Season Summary No. 14 AIM VASSER SULLIVAN Lexus RC F GT3:
The No. 14 AIM VASSER SULLIVAN Lexus RC F GT3 drivers Jack Hawksworth and Richard Heistand competed in all 11 races during the 2019 IMSA GTD class season placing sixth in the overall championship on the strength of two wins (Mid-Ohio), five top-five showings and eight top-10 finishes. The victories were the first for AVS Racing.
The No. 14 AVS Lexus RC F GT3 placed second in the inaugural IMSA GTD Sprint Cup Team Championship, while Hawksworth and Heistand finished third in the driver standings. They were 10th in the both the team and driver Endurance Cup with Hawksworth and Heistand joined by Nick Cassidy and Austin Cindric at the Rolex 24 At Daytona, Philipp Fromweiler at Sebring and Watkins Glen and Parker Chase at the Motul Petit Le Mans.
NO. 14 AIM VASSER SULLIVAN Quote:
Jack Hawksworth:
“It’s been a really promising year for the first year of the AIM VASSER SULLIVAN program. We got two wins with the Lexus RC F GT3 at Mid-Ohio and Detroit, and those were the highlights for me personally and for the 14 team this season. Alongside that, the No. 12 Lexus got three podiums this season. Overall, for the first year of the program, it’s been really positive to collect that much hardware. Now, we’re going into the off-season looking to improve, pick ourselves back up and see what we can do better so that we can come back next year and try to mount a championship challenge.”
NO. 12 AVS LEXUS RC F GT3 FINISHES EIGHTH IN DRIVER’S CHAMPIONSHIP
Season Summary No. 12 AIM VASSER SULLIVAN Lexus RC F GT3:
The No. 12 AIM VASSER SULLIVAN Lexus RC F GT3 drivers Townsend Bell and Frankie Montecalvo
competed in all 11 races during the 2019 IMSA GTD class season placing eighth in the overall championship on the strength of three podium finishes including a season-high second at the Rolex 24 At Daytona, four top-five showings and eight top-10 placements.
The No. 12 AVS Lexus RC F GT3 drivers Bell and Montecalvo placed seventh in the Sprint Cup team and driver standings. They were seventh in the both the team and driver Endurance Cup Championship with Bell and Montecalvo joined by Aaron Telitz for all four of the endurance races. Jeff Segal filled out the team at Rolex 24 At Daytona.
NO. 12 AIM VASSER SULLIVAN Driver Race Quotes:
Townsend Bell:
“What a roller-coaster ride this season has been. A brand new team coming together, and we started off on the podium at the Rolex 24 at Daytona. We finished every race this season and that is a real accomplishment. The AIM VASSER SULLIVAN guys worked incredibly hard for us all year. A lot of challenges, but we all stuck with it and to finish the season rolling across the finish line at the end of 10 hours is a big accomplishment for this young team. We have a lot of growth left as we move into next season.”
Fast Facts:
Lexus finished second in the inaugural IMSA GTD Sprint Cup Manufacturer’s Championship and fifth in the overall IMSA GTD manufacturer’s standings and seventh in the Endurance Cup
In its first IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Series season, AIM VASSER SULLIVAN had quite a bit of success. In 11 (22 starts) IMSA GTD class races the two AVS Lexus RC F GT3’s earned two victories (Mid-Ohio and Detroit), five podiums, nine top-five finishes and 16 top-10 showings.
Richard Heistand won the Bob Akin Award which is given to the highest-placed eligible GTD driver in the season-ending point standings. The 36-year-old Florida native earned his first career IMSA pole position at Mid-Ohio in May and teamed up with Jack Hawksworth to register two victories and five top-five finishes in his first full-season of IMSA competition.
Richard Heistand Quote:
“We didn’t end the season entirely the way we wanted, but to win the Bob Akin award is pretty special. It’s an entrance into Le Mans. It’s something that we had kind of in the bag for a while and then down the stretch we weren’t scoring the points we needed to score, and it ended up being really close. To qualify and get the points I needed to win the award at the last race, the AIM VASSER SULLIVAN boys needed to fix the car and we were literally down to the last five minutes to get the car back on the track and they did an incredible job. I wouldn’t have won it without them, so hats off to them. I’m excited to hopefully go to Le Mans.”
Eighteen-year-old, Chase, joins AVS after having competed in seven previous IMSA events. The 2016 Pirelli World Challenge Rookie of the Year earned the Pirelli World Challenge GT SprintX Pro/Am Championship last year and has also competed in the Red Bull Rallycross Series and IMSA Porsche GT3 Cup previously.
