Demonstrating its racing prowess on one of the world’s most demanding circuits, the No. 56 GR Lexus LC claimed first position in the SP-PRO1 class at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring endurance race recently in Germany. The result marks the second year in which the Lexus LC has triumphed in its class at Nürburgring, following its impressive debut performance in 2018.
Driven by Takeshi Tsuchiya, Takamitsu Matsui, Naoya Gamo, and Yuichi Nakayama, the No. 56 GR Lexus LC emerged in the top qualifying group, and started from 35th place overall on the grid among a line-up of 158 cars. The weather had cleared following a sudden thunderstorm during the first qualifying session, yet high temperatures brought on severe conditions for both the cars and their drivers.
After a solid start, the No. 56 GR Lexus LC continued running well despite challenging conditions, and maintained a position of 30th overall. While a prolonged pit stop after around eight hours resulted in the vehicle losing ground in the overall standings, the team held their ground to finish the race in first place in the SP-PRO class.
Toshiyuki Sekiya, Lexus LC Chief Mechanic, GAZOO Racing, said: “We took measures to improve reliability this year since we stayed in the pit for a long-time last year. Nürburgring is always a tough race for us. I am happy that we spent a lot of time with the mechanics and I witnessed a lot of growth and teamwork. Thank you.”
Commenting on the race, Yugo Miyamoto, Chief Representative of Middle East & Central Asia Representative Office, Toyota Motor Corporation, said: “We are proud of our team’s achievement in this challenging event for a second consecutive year. The Lexus LC gave an outstanding performance at this year’s 24 Hours of Nürburgring, a place that tests the strength and capabilities of the GAZOO Racing team and its vehicles. We will continue to build upon everything we have learned through our participation in motorsport to develop vehicles with brave design and exhilarating performance. I would like to thank our fans for continuously inspiring us to push the boundaries in our drive to create Amazing Experiences.”
The 24 Hours of Nürburgring event is known as one of the world’s most demanding races, and is considered the ultimate test for cars and their drivers. The circuit features 170 corners of varying lengths and an uneven driving surface, and resembles a winding mountain road. As a day-long endurance race, the 24 Hours of Nürburgring gives manufacturers the chance to push vehicles to their limits for an extended period and gain valuable insights on their performance under challenging real-world conditions.
Over the years, Lexus has been participating in many different forms of motorsport, including the World Endurance Championship (WEC), FIA GT3 Championship, Super GT Series, and Nürburgring 24 Hours endurance race. Lexus’ participation in these events was overseen by separate entities within the company until April 2015, when the parent company established GAZOO Racing, to consolidate all of its motorsport activities under one in-house brand. Representing the company’s belief that ‘the roads build the people, and the people build the cars,’ GR highlights the role of motorsport as a fundamental pillar of Toyota’s commitment to making ‘ever-better’ cars. Harnessing years of experience gained under the extreme conditions of various motorsport events, GR aims to forge new technologies and solutions that bring the freedom, adventure, and joy of driving to everyone.
Race Notes:
No. 56 GR Lexus LC
Drivers: Takeshi Tsuchiya, Takamitsu Matsui, Naoya Gamo, and Yuichi Nakayama
Position: 1st (SP-PRO class)
No. of Laps: 137