The Lexus IS300 returns to Speed World Challenge racing
7766When, here in North America, the subject of Lexus IS racing comes up, it is only natural that the first thing that comes to mind is the "official" Team Lexus racers, very ably shepherded by owner/driver Chuck Goldborough. They haven't always been the only game in town, however. <A HREF="http://my.is/forums/showthread.php?t=106609">A story from the my.IS archives tells us about the Team FBR/Trans Sport Racing Lexus IS300</A>, which did battle in the SCCA Speed World Challenge Touring Car class between 2001 and 2003. Later, we were saddened to hear that owner Tim Pappas and Mike Van Sicklen shut down the team.
<P>7768Now we have word that the Lexus IS300 is once again a presence in the Speed World Challenge, as well as in Canada's Ontario Touring GT Series. And the men responsible for the phoenix-like rise from the ashes of Team FBR's Lexus racers are Andy Wojteczko, founding member, driver, crew chief and owner of Auto Analyser Racing, and his son (and driver and engineer) Andrew Wojteczko, better known to the my.IS community as AndrewW.
<P>7767Andrew told <A HREF="http://www.autoanalyser.com/racing/Media/01.06.06-rfmsports.html">Kate Shaw of RFMSports in a recent interview:</A> "We chose the Lexus for a number of reasons,” he said, “the first being, of course, the availability. But most importantly we felt that the Lexus engine provides a great deal of reliability and performance, and because the car is rear drive with excellent suspension from the Lexus factory, it will offer better handling and allow us to take better care of the (high grip Toyo) tires, both important elements in a sprint-race environment. The Lexus has a little less power than our current [Ontario GT] car, which is a Porsche 944 Turbo, but we fully intend to be competitive in every way."
<P>7769As Ms. Shaw reminds us in her article, "The Auto Analyser Racing team is made up of family and friends, most of them experienced university graduates...", one of which is Andrew's sister (and Andy's daughter) Julie Wojteczko, the team's Marketing Specialist. She has written accounts of <A HREF="http://www.autoanalyser.com/racing/autonews.htm">the first of 16 races in the Ontario Touring GT Series</A> and <A HREF="http://www.autoanalyser.com/racing/midohio.htm">the first of 3 races in the SPEED World Challenge series</A> for the 2006 season.
<P>There is much more information about Auto Analyser Racing on <A HREF="http://www.autoanalyser.com/racing/">their website</A>, and AndrewW himself started <A HREF="http://my.is/forums/showthread.php?p=4245063">an informative thread in our Race Related forum.</A>
<P>7768Now we have word that the Lexus IS300 is once again a presence in the Speed World Challenge, as well as in Canada's Ontario Touring GT Series. And the men responsible for the phoenix-like rise from the ashes of Team FBR's Lexus racers are Andy Wojteczko, founding member, driver, crew chief and owner of Auto Analyser Racing, and his son (and driver and engineer) Andrew Wojteczko, better known to the my.IS community as AndrewW.
<P>7767Andrew told <A HREF="http://www.autoanalyser.com/racing/Media/01.06.06-rfmsports.html">Kate Shaw of RFMSports in a recent interview:</A> "We chose the Lexus for a number of reasons,” he said, “the first being, of course, the availability. But most importantly we felt that the Lexus engine provides a great deal of reliability and performance, and because the car is rear drive with excellent suspension from the Lexus factory, it will offer better handling and allow us to take better care of the (high grip Toyo) tires, both important elements in a sprint-race environment. The Lexus has a little less power than our current [Ontario GT] car, which is a Porsche 944 Turbo, but we fully intend to be competitive in every way."
<P>7769As Ms. Shaw reminds us in her article, "The Auto Analyser Racing team is made up of family and friends, most of them experienced university graduates...", one of which is Andrew's sister (and Andy's daughter) Julie Wojteczko, the team's Marketing Specialist. She has written accounts of <A HREF="http://www.autoanalyser.com/racing/autonews.htm">the first of 16 races in the Ontario Touring GT Series</A> and <A HREF="http://www.autoanalyser.com/racing/midohio.htm">the first of 3 races in the SPEED World Challenge series</A> for the 2006 season.
<P>There is much more information about Auto Analyser Racing on <A HREF="http://www.autoanalyser.com/racing/">their website</A>, and AndrewW himself started <A HREF="http://my.is/forums/showthread.php?p=4245063">an informative thread in our Race Related forum.</A>
