Race Summary No. 12 AIM VASSER SULLIVAN Lexus RC F GT3:
Townsend Bell and Frankie Montecalvo piloted the No. 12 AIM VASSER SULLIVAN Lexus RC F GT3 to a podium finish today in the Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix on the scenic 2.459-mile, 10-turn Canadian Tire Motorsports Park permanent road course. Montecalvo, who qualified the car sixth, did a fantastic job at the start of the race picking up two positions in the first six minutes of his 50-minute stint. Bell took over with approximately 1:50 minutes left in the race. He quickly gained one more spot and then drove the final two stints of the race under constant pressure. Making matters more difficult were the three yellow flags and a red flag, the only ones of the race that packed up the field during the final 42 minutes of the race. As a result Bell, who continued to push, also had to defend to preserve the podium finish. The efforts of both drivers resulted in a third-place finish and their third podium in six races this year.
NO. 12 AIM VASSER SULLIVAN Driver Race Quotes:
Townsend Bell:
“We got the most today for sure. Just different tracks suit different cars right now. We had a great, solid day. Frankie (Montecalvo) did an awesome job. I feel like our No. 12 AIM VASSER SULLIVAN program is really starting to gel. We’re all reading from the same sheet of music. Ian Willis and the team have done a great job engineering the car. Today we weren’t the fastest car on track, but steady and mistake free and came out with a podium finish at the end.”
NO. 14 AIM VASSER SULLIVAN LEXUS RC F GT3 FINISHES 12th
Race Summary No. 14 AIM VASSER SULLIVAN Lexus RC F GT3:
Jack Hawksworth and Richard Heistand were the victims of an incident with approximately 1:43 left in the race that dropped them out of contention for a top-five finish today in the Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix. Heistand, who qualified the AIM VASSER SULLIVAN No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3 eighth, started the race and quickly picked up one position. He handed the car over to Hawksworth in seventh position with 1:53 left in the 2:40 lap contest. In the next four minutes, Hawksworth picked up another two positions and was clearly on the move. Shortly thereafter, the No. 9 car misjudged turn five, went off track and when he come back on made contact with the left front of the No. 14 AVS car. The damage forced the team back to the garage for repairs twice, but Hawksworth and his AVS crew never gave up completing the required 75% of the race, in 12th position, to earn valuable championship points.
NO. 14 AIM VASSER SULLIVAN Driver Race Quotes:
Jack Hawksworth:
“Obviously, disappointed in the race today. First of all, it’s good to see the 12 car (Townsend Bell and Frankie Montecalvo) get on the podium today and showed the performance of the Lexus RC F GT3 and the AIM VASSER SULLIVAN team. So I’m happy about that. For us, it was disappointing because Richard (Heistand) did a good solid first stint. We pitted at the 45-minute mark with the Porsche and were able to pass that car on the next lap. Then, I was able to pass the 57 Acura and I was in fifth behind Townsend. The No. 9 car then came out and I was obviously close to him and then he went off the circuit and as he rejoined, I guess he didn’t see me, but he came back on the track and we hit. It’s disappointing really because the performance was good. I’m sorry for the guys. They did a great job getting the car back together. We’ll try again at Lime Rock.”
Richard Heistand:
“It was difficult to pass today. I handed it over to Jack (Hawksworth) and unfortunately someone hit my teammate and we’re out of the race. We looked strong and we thought going in that we had a chance to be on the podium and it was taken from us and that’s racing.”
Fast Facts:
In its first 12 starts in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Series, AIM VASSER SULLIVAN has earned two wins (Mid-Ohio and Detroit), five podiums, eight top-five finishes and 10 top-10 showings.
The No. 12 AIM VASSER SULLIVAN Lexus RC F GT3 is now second in the overall IMSA GTD championship standings with 132 points. The No. 14 AIM VASSER SUILLIAN Lexus RC F GT3 is sixth with 122 points.
Lexus sits third in the overall GTD manufacturer standings.
The AVS No. 12 Lexus RC F GT3 earned its third podium finish of the season, fourth top-five showing and six top-10 placements in the first six races of the season. The No. 14 RC F GT3 has both of the team’s wins and four top-five finishes.
The Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix was the third of seven races in the inaugural IMSA GTD Sprint Cup. Hawksworth and Heistand lead the GTD Sprint Cup point standings following the first three sprint races of the season on the strength of victories at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in May and earlier this month at the Raceway at Belle Isle Park in Detroit. Bell and Montecalvo are third in the Sprint Cup standings with a third place finishes at CTMP and Detroit and a fifth place finish at Mid-Ohio.
The Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix was a “home race” for AIM VASSER SULLIVAN. The team’s shop is located approximately an hour away from Canadian Tire Motorsports Park in Woodbridge, near Toronto. Team co-owners Ian and Keith Willis (Canada, two thirds of AIM’s ownership) literally grew up at the track as their father was a life member of the club that built the circuit. They have been coming to the track since the early 60’s. Co-owner Jimmy Vasser (American, half of the Vasser Sullivan combination), spent his early career racing in Canada and Andrew Bordin (Canadian and the third partner of AIM) both enjoyed racing success at CTMP.
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.
The Lexus RC F GT3 returned to Canadian Tire Motorsports Park for the third time in IMSA competition. Today’s third place finish is Lexus’ second best at CTMP behind a second place performance last year. Lexus earned its first North American pole position for the RC F GT3 by Sage Karam in 2017. Last season, the Lexus RC F GT3 also earned a pole by Jack Hawksworth.
Next Race:
Next up for AIM VASSER SULLIVAN will be the Northwest Grand Prix, July 19-20, at Lime Rock Park. The race will be broadcast live on NBCSN starting at 3:00 pm (EDT) on July 20.
