ZENT CERUMO Lexus RC F wins first place in Round 6 of 2016 AUTOBACS SUPER GT series

20 Sep 2016

No. 36 au TOM'S Lexus RC F finishes second to make it two podium finishes for Lexus

The No. 38 ZENT CERUMO Lexus RC F driven by Yuji Tachikawa and Hiroaki Ishiura emerged as victors in an outstanding race in the GT 500 class after starting from eighth position on the grid in Round 6 of the 2016 AUTOBACS SUPER GT series, which took place recently at the Suzuka Circuit in Japan. The race also saw the No. 36 au TOM'S Lexus RC F driven by Daisuke Ito and Nick Cassidy competing till the very end to finish a creditable second making it two podium finishes for Lexus.

When the race finally started, the No. 38 ZENT CERUMO Lexus RC F driven by Yuji Tachikawa, pulled off an amazing dash from eighth position on the grid to move into third position. Keeping this momentum, Tachikawa gradually closed the gap on the race leader and finally moved into the lead on lap 22. At the end of the 115th lap, the No. 38 ZENT CERUMO Lexus RC F briefly relinquished the lead to the No. 36 au TOM'S Lexus RC F due to its scheduled pit stop.

The rain fell particularly hard on the west end of the circuit and by the 129th lap, the No. 38 ZENT CERUMO Lexus RC F overtook Nick Cassidy in the No. 36 au TOM'S Lexus RC F. With the track conditions changing minute-by-minute, the two Lexus RC F cars continued their battle for the lead. However, the winner of this dual would be the No. 38 ZENT CERUMO Lexus RC F, as it gradually pulled away with an increasing lead over the No. 36 au TOM'S Lexus RC F even through its final routine stop at the end of the 142nd lap and went on to take the checkered flag. Round 7 of the 2016 championship now takes place in Thailand on October 8th and 9th, 2016.

According to Takayuki Yoshitsugu, Chief Representative, Middle East and North Africa Representative Office, Toyota Motor Corporation, “It was an excellent result for Lexus and a superb performance by the teams driving the Lexus RC F cars in such challenging conditions. Motorsports has played a major role in Lexus since the very beginning, giving us significant insights into our cars and their performance in extreme conditions on the race track. This in turn has helped us build ever better cars to exceed the expectations of our customers. We also appreciate the support of our fans and their constant encouragement for our racing initiatives.”

Race Notes:

• No. 38 ZENT CERUMO Lexus RC F (Yuji Tachikawa and Hiroaki Ishiura)
  • Race: 1st, 173 laps, Best Lap : 1'51.014

• No. 36 au TOM'S Lexus RC F (Daisuke Ito and Nick Cassidy)
  • Race: 2nd, 173 laps, Best Lap : 1'51.352