Race Summary No. 12 AIM VASSER SULLIVAN Lexus RC F GT3:
In a hard fought victory that was interrupted by inclement weather the No. 12 AIM VASSER SULLIVAN Lexus RC F GT3 driven by Townsend Bell and Frankie Montecalvo took the top spot on the podium in the IMSA SportsCar Weekend Road America on the scenic 4.048-mile, 14-turn permanent road course at Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
Montecalvo qualified second and held position through the first pit stop before handing the No. 12 Lexus machine over to Bell. Shortly thereafter, Bell got a run on the No. 14 AVS Lexus and passed the sister car going into turn three. He battled the weather, yellow and red flags for 40 plus minutes due to heavy rain and track conditions, standing water, but held the lead for 32 laps before being passed heading into the final lap. Bell regrouped and began to press the leader, who lost control and went off course giving the lead back to Bell and the victory to the No. 12 AVS Lexus.
This is the first win for the No. 12 AVS Lexus RC F GT3 in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar GTD Class and third top-five finish this season. In addition to today’s victory they placed second at the Daytona 240 and fifth at Sebring (12th at the Rolex 24 at Daytona). It is Bell’s third career IMSA victory and Montecalvo’s first career IMSA win. Montecalvo earned his first career IMSA pole two weeks ago at Sebring.
The win marks the first time in IMSA GTD competition that the Lexus RC F GT3 has won three straight races. It is the fifth victory for AVS in their second year of IMSA competition.
Lexus currently leads the manufacturer championship points in both the overall and Sprint Cup standings.
No. 12 AIM VASSER SULLIVAN Driver Race Quotes:
Townsend Bell:
Can you tell us about those final laps?
“Mario Farnbacher was coming. We know he’s really good in the wet conditions. We’ve seen that before. It was so treacherous on those last few laps. He (Mario) got by me and then I kind of hung onto him and then he sent it off into the kink. There was standing water everywhere. I was just grabbing gears wide open and my Lexus hooked up and there we were in the lead. Treacherous conditions for sure. We needed a win. Frankie (Montecalvo) has been doing such a good job on the starts and has been giving me such a good car. I felt like today was our day. Proud of everyone at AIM VASSER SULLIVAN.”
How big is it for the 12 Lexus team to get the win after your teammates have won the last two?
“It’s been really satisfying for the team to have the one-two qualifying and the one-two finish, but quietly we get a little frustrated because we want a chance at the top step, too. The key moment of the race for us other than that last crazy lap in the rain with (Mario) Farnbacher was with the pit stop where we did the driver change. I think they (No. 14) had a little issue and when Jack (Hawksworth) came out of the pits I got by him exiting turn 3. I had a run and I knew that was my chance. If we didn’t make it happen there, it was probably going to be tough to get something done. I got the position and just settled into a good pace and off we went.”
Frankie Montecalvo:
What does it feel like to be in victory lane with the No. 12 Lexus RC F GT3?
“It’s great. It’s perfect for this whole 12 car and I’m excited for the crew. The AIM VASSER SULLIVAN guys did a great job with our Lexus RC F. We were fast in qualifying and fast in the race and did a great pit stop strategy and it paid off.”
What does it mean to get your first IMSA victory?
“Townsend (Bell) and I have been trying really hard to get this win for the 12 car. It’s great for the guys. Everything worked out for us in this race. It feels amazing. I think they made a phenomenal call in the pits right at the perfect time. It was a great race for us.”
Fast Facts:
The win is Bell’s best finish at Road America. His previous high was a fourth in 2015.
Montecalvo previously earned a class win at RA in the Pirelli World Challenge race in 2015.
No. 14 AIM VASSER SULLIVAN LEXUS RC F GT3 FINISHES THIRD
Race Summary No. 14 AIM VASSER SULLIVAN Lexus RC F GT3:
The No. 14 AIM VASSER SULLIVAN Lexus RC F GT3 piloted by Jack Hawksworth and Aaron Telitz finished third in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Weekend at Road America.
Telitz, who captured his first career IMSA pole and third top-two starting spot in the three races since joining the team full-time as co-driver with Hawksworth for the Daytona 240, drove the first stint leading the entire way, 23 laps. He gave way to Hawksworth for the remainder of the race. Shortly after the first stop Hawksworth was passed by the No. 12 sister car for the lead. Hawksworth slotted into second and held that position until the closing laps before dropping to third.
The third place finish is the third straight podium finish for Hawksworth and Telitz. They came into the race with back-to-back victories at Daytona International Speedway and Sebring International Raceway.
No. 14 AIM VASSER SULLIVAN Driver Race Quotes:
Jack Hawksworth:
Can you talk about today’s race?
“First off, congratulations to the 12 car for the victory today. It’s great to see Lexus and AIM VASSER SULLIVAN win three in a row. It’s the first time it’s ever happened in GTD so a great accomplishment. Our race was obviously not quite as successful, but still on the podium. We faced some adversity throughout the race. We had some issues and then the visibility was poor after the final race restart. All in all, not a good day but we came away with a good result.”
Aaron Telitz:
How was your race?
“Any day at Road America is a great day. To finish on the podium at my home track was great. That felt really good after a bit of a tough day for us. I had a good stint. Things went really well. Our Lexus RC F GT3 was running strong. I pulled out a good gap and I had a bit of a dodgy in lap with some GTLM traffic and that just set us back a little bit right before Jack took over. When you feel like you had a bad day and you finished third, I think that’s still a really good day. Stoked about that and happy to be on the podium in my home race. Congratulations to the 12 AIM VASSER SULLIVAN team on the victory today.”
Fast Facts:
This is Hawksworth’s best finish in four career IMSA starts at Road America. His previous best GTD finish came last year when he earned a fourth-place result. He has also run the quickest GTD lap behind the wheel of the RC F GT3 twice at Road America, including in 2017 and 2019.