OYAMA, Japan – Toyota Gazoo Racing announced during the Toyota Gazoo Racing Festival at Fuji Int’l Speedway that it will compete with the Lexus LC in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring for the third year in a row.
The 48th running of the twice-around-the-clock event will run from May 21-24, held at Germany’s famed Nürburgring.
The Nürburgring 24 is held at the Nürburgring in May every year, widely regarded as the world’s most grueling course and gathering close to 200 race cars.
Competing in the Nürburgring 24 is the root for Toyota Gazoo Racing’s activities, aimed at “making ever-better cars.”
Toyota Gazoo Racing has competed in every race since 2007, using race cars built by Toyota employees and raced by a team of Toyota mechanics and engineers, and 2020 will mark the company’s 14th consecutive year participating.
In 2020, Toyota Gazoo Racing will race with the Lexus LC for the third year. Despite completing the race and surviving the harsh environment of Nürburgring, the past two years have seen the Lexus LC spend several hours in the pit to resolve issues.
In 2020, the team will use what it has learned through these hard experiences and aim to complete the race without any trouble by adopting a variety of new technologies, including a newly-developed V8 twin-turbo engine destined for use on future road cars, such as sports cars.
Toyota Gazoo Racing will compete with well experienced drivers in the Nürburgring 24.
Hiroaki Ishiura, who will compete in the race for the sixth time, will be the chief driver and compete alongside Masahiro Sasaki, Kazuya Oshima, and Naoya Gamo.
“I am grateful for this opportunity to compete in the 2020 Nürburgring 24,” said Ishiura. “As I haven’t competed in the race at Nürburgring for some time, I am very excited, but I also feel some responsibility as the setting leader. This project has accumulated considerable expertise through continuous car making every year, and we hope to use that expertise to develop even faster and safer cars that everyone can enjoy.
“There are many elements that can be refined only under the harsh environment of the 24 Hours of Nürburgring, and I think this gives great meaning to taking on this challenge,” he added. “By combining everyone’s strengths to refine the Lexus LC, I hope to provide feedback for reliable car making, accumulate technologies, and contribute to making ever-better cars. I look forward to receiving everyone’s support.”