Lexus are back at the Nürburgring again this year with two of their LFA supercars. The 2009 debut of Lexus at the N24 wasn’t an outstanding success, with one of the entries withdrawing due to mechanical issues and the other car placing fourth in class out of five finishers. With lessons learnt, they’ll be hoping for better results in 2010.

You can read the pre-race press release from Lexus after the jump. As a special treat to get you in the mood for this weekend there is also a video of the LFA lapping the Nordschleife filmed during the 2009 race.

LEXUS AND GAZOO RACING COMPETE TOGETHER AT NÃœRBURGRING 24H RACE

• 24h race plays key role in final development as LFA moves to production
• Gazoo Racing team personnel gain valuable experience in ultra-competitive, highly emotional racing environment
• Collective learning will benefit future Toyota and Lexus products

Playing a key role in helping to finalise the development of the LFA before it enters production in December, the gruelling 24h race offers Lexus and Gazoo Racing the unique opportunity to not only foster the peerless quality, durability and reliability by pushing cutting-edge technology to the extremes of mechanical endurance but also to hone the technical skills of the personnel involved in the development of future Lexus and Toyota production vehicles.

Furthermore, by participating in the 24 Hours Endurance Race Lexus and Toyota aim to showcase their dedication through Gazoo Racing to produce more emotional cars and becoming more attractive and desirable to a wider range of customers.

This year’s race marks the third consecutive entry of the Lexus LFA and, significantly, the first participation of the car in standard production guise.

Competing in the SP8 (‘Near production’) class, the race version of the LFA does not differ substantially from the road car, particularly with regard to construction, engine and transmission. Mandatory safety equipment has been installed and other modifications such as a refined aero package including a fixed rear wing and a larger fuel tank are made to reflect the format of the 24h race and the Nürburgring circuit.

Led by Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC)’s master test driver Hiromu Naruse, the Gazoo Racing team will make its fourth appearance at the Nürburging 24h race. It is a team comprised of engineers and technicians from TMC, and, whilst they’ve regularly come together over recent months to support the LFA in the build-up to the 24h race, their ‘day-jobs’ are within the TMC engineering community. This kind of virtual organisation ensures that the collective learning is transmitted directly back into the core of the engineering activity.

The driver line-up includes four Japanese and three German pilots with outstanding endurance and GT racing credentials, including three champions from the Japanese Super GT series.

As part of the preparation of the cars and the drivers, Gazoo Racing entered the first three VLN races of 2010. Consistently finishing in leading positions in its SP8 class, the LFA has also demonstrated its competitiveness against track-prepared specialist racing cars, with a best finish of 17th overall in VLN2.

Gazoo Racing team for 38th 24 Hours Nürburgring

Team Name: Gazoo Racing
Vehicles: Lexus LFA (2 units) (No. # 50 & # 51)
Team Manager: Hiromu Naruse (Toyota master test driver)
Mechanics & Engineers: TMC personnel
LFA race car – Number 50

• driven by Kinoshita, Iida, Ohshima, Wakisaka

LFA race car – Number 51

• driven by Hahne, Krumbach, Lotterer

Specifications of Lexus LFA for 38th 24 Hours Nürburgring

Entry category/class: Division 2 / SP8
Engine Type: V10
Displacement: 4,805cc
Maximum output: Over 367kW (500PS)
Body – Total length: 4,455mm
Body – Total width: 1,950mm
Body – Total height: 1,200mm
Body – Wheelbase: 2,605mm
Material: Carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP)
Vehicle layout: Front-mid-engine, rear-mid-transaxle, rear radiatorTransmission Paddle-shift sequential manual transmission
Tyres Front / Rear size: 330/40R18
Type: Bridgestone racing tyres

Footage from 2009 Nürburgring 24 hour