Not as impressive as a V12 diesel engine that usually race the Le Mans series, but this is quite a debut:  Toyota Motor has announced that it has entered a race-prepped version of its Lexus GS450h hybrid sedan in Japan's Tokachi 24-hour endurance race. The car will be raced by Sigma Automotive Racing Division (SARD), a group that races Toyotas in the Japanese Super GT series.

The GS450h race car features a maximum hybrid system with an output of about 345 hp, with peak output of the gas engine of 295 hp, and peak electric motor output of nearly 200 hp. The race-ready Lexus races in a class with a relatively hefty minimum weight of 3,417 lb, and has received the usual top-to-bottom list of race modifications, including: reworked suspension, wheels and tires, rollcage,  fuel cell, limited-slip differential, uprated brakes, aero modifications.