Lexus RC F GT3 US Debut Could Be Delayed Because It's Too Slow
The debut of the Lexus RC F GT3 race car on American soil could be delayed because it’s too slow at the moment.
The Lexus RC F GT3 race car has been competing in numerous motorsports events around the world this season, serving as development grounds to fine tune the platform in order to make it competitive around the world. Most recently, the car made its European racing debut at Nurburgring with the factory RC F GT3 race cars from Farnbacher Racing and Emil Frey Racing turning in laps that were more than 11 seconds off the pace of the class-leading Mercedes-AMG GT3. In Japan, the RC F GT3 competes in the Super GT GT300 category and has been as much as 2.5 seconds off the pole.
SEE ALSO: Lexus RC F GT3 Heading to 24 Hours of Nürburgring
As a result, Lexus may not rush to compete and contest for the championship in IMSA’s TUDOR United SportsCar Championship series. The 2016 season will see the GT Daytona class switching over to GT3 specifications and although the company had initial plans of rolling out at round 1 at Daytona, it could be until after the first two endurance races that the RC F GT3 takes full form around May 2016.
In other words, since the Lexus RC F GT3 is having a tough time keeping up with current race cars, it doesn’t seem ideal for Lexus to rush into the season, especially since the championship opens up with two long endurance races – Daytona and Sebring. Teams are still currently waiting on news about who will be chosen to run the Lexus RC F GT3 in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship with support from Toyota Racing Development USA.
[Source: Racer]
Discuss this story at our Lexus F Forum
Jason Siu began his career in automotive journalism in 2003 with Modified Magazine, a property previously held by VerticalScope. As the West Coast Editor, he played a pivotal role while also extending his expertise to Modified Luxury & Exotics and Modified Mustangs. Beyond his editorial work, Jason authored two notable Cartech books. His tenure at AutoGuide.com saw him immersed in the daily news cycle, yet his passion for hands-on evaluation led him to focus on testing and product reviews, offering well-rounded recommendations to AutoGuide readers. Currently, as the Content Director for VerticalScope, Jason spearheads the content strategy for an array of online publications, a role that has him at the helm of ensuring quality and consistency across the board.
More by Jason Siu
Comments
Join the conversation
embarrassing :)
Failure on the writers part, it may have been 11 seconds off during Round 4, but in this past round, it was second overall, losing only to the Ford GT team. The RC isn't struggling, considering it only has 2 races under its belt in the EU GT3 series. It consistently places in the top poles in the Super GT series as well.