver Peter Dumbreck also drives a Lexus SC 430 for Team Kraft and is currently ranked tenth.

In race trim, weighing in at 1100kg, the 4.5-litre V8 SC has around 373kW at 7200rpm and 510 Nm @ 5600rpm.

Meanwhile the Lexus GS 450h, the world�s first rear-wheel drive hybrid power sports saloon, made its motor racing debut in Japan�s only 24-hour race last month.

The high-performance hybrid took to the track at the Tokachi International Speedway in Hokkaido (in northern Japan) finishing fourth in its production car class and 17th overall in a field of 33.

The gruelling, twice around the clock event allowed Lexus engineers to collect data on the potential of hybrid systems in motor sports, especially relevant as such systems are being discussed for imminent introduction to Formula 1.

The racing GS 450h added to hybrid motor sport history, joining the Toyota Prius which was the first, and remains the only, hybrid car to start and finish an FIA sanctioned event, the 5000-mile Midnight Sun to Red Sea Rally in 2002.

The new Lexus racer, which weighs in at 1550kg as specified by racing regulations, features a maximum engine output of 217kW and a maximum motor output of 147kW. This leads to a max output for the overall hybrid system (the output the system can achieve using engine power and motor power) of 254kW.

Boosted engine power aside, the GS 450h features racing modifications that include new front and rear suspension, tyres and wheels, a safety roll cage, safety fuel tank, mechanical LSD differential, new brake system, aerodynamic parts and reduced body mass.

Source: http://motoring.iafrica.com/newsbriefs/945229.htm