Page 1 of 1 Just six weeks after introducing the new IS 350 to the American market, Lexus announced today that it will enter the powerful luxury sport sedan in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) GT2 class in 2006 with a two-car team.
Under a new-for-2006 "S2" vehicle preparation standard, the IS 350 sedans will compete against established GT2 sports cars such as the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR and Panoz Esperante and race for the same prizes, points and championships. Several other S2-prep cars are expected for 2006 as well, including the BMW M3.
As with the previous generation IS, Lexus 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 Grand Am Cup series with two championships and numerous wins, pole positions and podium finishes, the team has already begun preparing the IS 350s for their new mission.
The ALMS' S2 standard creates opportunities for new competitors to enter the series that were previously unavailable. This opened the door for Lexus to enter the new IS in a series with international appeal, populated with premium car makers.
Although Team Lexus expects to begin racing early in the 2006 season, the specific timing will be based on vehicle build and development progress. Driver lineup for the two-car team will be announced at a later date. Page 1 of 1
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Just six weeks after introducing the new IS 350 to the American market, Lexus announced today that it will enter the powerful luxury sport sedan in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) GT2 class in 2006 with a two-car team.