Lexus will make its debut in the Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series atNorth America's most prestigious sports car race – the Rolex 24 At Daytona –Jan. 29 through Feb. 1. Already a top competitor in the Grand-Am Cup, Lexuswill enter the Rolex Series as an engine supplier, initially powering fourteams.
"It's an exciting new venture for Lexus to enter Grand American competitionat the highest level and compete on the race track against the likes ofPorsche and BMW," said Mike Wells, Lexus vice president of marketing. "TheRolex series has grown tremendously in the past year, and we're happy to bea part of its bright future. We look forward to our Daytona debut wheresome top-notch Lexus-powered teams are all capable of winning."
The lineup of Lexus-powered teams in 2004 will include Chip Ganassi Racing,with veteran sports car drivers Scott Pruett and Max Papis; Doran-ListaRacing, with Didier Theys and Fredy Lienhard; Cegwa Sport and Michael ShankRacing.
New to the Grand American circuit, the Ganassi team utilized the Toyota IndyV8 engine to earn the Indy Racing League (IRL) IndyCar Series championshiplast year with Scott Dixon. The Cegwa and Doran-Lista teams will becompeting for the second year in the series, while Michael Shank Racing willbe making its Grand American debut in 2004 after successful years in theToyota Atlantic Championship Series.
The Daytona Prototype Lexus V8 power plant is a 4.35-liter race-modifiedversion of the production engine utilized in the LS, SC, and GS models. The32-valve, DOHC, fuel-injected power plant features an aluminum block andcylinder heads while producing 500 horsepower at 8,000 rpm.
The Daytona Prototype Lexus V8 engines are built and developed by ToyotaRacing Development (TRD), U.S.A. in its 45,000-square-foot Tustin, Calif.,facility. Celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2004, TRD-prepared raceengines have taken Toyota-powered teams to championships in the Indy RacingLeague, CART, IMSA, NASCAR Good's Dash, Import Drag Racing and off-roadtruck racing in the CORR, SCORE and MTEG Series.
Lexus is no stranger to Grand American competition. Team Lexus, withowner/driver Chuck Goldsborough, has been a consistent front-runner in theGrand-Am Cup ST class for the past three years. The team took the driver'stitle in 2002 and has re-signed for the 2004 season and beyond.
