Toyota’s tenth year of participation at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring begins
Rain falls during first qualifying, but all three cars complete the session unscathed

The 24 Hours of Nürburgring begins: on the world’s most demanding circuit, a wide range of cars battle it out for 24 hours. Free practice and the first qualifying session took place on May 26.

The TOYOTA C-HR Racing, the LEXUS RC and the LEXUS RC F, which is run by TOM’s, took part in Race 2 of the VLN Endurance Championship (VLN2) on April 15–17. In the short space of time between the end of that race and the start of the 24 Hours of Nürburgring, the teams for each of the vehicles overcame various issues and made improvements. The LEXUS RC F also participated in Race 3 of the VLN Endurance Championship (VLN3) on May 14 to test its reliability.

Though rain had been forecast for free practice, the session was held in dry conditions under blue skies. Starting at 3.45pm, the three TOYOTA GAZOO Racing vehicles made their way onto the circuit for the 1hr 40mins session as the teams made various checks; the vehicles then continued to run to the end of the allotted time, making driver changed as they went. However, after the session had finished, both the LEXUS RC F and the LEXUS RC were found to be carrying issues, and the mechanics worked hard to resolve them in the short time before qualifying began. The TOYOTA C-HR Racing, on the other hand, finished the session with zero issues. Improvements to the vehicle’s suspension, which had been made after VLN2, were successful, and the drivers praised its stable handling.

The first round of qualifying lasted from 8pm to 11.30pm, for a total of 3hrs 30mins; at the Nürburgring, this meant the session started at sunset and continued into the night. However, rain began to fall just before the start of qualifying and gradually grew worse. As the three racecars continued to attack, the teams kept a careful eye on their choice of tires. One of the drivers at the wheel of the LEXUS RC was Driver Morizo—it was his first appearance at the Nürburgring in a year.

The TOYOTA C-HR Racing recorded a fastest lap of 11mins 6.233secs, to take fifth place in the SP2T Class. Race driver Masahiko Kageyama commented: “The setup was improved after VLN2 and worked flawlessly. The vehicle now runs stably in both dry and wet conditions. If it is dry tomorrow, we will attack. However, we have changed the drive system in preparation for the race, so we won’t take any undue risks and will focus on the race itself.”