NorCal Members Cruise the LFA on the streets of SF & drive it at Infineon Raceway
03-06-11, 09:00 PM
#1
NorCal Members Cruise the LFA on the streets of SF & drive it at Infineon Raceway
Last Sunday several NorCal members had the opportunity to drive the $375k Lexus LFA on the track at Infineon Raceway. After taking a few practice laps driving an ISF to get to know the course, drivers then switched over to drive the LFA where they were led by a pro driver in an ISF to pace them around the track. The maximum allowable speed was controlled by the pro driver who assessed the drivers skills through their ability to drive smooth, take the correct line and make proper transitions. I took video of the caravan up to Infineon as well as interviewed several members with their impressions.
There is an in-car pro video of me driving behind the wheel which will be available sometime in the near future. As for my experience, the LFA was a very easy car to get quickly up to speed. As nervous as one can get driving a $375k Lexus, there’s the secondary apprehension to drive such a car on a race track. The Infineon track is a challenging course primarily due to its elevation changes. Not only are you feeling G’s left and right, but the up and down hill G’s are either lifting you up or pushing you down in your seat. I’m an avid roller coaster rider and have been on some of the top coasters in the country. The drive in the LFA rivals the exhilaration I’ve had on these coasters. One of my most memorable parts of the drive was exiting the sweeping left hand 180 degree carousel turn. As you feel the lateral G’s and hit a late apex, I am accelerating towards 100mph as I exit the turn. The pro driver in front of me driving in the ISF was starting to push hard on my second lap. I could see the car lean and he was accelerating very hard on the straights. From the LFA seat, I felt like I was just cruising behind without drama. The sense of security and control does a helluva lot to increase driver confidence. I would just ride up on the back of the ISF driver like he was standing still. My co-pilot Arlin Wong was quite impressed by the acceleration and handling of the LFA, and he was more surprised to hear I almost never floored the car all the way as I feared running up the rear end of the ISF, since I could catch up to it so easily whether in a turn or on a straight.
All in all it was an Opportunity of a Lifetime to drive the LFA and I will probably never have another opportunity to feel that many lateral G’s in a car that I am driving ever again.
We had several CL members attaching cameras to the LFA, including 3 cams on the car when Scott Pruett was doing donuts.
A lot of stills were taken as well. I’m sure several of the members will chime in with their photos and videos.
A few members were also able to cruise along with Ryan “Flipside909” and drive through the streets of San Francisco on Saturday night.
Here’s Solo’s blog with a great write up of the Friday night cruise plus his coverage of the whole weekend activity.
http://gowithsolo.blogspot.com/2011/...ce-part-1.html
It’s unfortunate that we could not invite more members to join us, but the available slots were extremely limited.
Caravan up to Infineon Raceway
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AF9ZKqPuO4s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DE2utYwidOc
VIP Parking
Lexus Hospitality
Interview with Johnson “UV” getting ready to drive the LFA
http://www.youtube.com/user/rmmgs4?f.../2/sW_bBmil8ws
Driving Impressions with “kokonutjc” after driving the LFA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_JyTkEvNRM
Driving Impressions with “Solo” after driving the LFA
http://www.youtube.com/user/rmmgs4?f.../1/BZUHqbv4Gpk
Behind the wheel of the LFA is Brian "Brociouz", and riding shotgun is Ryan "Flipside 909".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAsmadPrCJQ
Interview with “Solo” after taking HOTT laps with Scott Pruett behind the wheel of the LFA.
http://www.youtube.com/user/rmmgs4?f.../0/zPOTAbhZW_8
Video coverage of Scott Pruett doing donuts on the LFA “Note: Be on the lookout for camera footage from several other members as well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ohqIKIjYyw
http://gowithsolo.blogspot.com/2011/...n-raceway.html
NorCal Crew Group Shot
There is an in-car pro video of me driving behind the wheel which will be available sometime in the near future. As for my experience, the LFA was a very easy car to get quickly up to speed. As nervous as one can get driving a $375k Lexus, there’s the secondary apprehension to drive such a car on a race track. The Infineon track is a challenging course primarily due to its elevation changes. Not only are you feeling G’s left and right, but the up and down hill G’s are either lifting you up or pushing you down in your seat. I’m an avid roller coaster rider and have been on some of the top coasters in the country. The drive in the LFA rivals the exhilaration I’ve had on these coasters. One of my most memorable parts of the drive was exiting the sweeping left hand 180 degree carousel turn. As you feel the lateral G’s and hit a late apex, I am accelerating towards 100mph as I exit the turn. The pro driver in front of me driving in the ISF was starting to push hard on my second lap. I could see the car lean and he was accelerating very hard on the straights. From the LFA seat, I felt like I was just cruising behind without drama. The sense of security and control does a helluva lot to increase driver confidence. I would just ride up on the back of the ISF driver like he was standing still. My co-pilot Arlin Wong was quite impressed by the acceleration and handling of the LFA, and he was more surprised to hear I almost never floored the car all the way as I feared running up the rear end of the ISF, since I could catch up to it so easily whether in a turn or on a straight.
