The PETRONAS TOM’S racing team of Kazuki Nakajima & James Rossiter have won the Super GT Round 6 GT500 class in the #36 Lexus RC F. The race took place at the Chang International Circuit in Thailand.

This is the second round in a row that the PETRONAS TOM’S racing team have won.

Here are highlights from the race courtesy of the Super GT Youtube channel:

The KeePer’s TOM’S RC F team of Daisuke Ito & Andrea Caldarelli were the next highest Lexus team at fifth place.

The first place finish today has put the PETRONAS TOM’S team at the top of the season standings, followed by the KeePer TOM’S team in second overall. Only one point separates the two teams.

The next Super GT race will be October 5th in Thailand.

Lexus USA is tapping its Instagram followers to decide how an RC F will be modified for this year’s SEMA auto show in Las Vegas:

1) Drift – Rear drive and V8, the RC F was basically built to get sideways. Should we strip it out, cage it, and let it realize its destiny?

2) VIP – Some would say it’s ludicrous to get low and plush with a car like the RC F, but when’s the last time you cared what others said?

3) Track – Do we create a more intense version of the RC F by adding a few hp, tightening up the suspension, and making this coupe even stickier?

To vote, leave a comment on this Instagram photo with your choice — my unscientific calculation puts #3 in the lead, which would be my choice as well.

Japanese tuner Miura from TRA Kyoto will be developing a Rocket Bunny Lexus RC F SPORT for SEMA this year, and has released the image above as a teaser of things to come.

(Can’t wait to see this car — Miura-san has a unique way of doing things, I recommend everyone read this profile over at Speedhunters to learn more TRA Kyoto.)

Autoguide is reporting that an RC F convertible was announced at the Lexus USA National Dealer Meeting in Los Angeles this month:

News of the new model was announced at the recent Lexus USA National Dealer Meeting in Los Angeles where the brand also celebrated its 25th anniversary a source, who wishes to remain anonymous, has revealed to AutoGuide.
There was apparently no mention of a standard RC convertible, but such a model seems like a safe bet if this rumor is indeed correct.

Autoguide also reports that the GS F high-performance sedan was confirmed at the dealer meeting:

In addition, Lexus confirmed a GS F model is on its way, with styling borrowed from the RC F, as well as the car’s signature tailpipes. That model is expected to make use of the same 5.0-liter V8 engine with close to 500 hp.
(Worth pointing out that the above rendering is from photchopper X-Tomi, and not an official photo of the RC F convertible.)

The very first photos of the Lexus RC F CCS-R race car have been posted by Japanese website Response.

There are no solid details quite yet, but Lexus F chief engineer Yukihiro Yaguchi did discuss the track-optimized RC F with Motoring Australia.

Yaguchi confirmed the two RC Fs would share the same engine and eight-speed automatic transmission and the same outputs. If it follows the example of the IS F CCS-R, then the RC F version will be considerably lightened, have bigger brakes and substantial suspension tuning capability for motorsport.

“The CCS-R will carry over the stock engine and transmission and basically be suited for track driving, but for someone to be able to hop in and drive quite easily and be able to get comfortable.”

Motor Trend has published a new video comparing the Lexus RC F & BMW M4, and it’s fantastic from start to finish.

(Hard to fault anything in this video — it’s very matter-of-fact and even-handed. Really, the differences between the two cars seem so small, and that’s a victory for Lexus if you ask me.)