LEXUS IS TO COMPETE IN AMERICAN LE MANS SERIES
Lexus has announced that its latest IS sedan will race in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) next year.The US division of the luxury marque will enter two IS350 sedans in a new GTS2 class, where they will compete against other premium cars such as Porsche 911.
Based on the famed 24-hour Le Mans endurance race in France, the American Le Mans Series is a series of 10 sports car endurance races held throughout the year.
The all-new Lexus IS Line was recently launched globally, with IS250 introduced to Australia in early November.
"The IS entry to the American Le Mans series is a good opportunity to showcase its technology, handling and performance in tough conditions," said Scott Grant, divisional manager, Lexus Australia.
"Lexus is in good company.
"The response to IS250 has been phenomenal so far, although we will be keenly watching the progress of IS350 in the American Le Mans series," said Mr Grant, not ruling out the car's future introduction to Australia.
As well as clearly leading the luxury car market in the US for the past five years, Lexus has a strong motorsport background.
As with the previous-generation IS, Lexus US will team with its production car racing partner, Team Lexus, who will build, develop and campaign the new cars.
After a successful four-year run in the US Grand Am Cup series with two championships and numerous wins, pole positions and podium finishes, the team has already begun preparing the IS350s for their new mission.
"Developing and racing two brand new cars in a new category will be a major challenge, but one that we relish," said Team Lexus owner/driver Chuck Goldsborough.
"We've been building our team along with the new cars this year and are looking forward to some of the most exciting road racing in North America," he said.
"The Lexus brand coming into the American Le Mans Series is as close to a natural fit as we could ever imagine," said ALMS President Scott Atherton.
"When anyone mentions Lexus, many of the same attributes that are associated with the American Le Mans Series come to mind - words like luxury, high performance, leading-edge technology, style and quality describe both brands."
Driver line-up for the two-car team will be announced at a later date.