All in all it was an Opportunity of a Lifetime to drive the LFA and I will probably never have another opportunity to feel that many lateral G’s in a car that I am driving ever again.
We had several CL members attaching cameras to the LFA, including 3 cams on the car when Scott Pruett was doing donuts.
A lot of stills were taken as well. I’m sure several of the members will chime in with their photos and videos.
A few members were also able to cruise along with Ryan “Flipside909” and drive through the streets of San Francisco on Saturday night.
Here’s Solo’s blog with a great write up of the Friday night cruise plus his coverage of the whole weekend activity.
http://gowithsolo.blogspot.com/2011/...ce-part-1.html
It’s unfortunate that we could not invite more members to join us, but the available slots were extremely limited.
Caravan up to Infineon Raceway
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AF9ZKqPuO4s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DE2utYwidOc
VIP Parking
Lexus Hospitality
Interview with Johnson “UV” getting ready to drive the LFA
http://www.youtube.com/user/rmmgs4?f.../2/sW_bBmil8ws
Driving Impressions with “kokonutjc” after driving the LFA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_JyTkEvNRM
Driving Impressions with “Solo” after driving the LFA
http://www.youtube.com/user/rmmgs4?f.../1/BZUHqbv4Gpk
Behind the wheel of the LFA is Brian "Brociouz", and riding shotgun is Ryan "Flipside 909".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAsmadPrCJQ
Interview with “Solo” after taking HOTT laps with Scott Pruett behind the wheel of the LFA.
http://www.youtube.com/user/rmmgs4?f.../0/zPOTAbhZW_8
Video coverage of Scott Pruett doing donuts on the LFA “Note: Be on the lookout for camera footage from several other members as well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ohqIKIjYyw
http://gowithsolo.blogspot.com/2011/...n-raceway.html
NorCal Crew Group Shot
Last edited by RMMGS4; 03-07-11 at 12:16 AM.
03-06-11, 09:00 PM
#2
I have worked for Lexus for 10 years now, as a technician. I have seen the introduction of the IS300, the LS430, and other models over the years. Never have i seen a product like the LFA. Obviously its a car dedicated to a particular market. I believe its much more than that though. I think this is Lexus' way of showing the world that it is capable of building anything. They can compete in every market, and win. Period.
Id like to thank Ryan B for inviting us, and Jimmy and the rest of the Lexus staff for making it all possible. Id also like to thank Scott Pruett for lending his driving skills and expertise. You truely know what you are doing behind the wheel!
Driving the ISF on the track was insane. I have a whole new respect for the ISF. I had no idea it could be driven that hard and come out shining. We were lucky enough to get a ride-along in the ISF with Scott Pruett. There were moments when i was scared, to say the least. That man can drive. That car is insane.
The LFA was so much more than i could have expected from Lexus. Being that it is their first entry into the exotic market, they knocked it out of the park. The car revs to effortlessly, shifts so smoothly, and excelerates like a rocket. The vehicles we drove were pre-production cars, so the actual production models will be even better. I can only sum up the LFA in one word: insane.
Will post more pics soon...
Scott Pruett
The cars we drove. Pretty amazing to stand on the start/finish line.
Tires on one of the ISFs we destroyed, only 300 miles on them.
We were all pretty excited!
Here is a ride-aling with Scott Pruett in the ISF:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pm-FxbdjPog
Here is a video of the LFA:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgVsx0y81Qw
Id like to thank Ryan B for inviting us, and Jimmy and the rest of the Lexus staff for making it all possible. Id also like to thank Scott Pruett for lending his driving skills and expertise. You truely know what you are doing behind the wheel!
Driving the ISF on the track was insane. I have a whole new respect for the ISF. I had no idea it could be driven that hard and come out shining. We were lucky enough to get a ride-along in the ISF with Scott Pruett. There were moments when i was scared, to say the least. That man can drive. That car is insane.
