2017.02.02

Toyota Announces Program for 2017 SUPER GT Season Participation. Kazuki Nakajima Returns to TOM'S! Two RC F GT3 Machines to Enter GT300 Class

At the “2017 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Press Conference on the morning of February 2, Toyota Motor Corporation announced its program for motorsport activities and race participation this season.

The conference began with an address by Mr. Kouei Saga, Chief Officer of Toyota’s Motor Sports Group, who reviewed the 2016 season and its successes that included the winning of the SUPER GT series GT500 Class Championship. Then he explained the plans for the 2017 season. Mr. Saga said that based on Toyota’s basic concept to “strive to carry out activities to refine its people and cars in order to contribute to the creation of ever-better cars” and “to expand the car fan base even more,” the company will again be participating in a wide range of motorsport activities. Also on hand for the conference was Toyota Motor Corporation president Akio Toyota, who encouraged everyone involved to achieve even more success than last year.

 

Toyota Motor Sports Group Chief Officer Kouei Saga, on this season’s SUPER GT participation

 

In the GT500 class of SUPER GT, LEXUS GAZOO Racing will support entries of six cars from six teams. The car will be the LEXUS LC500, built in accordance with the new 2017 SUPER GT car regulation. These teams will compete to bring the Toyota camp a second consecutive championship title.

 

The LEXUS LC500 to compete in the GT500 class

 

Of the teams competing with the Lexus machine, the LEXUS TEAM SARD will, as last year’s champions carry the #1 car number and compete with the champion driver pair of Heikki Kovalainen and Kohei Hirate. The LEXUS TEAM LEMANS WAKO'S car #6 will be driven by Kazuya Oshima and Andrea Caldarelli, the LEXUS TEAM WedsSport BANDOH car #19 will have Yuhi Sekiguchi and Yuji Kunimoto as drivers, while the LEXUS TEAM CERUMO car #38 will be driven by Yuji Tachikawa and Yuji Tachikawa. These four teams will have the same driver lineups as last season.

Of the two remaining teams to use the Lexus machine, LEXUS TEAM TOM'S car #36 changes its team name to LEXUS TEAM au TOM'S and welcomes back driver Kazuki Nakajima for the first time in three years to team with James Rossiter, who comes to the team in a move from last year’s seat on the #37 car. TEAM TOM'S also announced that Daisuke Ito, served as the team’s first driver last season, now assumes the job of team manager for the reorganized LEXUS TEAM au TOM'S. However, since Nakajima will also be competing in this season’s WEC series, scheduling conflicts mean that Nakajima will not be able to compete in Round 2 of the SUPER GT series at Fuji Speedway in May, for which Ito will drive in his absence.
The drivers for the LEXUS TEAM KeePer TOM'S car #37 will be the young pair of Ryo Hirakawa and Nick Cassidy, who moves to the team from his seat on car #36 last season.

 

LEXUS GAZOO Racing team drivers to compete in the GT500 class this season
(from left): Andrea Caldarelli, Kazuya Oshima, Kohei Hirate and Heikki Kovalainen
James Rossiter, Kazuki Nakajima, Nick Cassidy, Hiroaki Ishiura, Yuji Tachikawa.
(* absent from photo are Yuji Kunimoto and Ryo Hirakawa)

 

In the GT300 class, two Toyota Prius cars mounting the hybrid system will be competing this season along with two cars of the new LEXUS RC F GT3. The Prius machines will be entered by team apr, with the #30 car driven as last year by Hiroaki Nagai and Kota Sasaki. Driving the #31 car will be Koki Saga along with a new partner in Rintaro Kubo.

The two LEXUS RC F GT3 cars will be entered by the LM corsa team. The new RC F GT3 recently made its debut at the Daytona 24 Hours race. Many will be looking forward to its performance in the GT300 class. As for the team make-up, driving the #51 car will be the young pair of Yuichi Nakayama, who comes to the team from apr, and the year before last’s FIA-F4 champion, Sho Tsuboi. Car #60 will be driven by the RC F GT3’s development driver, Akira Iida, teaming with Hiroki Yoshimoto as last year.

 

The LEXUS RC F GT3 to compete in the GT300 class

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