Lexus Finishes Third in Pikes Peak Hill Climb Time Attack with All-New RC F GT Concept

RC F GT Program to Serve as Key Developmental Tool for F brand Engineering

Lexus completed a successful week at the legendary Pikes Peak International Hill Climb recently with a third place podium finish for the all-new RC F GT Concept driven by Justin Bell. The race which took place in Colorado, USA was marked by adverse weather conditions which prevented some racers from completing their runs, but it worked out well for the Lexus team considering the RC F GT Concept is a new vehicle and this was Bell’s debut at Pikes Peak. Justin Bell, who is a British driving ace, is also a FIA GT world champion, 24 Hours of Le Mans winner and a prominent automotive media personality. A seasoned driver in a wide range of vehicles, Bell will bring his vast experience and knowledge to bear on the development side of the RC F GT Concept. The RC F GT Concept builds upon the legacy of the IS F CCS-R vehicle that last competed at Pikes Peak in 2013. This historic event, now in its 93rd running, is a race against the clock that tests man and machine with the changing elements, altitude, and a treacherous 12.42 mile, 156 turn course that winds up the peak from 9,390 feet up to the 14,115 foot summit. According to Takayuki Yoshitsugu, Chief Representative, Middle East and North Africa Representative Office, Toyota Motor Corporation, “Justin drove brilliantly during the race and the RC F GT Concept also performed wonderfully on a very challenging course. At Lexus, one of our biggest priorities is the evolution of the F brand with participation in motorsports providing us with an outstanding opportunity to go beyond Concepts and also develop components for F brand products. Competitive races like Pikes Peak help nurture a performance engineering culture and ideology that will have the greatest influence on future F brand products. I would also like to acknowledge the huge support from our fans for our motorsports activities all over the globe and we deeply appreciate their loyalty and encouragement.” Serving as much more than a mere competition vehicle, the new RC F GT Concept represents a pivotal piece of the Lexus F brand motorsports effort along with the forthcoming global GT3 program. Much like the IS F CCS-R vehicles whose efforts in motorsports helped develop key components such as the engine and transmission for the 2015 RC F, the new GT Concept program will continue to elaborate on the F brand’s performance mission, allowing Lexus engineers to experiment with prototype components, tuning ideas, settings, and software development.   The RC F GT Concept retains the same engine and transmission as the production vehicle Lexus RC F. With the RC F GT Concept, engineers can test the engine, transmission and chassis components in various conditions, experimenting with different tuning ideas, settings and software. Lexus RC F GT Concept details