Of all the new cars set to hit racetracks around the world in 2027 and 2028, it’s easy to argue that the born-for-the-track Toyota GR GT3 carries more hype than any of them.
With the Lexus RC F finally being sunset into racing history at the end of the 2026 season, Toyota have been hard at work developing the beastly tandem of its new road-going GR GT and its GT3 counterpart since their official worldwide announcement in December 2025.
It’s been a slow trickle of news from Toyota since the car was officially revealed to the world, to the point that even today, we still have no official confirmation of which series the car will race in or who will be behind the wheel. We’ve seen guerilla footage of the car testing at the Nürburgring in recent weeks, but as far as concrete plans go, it’s still anyone’s guess who will be tapped to run the car when it hits the track in 2027.
The current and obvious expectation is that Vasser Sullivan will continue its partnership with Lexus/Toyota and make the seamless transition from the RC F to the GR GT3 in the IMSA WeatherTech Championship, following an impressive run with the RC F dating back to 2019. But beyond Vasser Sullivan, could another team be looking to take on the challenge of bringing the GR GT3 to the grid? There appears to be at least one with its eyes on the prize: RAFA Racing.
According to John Dagys of SportsCar365.com, team owner Rafael Martinez and team principal Kevin Conway were both on-site during the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Laguna Seca last week, which served as the GR GT3’s North American track debut. Vasser Sullivan’s Jack Hawksworth took the car for a few laps around Laguna Seca during the event, and according to Dagys, RAFA Racing is “understood to be evaluating a future expansion into the GT3 ranks.”
As for what timeline constitutes “the future,” that could be 2027, 2028, or who knows. In running the Supra GT4 Evo2 in the GS class of Michelin Pilot Challenge and the GSX class of VP Racing Sportscar Challenge, it gives RAFA an inside track to continuing that partnership should Toyota look to add more teams to the fold for the rollout of the GR GT3. And if Vasser Sullivan were to continue their presence in GTD Pro, RAFA could easily slide into the GTD ranks right behind them, especially if IMSA’s manufacturer mandate comes into place for the 2027 season.
Since merging with Conway’s previous team, Smooge Racing, RAFA Racing have built an impressive, fan-friendly, competitive, and fun brand over the past year-plus. They’re one of the fastest-growing teams in North American racing, continuing to expand their presence across multiple IMSA and SRO America support series with the Supra. The organization also fields a strong two-car effort in Lamborghini Super Trofeo, while extending its reach into the ARCA Menards Series.
Driver talent has continued to expand under their team structure, as their No. 12 Michelin Pilot Challenge entry of Varun Choksey and Kiko Porto recently secured its first victory at Mosport, while Westin Workman has utterly dominated his rookie season in VP Racing Sportscar Challenge after making the jump from Mazda MX-5 Cup. The 21-year-old opened his sportscar career with seven consecutive GSX-class wins and, with four races remaining, holds a commanding 400-point championship lead over Courtney Crone.
RAFA Racing owner Rafael Martinez is also competing in VP Racing Sportscar Challenge, where he currently sits third in the championship standings.
With how RAFA have continued to build their operation through these while attracting more talent to their driver stable, a move into GT3 would make plenty of sense. The GR GT3 could represent the next major step in RAFA Racing’s rise, and if Toyota are looking for a healthy one-two punch for the launch of their new machine alongside Vasser Sullivan, RAFA may have one foot in the door to making it happen.