The LFA was so much more than i could have expected from Lexus. Being that it is their first entry into the exotic market, they knocked it out of the park. The car revs to effortlessly, shifts so smoothly, and excelerates like a rocket. The vehicles we drove were pre-production cars, so the actual production models will be even better. I can only sum up the LFA in one word: insane.
Will post more pics soon...
Scott Pruett
The cars we drove. Pretty amazing to stand on the start/finish line.
Tires on one of the ISFs we destroyed, only 300 miles on them.
We were all pretty excited!
Here is a ride-aling with Scott Pruett in the ISF:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pm-FxbdjPog
Here is a video of the LFA:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgVsx0y81Qw
Last edited by RTIS250; 03-06-11 at 09:39 PM.
03-06-11, 09:09 PM
#3
Wow. That's all I have to say. I think the pictures and videos speak for themselves. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity that I will never forget. Thank you Ryan, Jimmy, Glen, and everyone who made this incredible day happen.
My complete Facebook album from the day can be viewed here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?ai...6&l=5d275c19c0
My complete Facebook album from the day can be viewed here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?ai...6&l=5d275c19c0
Last edited by brociouz; 03-06-11 at 10:19 PM.
03-06-11, 09:33 PM
#6
first of all, i want to thank everyone who helped make this trip possible... ryan, jimmy, etc... awesome time guys!!!
driving up with all the norcal guys made the trip even better too... ryan and i had a great time waiting for all the guys to show up at mcd's... even while my passenger was KO'd from her trip... LoL
anyway... so on to the LFA experience. i can't claim to be anywhere near a pro at the track but i can't say i'm just an amateur either. i've done SCCA (C-street prepared), drag racing (87 supercharged mustang mentioned in Turbo mag, dec 1996 issue), road racing (multiple 600/750 cc motorcycles at more than 5 diff racetracks)... and i tinkered with some other cars here at there (including an MR2 turbo, a hardtop 6-speed twin turbo'd MKIV, hachi roku, IS300, etc...)... blah blah... so yeah, i have a little more driving experience than your ave enthusiast...
since i drive my IS F fairly regularly, i know what it can and cannot do... so when i hopped into the 2011, i knew i was going to be ok.
it's been at least 8 years since i've been to the track so i was VERY rusty. this was really apparent when the pro driver started putting some distance between his car and the car i was piloting. later he asked me about my driving history and i mentioned my motorcycle roadracing days. no wonder... my lines were too tight. apexes all off and what not... all in all, the car was very well behaved around the track. you could feel the weight of the car pushing at the and of the apex...but the tires held up and the traction control did it's job. very nicely done Lexus!!! i was very surprised and how tight you can corner these things with stock tires on!!!
so when i got into the LFA i took what he told me and i was determined to give it my all to see what this car could really do. i grabbed my co-pilot (she was very reluctant to go buy i kind of lied to her...told her i wasn't going to go fast at all... LoL)... and put my helmet on and got ready to go.
initially the car drives like a normal car. the suspension felt very tight and the power came on very smoothly. first turn, second turn...getting the feel of the car... then we open her up. WOW!!! when the power came on, it wasn't a forceful feeling...like a torquey V-8 not like a huge turbo charged beast... it was really smooth. unlike anything i ever got to pilot... simply amazing
got to the next turn very quickly and applied the brakes... another WOW!!! the braking power was amazing too... smooth and yet so powerful.
tossed it into the left hand turn and powered on at the end of the apex... the car just moves!!! repeat... and it does it's job sooo well!!!
the most impressive thing about the car to me was it's ability to keep it's composure. i managed to get it sidewards a few times and i just mashed the pedal knowing the car will "correct" itself... and it just does... even though it's moving sidewards, the car just goes where you point it. plain and simple.
i had a go pro to record the whole ordeal but alas, i failed to push the correct sequence and instead, i took a photo... not a video of my LFA drive. i was so sad. the footage would have been so classic. first of call, the video footage of me going around the track... second would have been the audio... my passenger screaming for me to stop the car... she begged me to slow down, let her out of the car... or she was going to beat the *** out of me when it was all over. hahaha... oh well... she got the ride of her life though!!!
thanks again for the awesome experience!!!
anyway...here's my contribution:
we still gotta upload the rest from the go pro but here's one:
http://www.vimeo.com/20533291
my vids from my iphone:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyYbkaVaDBQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfkL7noJ4q0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZO8OnVihSrg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wa1OkSLOJBM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0twddTIwBaQ
i didn't really take many pics but here's my pics from my iphone or someone else's phone:
the two LFA vehicles we got to drive... i got to drive the yellow one!!!
