Lexus Makes Official Racing Debut With IS 300
at Phoenix Grand-Am Cup Race
TORRANCE, Calif., April 17 Lexus will make its first
official foray into racing competition when it debuts the new IS 300 compact
sports sedan at the Grand-Am Cup event at Phoenix International Raceway, April
18-21.
Lexus will field two IS 300s with veteran road-racing driver/owner Chuck
Goldsborough in the Grand-Am Cup series' Sport Touring class against
production competitors like BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Acura, among others.
Goldsborough's Team Lexus has run GS 400s independently the last two years in
the series formerly know as the Motorola Cup North American Street Stock
Championship, which is now operated by the Grand American Road Racing
Association. Lexus will provide assistance to Goldsborough's team, while
Toyota Racing Development (TRD), U.S.A. will lend technical engine support.
The IS 300s will be piloted by Goldsborough, Terry Borcheller and two drivers
to be announced later. The team will expand to four IS 300s later in the
season.
"The Grand-Am Cup street-stock touring series is a perfect place to
showcase the IS 300's passion and performance," said Mike Wells, vice
president of marketing at Lexus. "The fans of Grand-Am racing are the same
youthful, educated people that are drawn to Lexus, particularly the IS 300."
For the Grand-Am Cup series, the virtually stock Lexus IS 300 is powered
by a production-based 3.0-liter, inline six-cylinder engine; TRD will provide
a new engine-management system. The high-revving engine will share the strong
low-end and mid-range torque features of its production counterpart, while the
compact sport sedan's great balance and steering response will thrive in the
race environment.
Goldsborough's Team Lexus earned two victories, six podium finishes and
received the A.N. Deringer award for most positions gained while racing
GS 400s in 1999 and 2000. Goldsborough and Borcheller, racing a GS 400,
finished second in the Sports Touring (ST) class at the 2001 season opener at
Daytona and eighth in the follow-up race at Homestead. Borcheller is
currently fifth and Goldsborough sixth in points in the ST class while Lexus
is third in manufacturer points. Goldsborough, of Baltimore, Md., has raced
competitively for 18 years and has served as an instructor at the Skip Barber
and Bertil Roos Racing Schools.
"We were impressed with Chuck Goldsborough's team and felt Team Lexus was
a good partner to debut our new compact sports sedan to the racing world,"
Wells commented.
An IS 300 also is the latest edition to a prestigious group of Lexus
vehicles to become members of the CART Pace Car team, following the GS 400 and
SC 400. The IS 300 pace car made its debut at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long
Beach, April 6-8.