January 30, 2004
TOYOTA INDY CHAMP DIXON JOINS LEXUS EFFORT AT ROLEX 24
Reigning IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon will move from ovals back to the road course as he joins Chip Ganassi Racing's Lexus prototype effort at this weekend's Rolex 24 at Daytona.
The 23-year-old Dixon will team with Scott Pruett, Max Papis and Jimmy Morales in the CompUSA Lexus. On Thursday, Pruett won the pole for the twice-around-the-clock spectacular in Lexus' debut in the series.
"I had a chance to drive the car for the first time last (Thursday) night and I really had a fun time driving it," said Dixon, who's heading into his fourth season of driving Toyota-powered open wheel cars, including last year's IndyCar Series championship run. "It was nice to be able to turn right again. My background is road racing, but I haven't done much endurance racing so this will be a new experience. I've been getting plenty of pointers from Scott (Pruett) and Max (Papis) on what to expect. I'm looking forward to extending my relationship with Toyota and Lexus."
In addition to Daytona being the debut race for Lexus, the race also will mark the inaugural Rolex Series race for the Ganassi team. The Indianapolis-based squad has campaigned Toyota power in CART and IRL competition since 2000 and now sees its relationship expand to the Lexus brand in 2004.
On Friday, the team also announced a second Lexus-powered Riley to begin competition at Homestead during the Toyota Indy 300 weekend. Former Toyota Atlantic Championship star Luis Diaz will join the team Pruett, Papis and Morales in the two-car effort.
The CompUSA Lexus will lead the Rolex 24 field to the green flag at 1 p.m. on Saturday with SPEED Channel providing 15.5 hours of live coverage.
January 29, 2004
PRUETT PUTS LEXUS ON POLE IN PROTOTYPE DEBUT AT ROLEX 24
Scott Pruett put his CompUSA-sponsored Lexus on the pole in the manufacturer's first-ever start at the prestigious Rolex 24 at Daytona in preparation for Saturday's twice-around-the-clock spectacular.
Pruett will be joined by Max Papis and Jimmy Morales as Lexus attempts to win its debut race in the Daytona Prototype class on Saturday. In shooting for the victory, Pruett will be looking for his fourth Rolex 24 victory.
"I can't say enough about the job the entire Chip Ganassi Racing team did," said Pruett. "It's great to be able to give Lexus the pole for their first race in the series. I was fortunate enough to be able to give Toyota its first pole in CART racing at Fontana in 1999 and now we're able to give Lexus their first prototype pole today."
In addition to Pruett's effort, the Michael Shank Racing (MSR) team made it two Lexus-powered entries in the top-six today with a sixth-place showing in preparation for the team's first Rolex Series race. Kelly Collins turned in an impressive showing and will join Thomas Erdos, Cort Wagner, Brent Martini and Mike Newton in Saturday's race. MSR will get another chance to improve their starting position in Friday's second qualifying session with only the pole locked in today.
Doran-Lista Racing's run for the pole was over before it ever really began. The team wasn't allowed to compete in today's pole qualifying session after a snafu in the qualifying paperwork.
The green flag is scheduled to fall for this year's Rolex 24 at 1 p.m. on Saturday with SPEED Channel providing 15.5 hours of live coverage.
January 28, 2004
SIX PAST DAYTONA 24 WINNERS KEY LEXUS PROTOTYPE EFFORT
With six former Rolex 24 at Daytona champions and three experienced winning teams on board, the Lexus Grand American Sports Car effort will be a rookie in name-only when the luxury automaker makes its debut in the Daytona Prototype class at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, Jan. 31-Feb.1.
Former race winners Max Papis, Scott Pruett , Didier Theys, Fredy Lienhard, Jan Lammers and Cort Wagner all will look to return to the Daytona's victory circle with Lexus power this weekend.
"The Rolex 24 is one of the most grueling, difficult races in the world, so it certainly won't be an easy venue to begin our Daytona Prototype program," said Mike Wells, Lexus vice president of marketing. "Yet, we're confident that we have the drivers and teams, along with the Lexus power and reliability, to win this weekend. The series has almost tripled in size and it will be extremely competitive."
