Controlled Chaos with NYR-SCCA on 8/9/08

Controlled chaos is one way to describe a competitive autocross event. Some have even described the way a competitive driver in these events who possess such car control that they actually make the car "DANCE" around those orange cones on the field. If you ever wonder what high performance driving feels like? The participants at this joint Rallye/SCCA event can definetly tell you about it.

On August 9th Rally Lexus had our combined event with NYR SCCA and the event was a huge success. We brought out our Rallye Motorsport IS250 AWD, IS350 with the full compliment of new F-Sport performance parts on it, and an IS-F and I brought my stick shift IS250 RWD race car. We joined the NYR SCCA region participants at Nassau Coliseum in Hempstead NY for a day of racing the clock at their autocross. Our Service Director Andrew Jones piloted the IS-F along with Joel from our parts department. Paul Paskoz from our parts department piloted his street modified IS350. I hammered my track ready IS250 and realized the substantial difference since my last autocross since I now sported new F-Sport intake and exhaust. Lee Morse our Parts manager manned our Lexus display along with one of our sales associates Chris Yu who is has also been an F-Champion. We even had an addiditional IS-F owner and a bunch of NELOC members show up to race and support the fundraiser event with us.

Our track side display housed our factory F-sport display and our own custom F-sport parts boards which included the new F-Sport Lowering springs, clutch, short shifter kit, Exhaust system, and front and rear sway bar kit for the IS model line up.We then also show off the these parts with our Rallye Motorsports preped F-sports series cars.

The Autocross was lay out to run around 50-60 seconds per lap for each driver. Faster drivers were running in the the low 50 seconds. The fastest time of the day belonged to a Toyota MR2 which ran a 48.895 seconds. The 3 times Mazada sponsored "Rev It UP" champion G.J Dickson was on site and he was given a opportunity to pilot the IS-F to a unofficial fast time of 50.098 on his first time out. Tons of valuable feed back was given from him along with other SCCA instructors who also got a chance to drive the IS-F. All of the professional level drivers were amazed with the new IS-F from the fabulous brake to the unbelievable torque. This opportunity for them to sample the true talents of the car definetly changed many hardcore racers opinions of Lexus.

"I hit first gear rev limiter so fast i didn't expected it from a V8"- SCCA instructor.

"The Torque band is wide and the throttle is tippy when the car is in sports mode"

"There's no delay from this transmission when shifting 1-2 on the paddle shifter and the car is much easier to steer in this tight course than i had expected."- SCCA instructor

"This car has too much power for the course, I drove it without the sport mode so i can try to put power down, the tires is grippy but it should be replaced with better traction compound to realize the full potential of this car."

These were just a few of the comments overheard at the autocross. We were able to show them the design philosophy and concept behind the "F" though many of the short stories about the F. They learned alittle about the Yamaha co-designed engine to extensive wind tunnel testing which resulted in such low drag coefficient of .30 and something that most impressed them was about the superior performance of the Lexus/Brembo braking system.

We BBQ'ed and served up cold drinks on site during lunch brake to help raise funds for American Cancer Society. Not only did the participants helped out by buying the burgers, hot dogs and cold drinks, Mr. Arthur Emerson and his SCCA crew were able to help the fund raise further by providing all participants "fun runs" at the end of the event. It cost drivers $2.00 per race, this resulted in a additional $74.00 generated in approx. 30 minutes. All tolled we raised $300.00 dollars going to American Cancer Society.

The race schedule included all RL drivers in its own class which allowed us to have bragging rights. Andrew Jones with his best run of 54.751 in the IS-F, Paul Ran 56.461 in his IS350, Joel ran 58.231 , and me with my time of 53.316 .


It was Fun and exhilarating for all of us but more importantly we all got a chance to meet tons of great people who's been auto enthusiasts long before we at Lexus got involved. Many of them were quite shocked to see us and track preped Lexus IS. They were all incredibly generous with their time and knowledge which was definetly one of the highlights of our day. Not only did we learn about racing but we also shared with them the all New Lexus Performance brand that we know as the "F-Sport".


We want to thank all those participants who helped with the fund raising and we hope to see them in the future events as we continue to represent Rallye Lexus and Lexus corporate on "The Performance Side".



- F-Champ -

















IS-Fun run......








In car video of my 3rd run in the first morning session...

