Race Summary No. 14 AIM VASSER SULLIVAN Lexus RC F GT3:
In an exciting and intense race, Jack Hawksworth and Richard Heistand drove to a fourth place finish today in the IMSA Road America Showcase on the historic 4.048-mile, 14-turn permanent road course at Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Heistand, who qualified the No. 14 AIM VASSER SULLIVAN Lexus RC F GT3 seventh yesterday after a red flag for lightening abbreviated the session, drove the first stint and did an outstanding job. He advanced two positions on the first lap and picked up two more spots in the first 25 minutes of the two hour and 40 minute race. Heistand handed the car over to Hawksworth in third place at the 50 minute mark. They lost one position during the exchange, however, Hawksworth fought back, including recording the fastest GTD class lap of the race. Just prior to the second stop, Hawksworth regained the position and was running in third until just under 13 minutes were left in the race. At that point, while saving fuel and battling for position, he became involved in an incident and lost one position dropping him back to fourth where he finished.
NO. 14 AIM VASSER SULLIVAN Driver Race Quote:
Jack Hawksworth:
“It was a funny race, because it was the first race here in a while that’s been all green. We were very strong initially out of pit lane when the tires were good. After two or three laps we really struggled with grip. Our pace was competitive, but not as competitive as the front guys. I tried to hold onto third at the end, but we had to save a little bit of fuel and didn’t quite have enough. The AIM VASSER SULLIVAN guys did a good job on our pit stops. Obviously, we’re happy to finish fourth after starting seventh and earn some good points.”
Richard Heistand:
“I did my bit in qualifying and we were on pace for probably P3, but we got caught out by a red flag. In the race, I got us back up to fifth early and then we got a little luck when some other cars ahead got in trouble, so we ended up third in my stint. I felt like that was justice because that’s where we belonged to be. It was a little disappointing in the end, because it looked like we were going to finish third and then we had to save fuel. I’m happy and satisfied with my performance and I’m happy with how Jack (Hawksworth) drove. Points-wise, it’s a good day for us and we’ll go on to the next one and hopefully get back on the podium.”
NO. 12 AIM VASSER SULLIVAN LEXUS RC F GT3 PLACES NINTH
Race Summary No. 12 AIM VASSER SULLIVAN Lexus RC F GT3:
Townsend Bell and Frankie Montecalvo had an equally strong performance driving the No. 12 AIM VASSER SULLIVAN Lexus RC F GT3 to a ninth place finish, after starting 14th, in the IMSA Road America Showcase. Montecalvo, who was also a victim of the red flag in qualifying yesterday, advanced three positions on the first lap and had the car in the top-10 when Bell took over following the first pit stop, 46 minutes into the race. Bell was quickly on the move and just under an hour later was in seventh place. He ran in seventh until the final stages of the race when a combination of fuel saving and an incident with the 63 car dropped him two spots.
NO. 12 AIM VASSER SULLIVAN Driver Race Quote:
Townsend Bell:
“It was a tough day. We had some issues in practice that we solved this morning. The AIM VASSER SULLIVAN team worked really hard to figure out what we needed, and we found it. We just ended up running out of time to get the setup for the race. Frankie (Montecalvo) did a great job. There were no yellow flags, which was shocking because everybody thought there would be yellows. We gambled, it didn’t pay off and we had to save fuel to get home today. We finished on the lead lap and we learned a lot.”
Frankie Montecalvo:
“All in all, it was a great job. The AIM VASSER SULLIVAN team really got us back on track after qualifying. It was a little bad luck there with the red flag (in qualifying), but we made some setup changes and seemed to get a better car for the race. The first lap was interesting. We had a couple of good passes and then we kind of fell into a rhythm. I was really pushing to pick up some more spots and maybe I hurt the tires a little bit. Overall, I’m happy finishing ninth from the back of the pack. Townsend (Bell) did a phenomenal job to be fast while holding the position and saving fuel at the end of the race. So, you can’t ask for much more. It was a great team effort.”
Fast Facts:
Lexus is third in the overall GTD manufacturer standings with 205 points. Lexus is second in the inaugural GTD Sprint Cup Championship standings with 156 points.
The No. 14 AIM VASSER SUILLIAN Lexus RC F GT3 is fourth in the overall IMSA GTD championship standings with 175 points. The No. 12 AIM VASSER SULLIVAN Lexus RC F GT3 is fifth with 172 points.
In the first eight races (16 starts) of the 2019 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Series, AIM VASSER SULLIVAN has earned two wins (Mid-Ohio and Detroit), five podiums, nine top-five finishes and 13 top-10 showings.
The No. 14 AIM VASSER SULLIVAN Lexus RC F GT3 has both of the team’s wins, five top-five, six top-10 finishes in the first eight races of the season. No. 12 AVS Lexus RC F GT3 has three podium finishes, four top-five showings and seven top-10 placements.
With five of the seven races completed in the inaugural IMSA GTD Sprint Cup Championship, The No. 14 AIM VASSER SULLIVAN Lexus RC F GT3 is tied for first, but owns the tie-breaker, in the GTD Sprint Cup point standings with 142 points. The No. 12 AVS Lexus RC F GT3 is fifth in the Sprint Cup standings with 126 points.
After three of the four IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup events during the 2019 IMSA season the No. 12 AVS entry is tied for sixth in the Endurance Cup standings. The No. 14 entry is tied for ninth. The final Endurance Cup event will be the Petit LeMans at Road Atlanta in Atlanta, Georgia on October, 12.
This is the second time Hawksworth has recorded the fastest GTD lap around Road America. He previously did it in 2017, also driving a Lexus RC F GT3.
The Lexus RC F GT3 returned to Road America for the third time in IMSA competition. Today’s fourth place finish surpasses its previous best showing of sixth last year.
Hawksworth’s fourth place finish today ties his best performance at Road America in four appearances here. He made one IndyCar start in 2016 and has now made three IMSA starts. He previously finished fourth at RA in just his second career IMSA start in 2014. Heistand raced at Road America twice in Skip Barber National competition and was victorious here in 2006. Bell’s best finish at RA is fourth in 2015, while Montecalvo earned a class win there in the Pirelli World Challenge race in 2015.
Next Race:
Next up for AIM VASSER SULLIVAN will be Michelin GT Challenge, August 23-25 at Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia. The race will be broadcast on NBCSN starting at 1:30 pm (EDT) August 25.
