IndyCar Driver Kyle Kirkwood Will Also Be Back for Select Endurance Races
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The championship-winning combination in the Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) class is back together for the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season. Jack Hawksworth and Ben Barnicoat are returning to co-drive the No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3, with IndyCar driver Kyle Kirkwood joining them once again for select IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup events.
Hawksworth and Barnicoat won two races this year and finished on the podium nine times in 11 outings to clinch the GTD PRO driver, team and manufacturer championships. That followed a sensational finish to 2022 that saw them win twice and place third two times in the last four races of the season after Hawksworth’s return from a non-racing injury.
“Consistency is a cornerstone that led us to the 2023 championship,” Vasser Sullivan team principals Jimmy Vasser and James “Sulli” Sullivan said in a released joint statement today. “Unveiling that Jack, Ben and Kyle are back with us shows we’re serious about defending. We have a target on our backs, so we are waking up every morning and working like someone is trying to take this championship away from us.”
The 2024 season will be Hawksworth’s sixth with Vasser Sullivan and eighth with Lexus Racing. The Brit has accumulated 10 victories and 25 podium results in that time.
“To say I am excited as we look to defend our GTD PRO title in 2024 would be an understatement,” Hawksworth said. “We have a great foundation and consistency within the Lexus and Vasser Sullivan team which will allow us to keep pushing forward, work on refining our processes and bettering ourselves as we prepare for the challenges we’ll face in 2024. I couldn’t ask for better teammates than Ben (Barnicoat) and Kyle (Kirkwood), and to be surrounded by such a talented and dedicated group in the garage and on the pit stand is special.”
In addition to his four wins with Hawksworth in GTD PRO, fellow Brit Barnicoat also brought home a Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) triumph in a Vasser Sullivan Lexus at Detroit in 2022 when he teamed with Kirkwood.
“2023 was such a special year, and I’ve never enjoyed my racing as much, and it’s for this reason I’m delighted to continue working with all the incredible staff involved with our program,” Barnicoat said. “The GTD PRO class is set to grow next year, which is great for the series and for our Lexus Racing fans who will be watching us and supporting us every step of the way as we take the fight to our rivals. The goal is clear, to defend the title, and I can’t wait to get to business at Daytona.”
Jeff Bal, senior manager, Motorsports, Experiential Marketing & Sponsorships, Lexus Division, also pointed to the team’s continuity and inner drive as keys to their 2023 success that he expects to continue into 2024.
“This team is special,” Bal said. “Nobody put us in contention to be champions a year ago except us. We put our faith in Jimmy and Sulli to build a program that would gameplan for success and put the right people in the right places to ensure this team showed up every weekend to win. We were never the fastest car. We just kept finding ways to out-hustle everyone and stay committed to the gameplan. That’s what makes it special.
“The amount of planning and determination these guys have put into finding a way for this program to be relevant – that’s what it’s all about. We couldn’t be happier for what they’ve achieved. And we couldn’t be more excited for what they’ve got lined up to accomplish in 2024. The Rolex 24 at Daytona can’t come soon enough. We’re ready to defend what is ours.”