The lineup of Lexus-powered teams at Daytona will include Chip Ganassi Racing, Doran-Lista Racing and Michael Shank Racing.
Chip Ganassi Racing will make its Grand-Am series debut with three drivers familiar to the winner's circle. Full-time team drivers Pruett and Papis will lead the effort at this year's twice-around-the-clock battle. Pruett is a three-time Rolex 24 race winner and one of America's greatest sports car racers, while Papis co-drove to victory in 2002. They will campaign a CompUSA Lexus-Riley.
While Ganassi's outfit is new to the sport, few teams can rival the experience of Kevin Doran's Doran-Lista Racing team. It is the first and only team in U.S. history to win the three most prestigious road races in North America (Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, the 12 Hours of Sebring, and the Watkins Glen 6 Hour Race) all in the same year. Keying the effort will be three former race winners in Theys, Lienhard and Lammers. Theys and Lienhard co-drove (along with Papis) to the overall Rolex 24 victory in 2002. Theys also co-drove to victory in 1998. They will be joined by road-racing veteran Marc Goossens, who will be making his first start at Daytona.
Like Ganassi, Michael Shank Racing will be making its Grand American Sports Car debut in 2004 after a successful run in the Toyota Atlantic Championship Series. Leading the way for Shank Racing at Daytona will be 2002 British GT champion Thomas Erdos, along with his co-driver from last season, Michael Newton. They will be joined by former Daytona 24 class winner Wagner and Brent Martini. The latter pair co-drove to last year's Grand American GT title with eight wins in 12 races.
A total of 15 ˝ hours of the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona race will be broadcast live on the SPEED Channel: Jan. 31, 1-9 p.m. EST; and Feb. 1, 6 a.m.-1:30 p.m. EST.
January 27, 2004
TOYOTA SET TO DEFEND IRL INDYCAR SERIES TITLES
Featuring a deep and talented line-up that includes three series champions and a two-time Indianapolis 500 winner, Toyota will be attempting to repeat its Indianapolis 500 victory and its Indy Racing League (IRL) IndyCar Series Manufacturer's and Driver's Championships in 2004.
Returning from 2003 are five teams - Target Chip Ganassi Racing, Marlboro Team Penske, Kelley Racing, Mo Nunn Racing and A.J. Foyt Enterprises - that will field at least seven Toyota-powered entries this season.
"It was a terrific accomplishment to win 11 of 16 races, including the Indianapolis 500, and both the Engine Manufacturer's and Driver's Championships in our inaugural IndyCar Series season," said Jim Aust, Toyota vice president of motorsports and the president and CEO of Toyota Racing Development (TRD), U.S.A. "But this is a new season, and you don't get any points for what you did last year. Everyone at TRD knows that we must be even better in 2004 if we hope to repeat. We're thrilled to have all five of our teams returning from last season."
Defending champion Scott Dixon will return in his Target Toyota after earning the IndyCar Series title in his first IRL season. The New Zealand native led the league in virtually every statistical category in 2003. He will be joined at Target Chip Ganassi Racing by series newcomer Darren Manning, who finished ninth overall in the CART Champ Car series last season. The Englishman had 14 top-10 finishes, including a season-best second-place finish.
While Dixon won last year's title, Marlboro Team Penske driver Sam Hornish Jr. is the only driver in series history to win a pair of championships. The Defiance, Ohio-native is the series' all-time leading race winner and the 2001 and 2002 champ. Teaming with Hornish in a matching Marlboro Toyota will be two-time Indianapolis 500 champion Helio Castroneves. The 2001 and 2002 Indy winner barely missed earning a third consecutive '500' last year when he was edged by Toyota teammate Gil de Ferran. Marlboro Team Penske drivers won a series-high five races last year. Castroneves finished third in the driver's championship last year, while Hornish placed fifth overall.
