GAZOO Racing To Race LFA, 86 and Special “LFA Code X” in Nür 24

As the 2014 Tokyo Auto Salon kicked off today, GAZOO Racing has held a press conference today at their booth expressing their intent to enter in this year’s 24 Hours of Nürburgring endurance race in Germany. The grueling race event starts on June 19 for qualifiying and the race will start on June 21 and finish on June 22. GAZOO Racing will field a total of three cars including their their race spec Toyota 86 and Lexus LFA. For the first time, a special “enhanced sports car research vehicle” called the “LFA Code X ” will feature a larger modified 1LR-GUE 5.3L V10 and is reported to have more horsepower and better torque better suited for the harsh conditions of the “Green Hell”. To help with rigidity and weight reduction, the entire chassis is made with carbon fiber. My guess is that the aluminum frame rails from the normal LFA have been augmented with carbon.

This year’s GAZOO Racing drivers are an all star cast of Japan’s finest including Akira Iida, Takayuki Kinoshita, Juichi Wakisaka and Kumi Sato just to name a few. So far there is no sign of “Morizo”, Akio Toyoda’s GAZOO Racing alias on the roster but it does say “planned” in parenthesis. To support the all-star line up of drivers, Toyota has enlisted their own engineers and techs to support the teams during the long race. These endurance races aren’t just for fun, it serves as an important development bed for future products. With GAZOO Racing focused on their true 86 and LFA sports platforms, it may be a sign of more exciting products in the future. So far 2014 is looking really promising for Toyota and Lexus in motorsports.

2014 GAZOO Racing Lexus LFA Code X:

2014 GAZOO RACING Toyota 86:

Official Toyota Press Release:

Lexus ‘LFA’ & Toyota ’86’ to Compete in 2014 Nürburgring Endurance Race

LFA-based Research Vehicle Added to Study Future Sports Car Technologies

Source: GAZOO Racing / Toyota