racing news
The surface for driving that is always circuitous has some tantalizing racing news for fans of Japans Super GT racing series. It seems the Lexus IS-F Racing concept that showed up at the recent Tokyo Auto Salon was a harbinger of things to come. Lexus is reportedly working on a
mid-engined race car based on the IS chassis and engine. The car would be set to run in the fiercely competitive GT300 class for this years Super GT Championships. Lexus better be careful with that kind of craziness or eyebrows will be raising all over the production car world. [
WindingRoad.com]
racing
Nissan's working the whole race-on-Sunday-sell-on-Monday angle with its GT-R — at least in Japan. On the heels of its
death on wheels GT500 prototype racer, the company is revealing its new competitor for Japan's Super GT series at the Tokyo Auto Salon. Just as expected by everyone from the Japanese royal family on down to the white-gloved guy who body-checks people onto the Tokyo subway, the new GT-R will replace the current GT500-class competitor — the one based on the Fairlady/350Z. Nissan says it's withholding details about the car and its global motorsports plans until the end of the month. Of course, anyone harboring visions of the GT-R racing in the US should remember Nissan's
suspended its North American motorsports activities. Not enough bang for their racing bucks here. For shame. [via
World Car Fans]
racing
Amid all the talk on Nissan's Porsche-baiting GT-R hitting pavements this year, Nissan's racing arm NISMO quietly revealed the racetrack model. It's the GT-R NISMO's readying to compete in the racing series formerly known as JGTC; that is, Japan's "Super GT Championship" series, in the top GT500 class. And by reveal, we mean there's nary a stitch of spec information forthcoming. For that, they say, we'll have to wait until February 2008. The GT-R replaces the Fairlady Z (350Z) in competition, which had replaced the Skyline GTR. We're assuming the racing GT-R will have the maximum allowable 500 horsepower, though rumors of an even more sprightly street GT-R continue to fly.
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