Lexus looks at motorsport

Motor racing is on the radar at Lexus Australia, if not on the agenda.

The chief executive of Toyota luxury division's Australian branch Sean Hanley confirmed to motoring.com.au at last week's RC coupe launch in New York that he had become conscious of motor racing as a potential promotional opportunity for the brand and its F performance division.

The GT 3 sports car category, especially the high-profile Bathurst 12-hour, or the local V8 Supercars Championship would be the most likely places a Lexus motorsport effort would show up in Australia.

However, Hanley made it clear that there was no informal or formal investigation or study taking place into an Australian motorsport program for Lexus.

"About a year ago I would have closed the door on motor racing for Lexus in Australia," said Hanley. "But now it's kind of open.

"We are not seeking to get into motor racing right now, we have no plans saying that we are getting into motor racing.

"But having said that, if the right opportunities and the right cars were available to us and the right race was available in Australia we'd be open to the idea of looking at it."

Hanley's confirmation that motorsport is of interest came after F chief engineer Yukihiko Yaguchi made clear during a media interview at the RC launch last week in New York that motor racing would be the next avenue for Lexus and F to boost its image now the V10 LFA supercar had been retired.

"When we introduced the car [LFA] we certainly felt the necessity to push the F brand," Yaguchi said via an interpreter. "That was the job of the LFA and since now the production of LFA has ended we would like to continue to build on that image by bringing in the Lexus Racing to be on the track and promote Lexus image."

Hanley said a move into motor racing would aid the brand's effort to build an emotional connection with prospective Lexus buyers, customers and owners.

"Whether it is the catalyst singularly to build emotional attachment to the brand I am not so sure, but it is a part of the puzzle."

Lexus already races the RC F in the Japanese GT championship; has revealed a GT 3 version that will debut in Europe in 2015 and has confirmed an RC F CCS-R club racer should also make its debut in 2015.

Considering the growth of GT 3 in Australia and the international profile of the Bathurst 12-hour, that category would make sense for Lexus. But an appearance as soon as 2015 seems, at best, unlikely.

"It is not for us to intend to compete as a factory team," Yaguchi told motoring.com.au. "But if there is a private team or a customer that wanted to purchase a car and participate in that race [Bathurst 12-hour] then we are open to have the car participate in that race."

Meanwhile, Hanley admitted to being a fan of the V8 Supercars Championship and has taken particular note of it opening up to allow other brands besides Ford and Holden. Nissan, Volvo and Mercedes-Benz AMG – the latter via Betty Klimenko's privateer team – have joined since 2013.

The category is now considering changing its eligibility rules to allow coupes to race with – or replace – the current four-door sedans from later this decade.

This could entice Lexus to race a facsimile of the RC (under the skin, the chassis of all V8 supercars is fundamentally identical), especially as it employs a 5.0-litre V8 engine in the F version, which the rules currently require.

"I am interested [in V8s]. I think they have done a good job in expanding from traditional brands and I am watching that landscape to see how it goes."