Hawksworth, Telitz Register Second Straight Podium in Weather-Shortened Race
LAKEVILLE, Conn. (July 17, 2021) – Jack Hawksworth and Aaron Telitz scored a third-place podium finish in the No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3 at the weather-shortened IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race at Lime Rock Park. The podium marks the best result for the Lexus RC F GT3 and Vasser Sullivan Racing at the Connecticut road course.
Telitz started the race second in the GTD field and held his position through his stint before coming to pit lane to switch drivers to Hawksworth. The No. 14 Lexus fell to third in class after all of the GTD pit stops cycled through, and Hawksworth ran there until a red flag was called an hour and a half into the race due to inclement weather in the area. The race never resumed as lightning continued in the area, which resulted in Hawksworth and Telitz earning their second straight podium finish and the first at Lime Rock. The driver duo was coming off their first win of the season in the No. 14 Lexus at Watkins Glen International on July 2.
Zach Veach and Frankie Montecalvo finished 10th in the No. 12 Lexus when Saturday’s sprint race at Lime Rock was called early.
Lexus and Vasser Sullivan Racing are back on track Sunday, August 8 for a sprint race at Wisconsin’s Road America. Follow the Lexus Racing action all season on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter by using #LexusRCF GT3, #LexusPerformance and #LexusRacing.
Vasser Sullivan Driver Quotes
JACK HAWKSWORTH, No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3
Did you think you could’ve battled for the GTD win if the race went back to green flag racing?
“We had a great day, a great qualifying yesterday and a strong race today. We would’ve liked to have had a go there at the end to see what we could’ve done. I feel like we had an opportunity and a bit of a weird way for the race to end. The big thing to take away from this weekend is we came to a track that we’re not normally strong at and the Vasser Sullivan guys did an unbelievable job to make our Lexus RC F GT3s competitive here and we can be proud of that. All in all, a great weekend. Another podium and good points and we’ll move on and go to Road America and see if we can be strong there to continue the charge to the top.”
AARON TELITZ, No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3
Are you happy to get a third-place result today at Lime Rock?
“Our Lexus RC F GT3 is on the podium so we can’t be upset about that. A rain-shortened race and just not getting to finish it is what kept us from having a shot at the win. The best results here at Lime Rock for the Vasser Sullivan team and the Lexus RC F GT3. It’s a bummer that the race ended early. I thought we had decent pace there, especially with the weather coming in and the track cooling down. Our Lexus RC F GT3 was coming to life. The Vasser Sullivan guys did an amazing job this weekend. This is the best this car has ever finished at Lime Rock and being in contention for a win just goes to show you how good this team is operating right now. We’re on a bit of a roll with two good results in a row here so we’re just going to try and keep it going.”
ZACH VEACH, No. 12 Lexus RC F GT3
How was your race today?
“Definitely a tough day for us in the 12 Lexus RC F GT3. All day we’ve been battling some kind of issue with our braking on the car. It seemed to get worse as we were running so we’ve got to go back and find out what went wrong. We have so much faith in our Vasser Sullivan guys to figure out what was going on. I’m really happy to see the 14 guys on the podium at a track that’s been really difficult for our team in the past. Just shows the progression this team has been making. These are the races that you learn a lot from. Road America will be good to us. Frankie (Montecalvo) won there last year so hopefully we can get him another win there again this year.”
FRANKIE MONTECALVO, No. 12 Lexus RC F GT3
How was your stint in the No. 12 Lexus RC F GT3?
“Super weird day here at Lime Rock. The start went pretty well. I settled into a rhythm at P4 and we developed a little bit of a brake issue of some sort that we’re not sure if it was sustained from the incident in the warmup earlier this morning. I think the Vasser Sullivan guys did a great job of keeping us up there in the top-10. I’m looking forward to rolling into Road America where we’re going to defend the 12 Lexus’ last win. I think the entire Vasser Sullivan crew did a great job. I’m happy for the 14 car guys to get a podium out of it but we’re looking forward to the next run.”
