Lexus RC F Takes a Remarkable 7th and 10th at Le Mans Debut!

Lexus debuts at Le Mans with French team Akkodis ASP’s RC F GT3, proving that the luxury marque can hang with the big boys!

Despite their outward image of prestige and understated luxury, Lexus is no stranger to making fast cars. In racing, the brand has primarily competed in GT categories, including Super GT, Super Taikyu, GT3, and more. The RC F itself has a storied motorsport history, dating back to the 2016 Nürburgring 24 Hours where it took 24th overall out of 157 cars entered. A year later, Lexus homologated the RC F for GT3 competition. And, since the RC F GT3 is relatively unchanged to this day, it was the oldest chassis on the grid at the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Lexus and the RC F GT3 have had a tough season so far with no finishes higher than 10th place. But that all changed last weekend when,  the #78 and #87 cars finished an impressive 7th and 10th in class, respectively, a Le Mans! A result made doubly spectacular considering this marked Lexus’ debut at Circuit de la Sarthe. They beat quite a few venerable competitors as well. Notably, Corvette Racing’s TF Sport team, who finished 11th, one lap down from the Lexus.

The fact that both cars finished without significant mechanical issues is already an accomplishment on this circuit. Certainly given the age of the platform and the team’s lack of experience at Le Mans. Such a result will certainly help bolster Akkodis’s resolve after consistent but lackluster results. And the double points awarded here bring Lexus right back in the fight.

Analyzing the Race

If the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans can be summed up with one word, it’d be eventful. To the benefit of some and the detriment of others. As with every year, there’s no such thing as a clean race at La Sarthe. A large majority of the race revolves around persistence, consistency of pace, and luck. Something the RC F GT3 is a veteran at, having competed for seven years in the category. And for their debut, the team largely ran their own race, battling in a test of strategy over outright speed against the likes of Mercedes, Corvette, and Ferrari.

Each Lexus had minor visits to the gravel, signs of pushing the cars hard through the night. Certainly not helped by the ever-changing weather conditions, with rain intermittently hitting the track several times. At one point, the safety car remained deployed for several hours as drivers waited for the storm to pass. Between the track’s ever-changing conditions and the fearsome battles between traffic (which resulted in a few heavy accidents), Lexus did remarkably well to maintain a relatively incident-free race.

Akkodis ASP Team crossed the line ahead of Corvette and, even more impressively, the Spirit of Race Ferrari. A car whose best lap was nearly three seconds faster than the Lexus, which never broke the four-minute barrier. The GR Racing Ferrari, which finished in 12th, showed a similar raw pace. You can’t say that Lexus rode the BoP train to the finish line ahead of Corvette, either, as they both had similar overall times. It’s purely a case of consistency and strategy which won the day for Akkodis ASP and Lexus. And while they missed out on a podium, this race cements two important facts. The RC F, despite its age, is still fast and capable. Second, Akkodis remains a strong contender in the WEC.

Press photos by: 24h-lemans.com

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M.C. Cuccio

I've been an automotive aficionado since I had baby teeth. My path was set when I first leaned on my grandfather's classic Porsche as I learned how to walk. One of my first memories was my mother sitting me behind the wheel of her Pontiac and talking me through the instrumentation and controls. Even though I was a mere three or four years old, I was instantly sold, and filled notebooks with technical drawings, sketches, and collections of manuals of all sorts of cars. I've actively tracked developments in automotive and motorsport technology for well over 20 years, and pride myself on being intimately familiar with the functions and history of a wide range of vehicles.

My primary goal as a writer and enthusiast is to equally learn and share what I've learned in a constructive and interesting way. I maintain connections with people from around the world and can read technical manuals in Italian, Japanese, and Spanish, granting me access to a wide array of resources. My primary focuses are deep-dives into historical topics, motorsport discussion, and learning about the complex mechanical elements of such vehicles. As such, my research is never perfect; as anyone into cars will attest, the more you learn about cars, the more you realize how little you actually know. Therefore, I always welcome fresh knowledge and corrections to help me better my work in the future.