The GTD PRO Lexus Finished Second in This Year’s Championship
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Jack Hawksworth, Ben Barnicoat and Vasser Sullivan are looking to go one better in 2023.
The team announced Thursday it has submitted a GTD PRO class entry for the 2023 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship that begins next month with the Rolex 24 At Daytona. Barnicoat and the No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 finished second in this year’s standings in the first season of GTD PRO competition. Hawksworth placed sixth in the driver standings after missing two races recovering from injuries sustained in a motocross incident.
The drivers and team are looking to build on the momentum of two wins in the final three races of 2022, including capturing the first endurance-race win for Lexus in the season-ending Motul Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
“We are thrilled to have Jack and Ben back in the No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3 competing in our second season in IMSA’s GTD PRO category,” said Jeff Bal, Lexus senior manager of Motorsports, Sponsorships and Experiential Marketing. “The Vasser Sullivan team found a way to put the Lexus in the window for each race last season. Ben and Jack both continue to deliver when given the wheel and their results in 2022 speak directly to that.
“Our mission (in 2023) is simple: Execute on every deliverable and find a way to put Lexus up front. There is simply no better driver duo than Hawksworth and Barnicoat to accomplish the feat.”
Hawksworth has been with the Lexus GT3 program since its 2017 inception and returns for his fifth season with Vasser Sullivan. The 31-year-old from Bradford, England, has nine career WeatherTech Championship wins, all but one coming in a Vasser Sullivan Lexus.
“2023 will mark my seventh year with the Lexus family,” Hawksworth said. “We ended the 2022 season on a high with two wins in the last three races, and we have to now carry that momentum through the offseason and into 2023. The target is to win the championship, but the competition will only get tougher. We will need to continue to improve and move forward as a team and bring our ‘A’ game every weekend if we are to make this a reality.”
Barnicoat joined the team in 2022 and won three races; two in GTD PRO and another in the GT Daytona (GTD) class.
“I loved being a part of the family we have here, and we achieved amazing things together, so to go into the next season with that continuity is great,” the 25-year-old Chesterfield, England native said. “Teaming up with Jack again for the full season will give us a perfect driver lineup to go for the overall title. I’ve got all of my firsts out of the way this year, so we are going into 2023 in such a strong place.”
As it did this year, Vasser Sullivan also plans to field a car in the GTD class in 2023. Drivers for that entry have yet to be named.
“Today kicks off the first of some exciting announcements that are fueling our 2023 campaign,” team owners Jimmy Vasser and James “Sulli” Sullivan said in a joint statement. “We have a mantra that Vasser Sullivan is built not bought. Jack has been a rock-solid cornerstone of building Vasser Sullivan Lexus into a championship contender. Ben joined us last season and quickly made some noise.
“Together, Jack and Ben push us to be our best, and starting with the Rolex 24 next month, we’re ready to attack the GTD PRO championship with these two.”