Today, the air racing pilot pathfinder and Lexus announced that they have signed a team partnership agreement and will work together to make history by winning the first Air Race World Championship (The Air Race), an air race series that will begin next year, and to help create the future by contributing to the creation of an even better carbon-neutral society.
In 2016, Lexus formed a relationship with Muroya, a world-renowned air race pilot based in Japan. Lexus has remained Muroya’s sponsor since then, closely connected with his inspirational never-say-die attitude and energy.
In 2017, Lexus and Muroya formed a “Technology Exchange Group” to study each other’s innovations on a regular basis and explore the possibility of new technologies in the aircraft and vehicle industries.
Following the discussions, Muroya and Lexus collaborated on the development of a control column grip for his aircraft that combines Lexus’s sensitivity technologies, as well as a new technique for his aircraft to turn based on an aerodynamic study derived from Lexus car test data.
This year, a carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics spoiler was adopted for use in the LC and offered in limited regions, thanks to the incorporation of aerodynamic technologies utilized in aircraft construction.
The Air Race’s upcoming debut prompted Lexus and Pathfinder to seek a team relationship. They founded “Lexus/Pathfinder Air Racing” as a combined race team in order to further accelerate their cooperative efforts so that they could immediately link the technologies and know-how of both sides to develop racing vehicles.
To construct a strong team structure that can lead Muroya to victory, Lexus plans to dispatch technical coordinators to help develop and verify technologies in the fields of aerodynamics, cooling, and ergonomics. The new team, “Lexus/Pathfinder Air Racing,” will attempt to make history by becoming the first to win The Air Race championship.
However, the President and chief branding officer of Lexus International maintain that: “Together with world-class athlete Muroya, Lexus will take on the challenge of an exhilarating air race. We will approach the goal of Akio Toyoda, Lexus Brand Holder, to produce a better automobile based on racing from a different perspective, using the thrill and happiness that motorsports provide as our inspiration and the thankfulness that we learn from athletes. Please be on the lookout for Muroya and Lexus to continue to challenge and evolve.”
