“Over a decade ago, you could conduct as many tests as you wanted to prepare for a race, but not anymore,” says one Lexus driver who competes in one of the top categories of motor racing. “Today, carmakers use a wide range of data to develop simulations that provide them with a series of potential solutions. Because only a limited number of tests are allowed, we need to constantly discuss with engineers whether the simulated solutions are correct or whether there could be anything they’re missing. Through these conversations, we arrive at the right answer.”
TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN
The invigorating sight of a Lexus zooming through town has the power to instantly fill the mind—for just a moment—with images of the passionate, vibrant world of motor racing. The same happens when gripping a Lexus’s steering wheel. The car’s rhythmic vibrations and the pleasing crescendo of its powertrain can conjure images of high-speed racing circuits, adding excitement to the drive.
The racecourse, after all, is Lexus’s testing ground. The brand’s cars have run on the world’s most iconic tracks in races that challenge carmakers to both push the limits of control and speed and implement the world’s most advanced safety features. Feedback from these races is incorporated directly into Lexus road cars.
Pushing the boundaries—that’s Lexus’s self-appointed mission for their yearslong participation in motorsports whether it’s about their cars’ basic capabilities—running, turning, and braking—or the level of safety they provide. After all, road cars and racecars are two sides of the same coin.
But that’s not to say that motorsports are without limitations. Racing regulations strictly govern car specifications and the number of tests one can conduct, making motor racing one of the most regulated sports in the world. When posed in a different light, however, these confines make it so that carmakers are challenged to deliver the best performing car they can within rigid conditions. By meeting these challenges, carmakers can not only win races, but they can also contribute to the evolution of everyday road cars—and the people who drive them.
By learning to detect even miniscule changes in a car’s behavior, racing drivers can develop heightened senses that allow them to provide exceptionally detailed feedback—another element incorporated into the design of Lexus road cars. Through testing and races conducted on racecourses around the world, Lexus can bring together technology, engineering, and driving in ways that allow the brand to push the boundaries. It is agile development based on a process of repeated testing and racing that allows Lexus to create a new car.
The carmaker’s participation in the 24 Hours Nürburgring, which began in 2008 with an LFA deployed into the endurance race, symbolizes its attempt to push limits for car and driver alike. The race takes place on Nordschleife (North Course), a 20 km racetrack at Germany’s Nürburgring motorsport complex with 170 corners and almost no runoff areas. Choosing what many consider the world’s most grueling course on which to develop its cars has had a significant impact on Lexus’s car making.
Nordschleife is bumpy, slippery, and full of sharp twists and turns. There are several locations that will cause the car to leap into the air, leaving all four tires with nothing to hold onto. A single lap is said to produce wear equivalent to driving over 2,000 km on public roads—just imagine the toll it can take on a car driving around the racecourse for 24 hours at speeds that exceed 200 kph. The severe nature of the race conversely makes it an excellent opportunity for nurturing staff who can help create the next great car—an objective that is perhaps more important than winning. No matter how advanced technology becomes, its value cannot be conveyed without people who know how to properly utilize it.
A racing category that has become more mainstream in recent years is the GT3, in which professionals and amateurs—often referred to as gentleman drivers—team up to race in modified road cars. Many of these customer teams have raced in the Lexus RC F GT3 in some of the world’s top sports car racing series, including the World Endurance Championship, IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, and GT World Challenge Asia. They’ve competed among the best drivers of the world on legendary circuits such as Circuit of Spa-Francorchamps and Daytona International Speedway, as well as the Circuit de la Sarthe, on which takes place the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race.
In fact, Lexus customer teams have participated in a variety of motorsports events in a variety of Lexus models, including the SUPER GT, one of Japan’s top sports car racing series; the Baja 1000, a challenging off-road rally that takes place in South America; and even drifting competitions. Taken together, these events produce a massive amount of data and knowledge that form the backbone of Lexus’s road model development.
Through its production and supplying of GT3 cars, Lexus is providing opportunities for amateur drivers, many of whom are car enthusiasts, to race on real circuits—the ultimate circuit driving experience. However, the brand also offers exclusive motorsports experiences to owners, such as tours that involve VIP attendance at a motor race and the chance to drive a sports car on a renowned racing circuit. For Lexus, motorsports are a means for adding excitement to the lifestyles of their customers.
The Lexus road cars you see around town are a product of the vast amounts of data acquired from racecourses around the world, as well as the input of engineers, mechanics, and drivers both professional and amateur. It is their dedication to honing their senses on the racing circuit that leads to the advanced technologies, fine-tuned techniques, and superior performance that inform the design and drive feel of Lexus cars. For the carmaker, it is the desire to manufacture better cars and provide more exciting car experiences that drives development. The brand’s road cars are intrinsically connected to its racing cars—that’s how they are able to add so much excitement to our lives.
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