In car video of the IS-F runing 50.386 seconds driven by G.J and I was in the passenger seat taking the video. alittle shakey but what do you expect when you are getting tossed around in this beast.

Rallye Lexus Tuner Meet May 18th 2008

We had our first Lexus Tuner meet here on May 18th, the event was a success, the weather held up despite the bad weather report and continual rain we had all week, we had 60 registered entrants and 57 of them show up for the meet and about 200 people show up to join us.

Bill Finsilver, Pam Palasciano, Andrew Jones, Lee Morse, John Tetta along with many other Rallye Lexus employees and Lexus Eastern Area office was on site to help with the event.

Lexus Eastern Area made the IS-F dyno drive and driving simulators possible. All participants got a chance to drive the IS-F on the dyno and feel the lightning fast shifting of the 8 speed transmission and the amazing precision of the throttle blip downshift. The two driving simulator was quite amazing in all areas, it featured a PC based race program, 5.1 channel digital surround sound, a 40 inch LCD display and all the gadgets you'll find in a real race car that included a pedal shifter, the simulator was set up on a NASCAR style track with infield turns, all participants got to drive the IS-F around the track and got their adrenalin pumping.

We all had a great time talking to car enthusiasts and got to meet tons of great people and to be the first to reach out to the tuner market at the grassroot level. we all are looking forward to our next event which is going to be even better than this one, so stay tuned to our blogs for more updates and we hope to see you soon.

- F-Champ -

Lexus LF-A supercar up close

Prototypes for Lexus’ upcoming LF-A supercar have been spotted testing at the Nurburgring for the good part of a year but firm details about the car are still hard to come by. Most reports claim the LF-A will be powered by an F1-derived, high-revving V10 engine displacing 5.0L and developing in excess of 500hp. There are also rumors a hybrid version could be offered but how much power it will have or what affect the batteries and electric motor will have on handling and weight is still unclear. One thing we can be certain of is that the powerplant of the new LF-A will be one of hottest sound engines around, as testified by the high-speed drive-bys in this latest spy video.Competing against such cars as the Audi R8 and BMW M6 and even Nissan’s GT-R, the LF-A will have a price tag significantly higher than any of its current offerings including the current LS600h flagship. The car’s front mid-engine placement, along with a rear-mounted transaxle and rear-mounted radiators, should allow for excellent weight distribution. The V10 is mounted in front of the passenger compartment but behind the front-axle centerline. It’s connected via a torque tube and propeller shaft to a transaxle that is controlled by paddle shifters. The torque tube is a structural member that adds rigidity to the drivetrain and chassis while also reducing vibration.
Zero to 60mph acceleration times for the LF-A should fall below the four-second mark and top speed will almost certainly exceed 200mph.
Following the launch of the coupe early next year, Lexus will add a roadster model based on January’s Detroit Auto Show concept car. However, the car will make its first public debut – albeit in full race mode - at this month’s Nurburgring 24 hour endurance challenge where it will compete alongside Porsches, Aston Martins and Corvettes. The racing version is distinguished from regular production test-mules by its chunky GT wing, bigger wheels and brakes, custom bodykit with oversized intakes and front-mount canards.

Lexus LF-A confirmed for Nurburgring 24hr race

Toyota has confirmed via its Japanese press site that its upcoming Lexus LF-A supercar will contest the Nurburgring 24 hour endurance challenge – dubbed the 36th ADAC Zurich 24h Race 2008 – in Germany next month. This will be the first public debut of the new supercar although details about the final production model are expected to be kept secret.A prototype of the racing-spec LF-A was spotted recently at the Nurburgring and as these spy images reveal the car has a number of new features never before seen on previous test-mules. Some of the key changes include the addition of a chunky GT wing, bigger wheels and brakes, a new bodykit with oversized intakes and front-mount canards. Other changes include smaller race-style side mirrors, revised headlamps and a lower ride height. Inside, there’s a full roll-cage and carbon-fiber panels.
Engineers are not aiming to win the race but plan to use it to obtain useful feedback for further development of the production car, which is due towards the end of the decade. Nissan’s GT-R has clearly upset the applecart in the Japanese performance car stakes but it’s heartening to see that Lexus is so committed to the LF-A program that it’s willing to race pre-production mules.
The race event will take place during the weekend falling between the 22nd and 25th of May.