Victories for Toyota 86, GT86 and Lexus LFA
Toyota 86, Toyota GT86 and Lexus LF-A have been announced as class winners in Nurburgring 24-hour endurance race. GAZOO Racing Toyota 86 no.#166 driven by Hiroaki Ishiura, Kazuya Oshima, Takuto Iguchi and Minoru Takaki won the SP3 class and took 46th overall, setting fastest time 10:22.014.
No.#165 Toyota 86 of Gazoo Racing driven by Katsumata, Kageyama, Sato, Takaki finished 6th in SP3 class and 65th overall with fastest time 10:28.717.
Toyota Swiss Racing Team GT86 no.200 driven by Gachnang, Burri, Wuest and Andreas Lanz finished 1st in V3 class and 68th overall, with fastest time 10:50.822. Unfortunately No.#201 GT86 of Toyota Swiss Racing Team driven by Wyss, Frey, Maritz and Völker quit the race after 11 laps and didn't finish the race. Toyota Swiss Racing #201 was hit from behind by Porsche GT3 and is now, sadly, out of the race. The car is beyond repair. The team told me that the driver is OK, except a bit shaken. The V3 class is production model class which is almost stock.
Production of the GT86 for Europe started in April this year, and success in their very first 24-hour races bodes well for the future racing activity of small teams and individuals alike.
Production of the GT86 for Europe started in April this year, and success in their very first 24-hour races bodes well for the future racing activity of small teams and individuals alike.
Short video - Gazoo Racing Toyota 86 rolling out of pits:
Video: Gazoo Racing SP3 Toyota 86 rolling out of pits during Nurburgring 24H race.
The mechanic with fire extinguisher is there for a reason. During the early morning Gazoo Racing Toyota 86 caught fire briefly when product to clean brakes got in super heated exhaust system.
Toyota Swiss Racing Team GT86 crossing the finish line of N24 race.
Gazoo Racing winning Toyota 86 #166 crossing the finish line as 1st in SP3 line!
Toyota 86 big brother - Lexus LF-A finished 1st in SP8 class and 15th overall! After surviving a few minor incidents, and posting a quickest lap time of 8:44.636, the GAZOO Racing Lexus LFA ran reliably and consistently throughout the race to an SP8 class win, and 15th place overall.
The Lexus LFA has enjoyed continued Nürburgring success over the last few years, including two class wins in the VLN race series this year.
The Lexus LFA has enjoyed continued Nürburgring success over the last few years, including two class wins in the VLN race series this year.
Lexus LF-A jump during night
Gazoo Racing team after celebrating after the race:
About GAZOO Racing
Competing with professional race teams, the GAZOO Racing personnel are comprised of TMC employees with normal day-to-day jobs within the company. Putting the company’s employees through the paces on the racetrack gives engineers and technicians involved in vehicle development a chance to hone their skills and craftsmanship to continue to deliver products exceeding the customers’ expectations.
About Toyota Swiss Racing Team
In conjunction with the European launch of the Toyota GT86, Toyota Swiss Racing aimed to inspire a new generation of car enthusiasts around the world through grassroots motorsports activities using virtually standard specification GT86s. This team was run by Toyota AG, the distributor for Toyota in Switzerland, and consisted mainly of their technical training personnel.
Photos source: Toyota, Toyota Europe, Gazoo Racing