Kelley Racing won two races in its first season with Toyota power while running a pair of entries. This year, the team will focus its efforts on 1996-97 IRL champion Scott Sharp. The American finished eighth last season while winning the inaugural IRL race in Motegi, Japan. Sharp will be striving to extend his IndyCar Series record for consecutive seasons with a victory to eight. He will once again be behind the wheel of the Delphi Toyota.
Tora Takagi earned nine top-10 finishes, including a season-best third-place finish in Texas, on his way to a top-10 overall finish in his first IndyCar Series season a year ago. This year, the former Formula One pilot will be back in the Pioneer Toyota with a one-car effort for Mo Nunn Racing. The team has won a race in each of its first two seasons in IndyCar Series competition.
Back with Toyota for a second season is 19-year-old A.J. Foyt IV, who became the youngest driver in IRL history last season when he began the 2003 campaign as an 18-year-old rookie. He will once again pilot the Conseco Toyota for his grandfather A.J. Foyt, the legendary four-time Indianapolis 500 winner, and A.J. Foyt Enterprises. The younger Foyt was the inaugural IRL Pro Series champion in 2002.
In addition to the on-track competition, Toyota will once again serve as the title sponsor for two IRL IndyCar Series events in 2004. The Toyota Indy 300 at Miami-Homestead Speedway, Feb. 29, is the IndyCar Series season-opening race. The Toyota Indy 400 at California Speedway in Fontana, Calif., is on Oct. 2. Toyota also is the "Official Vehicle" of the Nashville Superspeedway.
The championship-winning Toyota Indy V8 continues to be designed, built and developed by TRD, U.S.A. in its 80,000-square-foot Costa Mesa, Calif., facility.
January 16, 2004
Lexus Enters 2004 Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series With Daytona Debut
Lexus, the nation's No. 1 selling luxury brand, will make its debut in the Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series at North America’s most prestigious sports car race – the Rolex 24 at Daytona – Jan. 29 through Feb. 1. Already a top competitor in the Grand-Am Cup, Lexus will enter the Rolex series as an engine supplier, initially powering four teams.
“It’s an exciting new venture for Lexus to enter Grand American competition at the highest level and compete on the race track against the likes of Porsche and BMW,” said Mike Wells, Lexus vice president of marketing. “The Rolex series has grown tremendously in the past year, and we’re happy to be a part of its bright future. We look forward to our Daytona debut where some top-notch Lexus-powered teams are all capable of winning.”
The lineup of Lexus-powered teams in 2004 will include Chip Ganassi Racing, with veteran sports car drivers Scott Pruett and Max Papis; Doran-Lista Racing, with Didier Theys and Fredy Lienhard; Cegwa Sport and Michael Shank Racing.
New to the Grand-Am circuit, the Ganassi team utilized the Toyota Indy V8 engine to earn the Indy Racing League (IRL) IndyCar Series championship last year with Scott Dixon. The Cegwa and Doran-Lista teams will be competing for the second year in the series, while Michael Shank Racing will be making its Grand-Am debut in 2004 after successful years in the Toyota Atlantic Championship Series.
The Daytona Prototype Lexus V8 power plant is a 4.35-liter race-modified version of the production engine utilized in the LS, SC, and GS models. The 32-valve, DOHC, fuel-injected power plant features an aluminum block and cylinder heads while producing 500 horsepower at 8,000 rpm.
The Daytona Prototype Lexus V8 engines are built and developed by Toyota Racing Development (TRD), U.S.A. in its 45,000-square-foot Tustin, Calif., facility. Celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2004, TRD-prepared race engines have taken Toyota-powered teams to championships in the Indy Racing League, CART, IMSA, NASCAR Good’s Dash, Import Drag Racing and off-road truck racing in the CORR, SCORE and MTEG Series.
Lexus is no stranger to Grand-Am series competition. Team Lexus, with owner/driver Chuck Goldsborough, has been a consistent front-runner in the Grand-Am Cup ST class for the past three years. The team took the driver’s title in 2002 and has re-signed for the 2004 season and beyond.
Lexus is the number-one selling luxury brand in the U.S. for four consecutive years in a row.