No. 14 AIM VASSER SULLIVAN Lexus RC F GT3 Race Summary:
The No. 14 AIM VASSER SULLIVAN Lexus RC F GT3 driven by Jack Hawksworth and Aaron Telitz finished fourth in the Michelin GT Challenge at VIR on the 3.27-mile, 17-turn permanent road course in Alton, Virginia.
Telitz qualified sixth and drove the first two full stints of the race. On the opening lap, he moved into fourth place. Approximately 15 minutes later he was bumped in Turn 5 dropping him to fifth. As the pit strategies played out, Telitz briefly took over the GTD class lead. During the second stint he ran in the top-10 early before fighting his way back, making a couple of outstanding passes, to regain fifth place before giving way to Hawksworth for the remainder of the race. Hawksworth rejoined the contest in seventh place and pushed hard regaining the fifth place spot. Following the race the No. 48 car was disqualified moving the No. 14 AVS Lexus up to fourth.
No. 14 AIM VASSER SULLIVAN Driver Race Quotes:
Jack Hawksworth:
“It was a really interesting race. Obviously, a lot of yellows which we didn’t expect. We thought it was going to be an all green race. That really messed around the strategy, so effectively we had a lot of cars on different strategies and the silver drivers were in the cars for much longer than usual. It was just a very strategic race. We made some good decisions and we made some not so good decisions. We got to the finish and it was good to get some solid points today.”
Aaron Telitz:
“It was a tough day here for me at VIR and a long day as well. I was in the car for an hour and 45 minutes and it was warm. The Lexus RC F GT3 was handling really well. It was just a little tough for me to pass when we got into traffic, but I made a couple late moves and moved up. I think if we would’ve got a little bit more luck that our strategy would’ve played out a little better versus the other cars, but to be disappointed with a fifth-place finish isn’t bad.”
“It was great getting to do so many laps here at VIR. It was my first time here in a GTD car, so I was just learning every lap I was out there. I enjoyed getting to do a lot of laps. It got pretty hot in the car and pretty physical. I didn’t really notice how hot I was until I got out and then I had to go and take an ice bath. It did get hot and muggy in there, but I made it to the end and didn’t feel like I fell off physically.”
Fast Facts:
The fifth place finish is the fourth straight top-five showing for Hawksworth and Telitz. They took back-to-back victories at Daytona International Speedway and Sebring International Raceway then placed third at Road America coming into today’s race.
Lexus leads the GTD Manufacturer Sprint Cup Championship points following the fourth sprint race of the season and currently sits second, and just one point out of the lead, in the overall GTD Manufacturer Championship standings. Both AVS RC F GT3 entries have combined to score three wins, five podiums, six top-five finishes and two pole positions in five IMSA races this season.
No. 12 AIM VASSER SULLIVAN LEXUS RC F GT3 PLACES NINTH
No. 12 AIM VASSER SULLIVAN Lexus RC F GT3 Race Summary:
The No. 12 AIM VASSER SULLIVAN Lexus RC F GT3 piloted by Townsend Bell and Frankie Montecalvo finished ninth in the Michelin GT Challenge at VIR.
Montecalvo qualified third, however, during the start of the race he was hit by the No. 48 car and ended up with damage to the front of his car. He lost three positions as a result of the incident, but continued to battle. Montecalvo, who led the GTD class for several laps, drove for over an hour of the two hour and 40 minute contest well beyond the minimum 45-minute requirement. He handed the No. 12 Lexus machine over to Bell in 11th place. Bell picked up one spot during his time in the car and the team gained another spot due to the disqualification of the No. 48 car.
No. 12 AIM VASSER SULLIVAN Driver Race Quotes:
Townsend Bell:
“It was a tough day for us in the 12 car. Just one of those things when we lost track position on the pit stops we got unlucky there and just couldn’t do anything from there. It was frustrating. I think a lot of cars had a difficult time passing and we were one of them. Our helmet blower wasn’t working either for my time in the car, so I was pretty hot in the end. It mostly came down to track position today and once we were where we were that seemed like where we were going to finish. There was no opportunity to do anything. Hard to go from the hero to zero in a week but makes it all that much sweeter when we get back to the front. Huge congratulations to Bill Auberlen — absolute ironman. I love the fact that at his age, which I hope is older than me, that he’s a tiger still and wants it every bit as he did 25 years ago when I was in high school watching him, so congrats to him.”
Frankie Montecalvo:
“I don’t know what it is with me having bad starts here, but I kind of got in the wrong lane there and got passed. Once the race got going, I settled into a groove. The Lexus RC F GT3 was great and with a good pit strategy we were able to get in front after our first stop and then led for a while, so I think we had a good car. AIM VASSER SULLIVAN always takes care of that for us, it just wasn’t our day today. You can’t win them all and we’ll keep fighting for the next race.”
Fast Facts:
The No. 12 AVS team recorded three consecutive top-five finishes before today’s 10th place showing They scored their first win in the Lexus RC F GT3 at Road America (Bell led 32 laps of 34), finished runner-up at Daytona and placed fifth at Sebring.