Lexus LC 500 to Race in 2017 Super GT Series
Speedster makes its racing debut on April 8 with int’l crew helping to steer it to the finish line.
For the 2017 Super GT Series, Japanese driver Ryo Hirakawa and New Zealand’s Nick Cassidy will pilot the brand-new Lexus LC 500 race car. Next month, they will compete with 14 other teams in Japan’s most prestigious motorsport event, the Super GT 2017 Series. The event always draws the world’s top competitors and their heavily-modified touring production cars that are capable of both high speeds and long distances.
The new LC 500 takes the place of the RC F, which Lexus used to race in the series last year. While the road-going version of the LC 500 utilizes a naturally-aspirated 5.0-liter V8, the race car is required to use a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine. Power output, though, is more than the V8’s, but capped at approximately 600 horsepower.
To comply with the new regulations, the race car has gone through an aerodynamic change from the old RC F, resulting in a 25-percent reduction in downforce. High-powered cars with minimal downforce should lead to tail-happy cars and nail-biting racing.
Hirakawa and Cassidy will compete against the likes of the Nissan GT-R and Honda NSX-GT and will look to keep Lexus’ streak going. In 2016, the Lexus team SARD took the championship by 11 points over Lexus’ Wako’s LeMans team, while NISMO finished closely behind in third place.
The gorgeous LC 500 will make its racing debut on April 8 at the Okayma International Circuit.