me and my LFA... well, the one i drove anyway... haha...
my co-pilot...
pep talk...
add ur own caption... LoL!!!
us...
from the go pro... the pic i took instead of the video... *sigh*
driving up with all the norcal guys made the trip even better too... ryan and i had a great time waiting for all the guys to show up at mcd's... even while my passenger was KO'd from her trip... LoL
anyway... so on to the LFA experience. i can't claim to be anywhere near a pro at the track but i can't say i'm just an amateur either. i've done SCCA (C-street prepared), drag racing (87 supercharged mustang mentioned in Turbo mag, dec 1996 issue), road racing (multiple 600/750 cc motorcycles at more than 5 diff racetracks)... and i tinkered with some other cars here at there (including an MR2 turbo, a hardtop 6-speed twin turbo'd MKIV, hachi roku, IS300, etc...)... blah blah... so yeah, i have a little more driving experience than your ave enthusiast...
since i drive my IS F fairly regularly, i know what it can and cannot do... so when i hopped into the 2011, i knew i was going to be ok.
it's been at least 8 years since i've been to the track so i was VERY rusty. this was really apparent when the pro driver started putting some distance between his car and the car i was piloting. later he asked me about my driving history and i mentioned my motorcycle roadracing days. no wonder... my lines were too tight. apexes all off and what not... all in all, the car was very well behaved around the track. you could feel the weight of the car pushing at the and of the apex...but the tires held up and the traction control did it's job. very nicely done Lexus!!! i was very surprised and how tight you can corner these things with stock tires on!!!
so when i got into the LFA i took what he told me and i was determined to give it my all to see what this car could really do. i grabbed my co-pilot (she was very reluctant to go buy i kind of lied to her...told her i wasn't going to go fast at all... LoL)... and put my helmet on and got ready to go.
initially the car drives like a normal car. the suspension felt very tight and the power came on very smoothly. first turn, second turn...getting the feel of the car... then we open her up. WOW!!! when the power came on, it wasn't a forceful feeling...like a torquey V-8 not like a huge turbo charged beast... it was really smooth. unlike anything i ever got to pilot... simply amazing
got to the next turn very quickly and applied the brakes... another WOW!!! the braking power was amazing too... smooth and yet so powerful.
tossed it into the left hand turn and powered on at the end of the apex... the car just moves!!! repeat... and it does it's job sooo well!!!
the most impressive thing about the car to me was it's ability to keep it's composure. i managed to get it sidewards a few times and i just mashed the pedal knowing the car will "correct" itself... and it just does... even though it's moving sidewards, the car just goes where you point it. plain and simple.
i had a go pro to record the whole ordeal but alas, i failed to push the correct sequence and instead, i took a photo... not a video of my LFA drive. i was so sad. the footage would have been so classic. first of call, the video footage of me going around the track... second would have been the audio... my passenger screaming for me to stop the car... she begged me to slow down, let her out of the car... or she was going to beat the *** out of me when it was all over. hahaha... oh well... she got the ride of her life though!!!
thanks again for the awesome experience!!!
anyway...here's my contribution:
we still gotta upload the rest from the go pro but here's one:
http://www.vimeo.com/20533291
my vids from my iphone:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyYbkaVaDBQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfkL7noJ4q0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZO8OnVihSrg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wa1OkSLOJBM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0twddTIwBaQ
i didn't really take many pics but here's my pics from my iphone or someone else's phone:
the two LFA vehicles we got to drive... i got to drive the yellow one!!!
me and my LFA... well, the one i drove anyway... haha...
my co-pilot...
pep talk...
add ur own caption... LoL!!!
us...
from the go pro... the pic i took instead of the video... *sigh*
Last edited by HyperMKIV; 03-07-11 at 02:10 PM.
03-06-11, 09:36 PM
#7
Wow... Watching Brian drive that car gave me goosebumps.....*shivers* What was the beeping that I heard?
Loved the donut vid too.
Loved the donut vid too.
Last edited by Micaiah; 03-06-11 at 09:40 PM.
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The exhaust note of that car is unreal.
03-07-11, 07:44 PM
#13
Well since you, VIP-209, Micaiah, PEARLIS250 and shadowman responded with interest to this thread, I'll keep you all in mind the next time we have an activity such as this one and we're looking for people who might be interested.
Ya never know, but sometimes dreams do come true
Ya never know, but sometimes dreams do come true
