Lexus RC F GT3 Teams Clinch Top Five Finishes At Watkins Glen Race

Published: Wednesday, June 26, 2024, 1:51 [IST]

The Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3s secured fourth-place finishes in the six-hour IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race at Watkins Glen International. Jack Hawksworth and Ben Barnicoat achieved this in the GTD PRO class with the No. 14 Lexus, while Parker Thompson, Frankie Montecalvo, and Aaron Telitz did the same in the GTD class with the No. 12 RC F GT3.

Thompson earned his third GTD pole of the season on Saturday, leading the class to the green flag in the No. 12 Lexus. He maintained his lead throughout the first stint before Montecalvo took over, running among the top-three for most of his two stints. Telitz then took over and raced within the top-five before Thompson finished for the team.

Hawksworth started from fourth on the GTD PRO grid and quickly moved into the lead after a swift pit stop by the Vasser Sullivan crew. He led for 36 laps before Barnicoat took over nearly two hours into the race. Barnicoat led for another 23 laps but received a drive-through penalty during a restart, dropping them to eighth place.

Barnicoat managed to climb back up to fourth before handing the car back to Hawksworth for the final stints. Heavy rain began as Hawksworth returned to track, leading to a red flag situation. Afterward, Hawksworth overtook several cars to secure their fourth-place finish.

Reflecting on their performance, Jack Hawksworth said: "Crazy, crazy day, obviously with the weather and everything. We fought hard all day, we led for a portion of it at the start. We had a drive through, but Ben (Barnicoat) did a great job to come back through and we got up to third."

Ben Barnicoat added: "P4 on the day, where we started. The huge positive from this is that we took a step closer to the championship lead. We’re closer to the leader of the championship than we were heading into the weekend."

Race Incidents

The No. 12 team faced challenges late in their race when another competitor made contact with them while they were vying for class lead. This incident pushed them out of podium contention, resulting in their fourth-place finish.

Parker Thompson expressed his thoughts: "There’s honestly not much more to say than onwards and upwards after this. The No. 12 Vasser Sullivan team did absolutely everything they needed to do to win... I’ll decompress and learn from this."

Team Performance

Frankie Montecalvo praised his teammates' efforts: "Yeah, that was a tough one. Team Vasser Sullivan gave us everything we needed today... Overall, it was a lot of ups and downs." Aaron Telitz echoed similar sentiments about their race experience.

Aaron Telitz commented: "Wild day here at the six hours of the Glen as it always is... We had all the ingredients for a big result, but in the end couldn’t quite pull it off."

The Vasser Sullivan Lexus team will next compete at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park on Sunday, July 14.