Hot on the heels of BMW’s announcement this week comes word today that Lexus will field a two-car factory team for
2006. Racing alongside BMW’s M3s in the GT2S class will be a pair of IS 350s.
Team Lexus will build, develop and race the cars with technical assistance and
backing from Lexus.
2006 will be the first year for the new GT2S class, designed by the ALMS specifically for sports sedans like the BMW
and Lexus. While GT2S cars will score ALMS GT2 points alongside established GT2 competitors Porsche and Panoz, they are
not eligible for the 2006 24 hours of Le Mans. However, ALMS is lobbying the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (the
sanctioning body for the 24 hour race) for GT2S Le Mans eligibility in the future.
Lexus is now the second manufacturer to shift its factory support from the Grand Am series to the ALMS GT2S
class.
[Thanks for the tip, Dude!]