Lexus To Compete In American Le Mans

Zee007 · December 19, 2005

Two days after BMW announced its entry in the American Le Mans Series’ new GT2S class next season, rivals Lexus unveiled their own plans of fielding two factory-backed IS 350 sport sedans in the same class.

"The Lexus brand coming into the American Le Mans Series is as close to a natural fit as we could ever imagine," stated 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. On behalf of the series, and its manufacturers and competitors, we are proud and honored to welcome Lexus into our competitive ranks."

Added Lexus vice-president and general manager Bob Carter: "Much like we hope the new IS will become, we view the American Le Mans Series as an aspirational series. It's an ideal fit for Lexus because it celebrates the technology and performance inherent in the best cars."

A lot of the discussion turned to the term ‘factory support’ and it was clear that this is not just a token title, but supported by Japan and engineers with Lexus. It was pointed out though, fans should not expect to see hoards of engineers from Japan in the paddock come race week; however Toyota Racing Development (TRD) is offering assistance when needed.

http://www.speedtv.com/articles/auto/roadracing/21006/

http://www.racingfanatics.com/Reports%2020...exusandsnow.htm