3GT Racing - Lexus F Performance Racing fields Lexus F entries in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship

3GT Racing earns sixth place finish at Detroit’s Belle Isle

June 6, 2018 by 3GT-Racing Leave a Comment

(DETROIT, MI) June 2, 2018 – The Lexus RC F GT3 No. 14 registered a sixth-place finish in the GTD class in the second sprint race of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship on Detroit’s Belle Isle.

The No. 15 Lexus RC F GT3 had an early finish in the 100-minute race after driver David Heinemeier Hansson had an encounter with the wall on turn 5, during his first stint. Hansson had qualified the car the day before and started P5.

Dominik Baumann started the race P4. After a 35-minute stint, Baumann turned the car over to co-driver Kyle Marcelli.

“It was a short ride,” Baumann said. “I gained one position at the start, but then I lost it back on the second lap. Our car was good, and I could follow the guys in front. I kept the gap how it was, but it’s so hard to overtake here in Detroit. The car is still in one piece and I’m happy with 6th.”

The pit stop that put Marcelli in after Baumann took a few seconds longer than they had planned and Marcelli lost a couple positions as he moved onto the track.

“When we were coming into this race, most of the guys thought that this is not a track to pass on,” Marcellli said. “The strategy was to qualify the fastest guy and start up front and, if you’re up front, it’s your race to win because it’s difficult to overtake. It proved to be correct. I think we could have been on the podium; the speed is there. It came down to track position. Our strategy was good, but our pit stop was slow. Then it was just a procession.”

John Gentilozzi, 3GT Racing Technical Director, said it was certainly a tough day. He said Marcelli fought as much as he could to catch up, it just didn’t happen.

“It’s not how we thought either car was going to finish. Not how we wanted either car to finish,” Gentilozzi said. “A shame for the 15 car, David pushed hard, but on a street circuit like this, there’s no room for error. On the 14 car, we made the right decision, the execution just didn’t work out for us. We got on the back foot and in Detroit, it’s really hard to pass. I’m proud of the efforts the guys put in this weekend getting the car back up front. Unfortunately, we weren’t as successful as we were at Mid-Ohio, but we move on to Watkins Glen. We had a good car there last year and we’re looking forward to that race. That’s definitely more our kind of track.”

Next race is the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen at Watkins Glen International. The race will be televised live on FS1 beginning at 9:30 a.m. ET on Sunday, July 1.

About 3GT Racing
3GT Racing was formed to race the Lexus RC F GT3. Owned and operated by five-time Trans-Am Series Champion, Paul Gentilozzi and his longtime partners, Tony and John Gentilozzi, the East Lansing, Michigan-based team principals have been involved in motorsports for more than 48 years and have claimed more than 75 victories and 15 manufacturer and driver championships.

Filed Under: Race Reports Tagged With: Belle Isle Park, Chevrolet Sports Car Classic, David Heinemeier Hansson, Detroit, Detroit Grand Prix, Dominik Baumann, Jack Hawksworth, Kyle Marcelli, Mid-Ohio, Mid-Ohio SportsCar Course

3GT Racing Heads to Belle Isle for Detroit Grand Prix

May 31, 2018 by 3GT-Racing Leave a Comment

(EAST LANSING, MI) May 30, 2018 — With a first-place victory at Mid-Ohio barely in the rear-view mirror, 3GT Racing now heads to Detroit’s Belle Isle to race the Lexus RC F GT3 No. 14 and No. 15 in the GTD class of the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic on Saturday, June 2.

The second sprint race of this year’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season, the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear is expected to attract about 100,000 people to the street course that wraps around the 982-acre park. The 25-car entry list includes 11 in the GTD class and 14 Prototypes.

Dominik Baumann, driver of the No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3, and the first to cross the finish line at Mid-Ohio on May 6, said he’s anxious to get out on the 14-turn, 2.35-mile circuit.

“The win in Ohio was great, but Detroit will be completely different,” Baumann said. “I’ve raced street circuits before, but never Detroit. It’s hard to get practice time in Detroit, so it will be different for me. But I like the walls and going close to the wall and having no run-off. I don’t mind the bumps and the curves, we have a good car for it. I’m feeling positive.”

Co-driver in the No. 14, Kyle Marcelli, won on the bumpy, turn-filled Detroit street course in 2016. He said it’s a course that he really likes.

“Everyone talks about the bumps and how there’s no room for error, and that’s true,” Marcelli said. “But it’s a real adrenaline rush when you extract the most out of yourself and the race car and you’re running within an inch of the concrete wall.”

“We’ve known for a while that we have the whole package to get the results we want, we just had hiccups along the way. At Mid-Ohio, everything clicked. Now we’re going into Detroit and we’re going to be competitive.”

Marcelli said it helps to be going into Detroit following the win at Mid-Ohio, adding that it inspires confidence in the team and the drivers.

Driving the red No. 15 Lexus RC F GT3, Jack Hawksworth said that the Mid-Ohio win is inspiring, but he’s not ready to make predictions about the Saturday’s race. He had the second fastest lap in last year’s Chevrolet Sports Car Classic and said that the car set up for this year will be good, especially since it was good last year.

But the most important lesson he took away from last year was that it’s hard to pass.

“We were one of the fastest cars last year, but because we qualified near the back, we didn’t get into the lead the way we wanted to,” he said. “And there is only one pit stop during the race, so if you want position, you have to pass, and there’s hardly any place to overtake. Maybe on turn 3 or maybe you can pass someone who’s really struggling, but what we need to win is good qualifying and an excellent pit stop.”

This will be the first race at Belle Isle for Hawksworth’s co-driver, David Heinemeier Hansson and the first time back on a street course for the Danish driver, since 2012.
“That year I raced at Long Beach and Baltimore and enjoyed both a lot,” he said. “Street courses are so unforgiving with the concrete barriers right at the edge, and no run off. It’s a different style. Looking forward to giving it a go.”

Qualifying for the 100-minute race will take place at 5:20 p.m., Friday, June 1. The race will begin at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, June 2 with live coverage on FS2 beginning at 12:30 p.m. (ET) A re-air of the race will be available on FS1 on Sunday, June 3 at 8:30 a.m.

Filed Under: Team PR Tagged With: Belle Isle Park, Chevrolet Sports Car Classic, David Heinemeier Hansson, Detroit, Detroit Grand Prix, Dominik Baumann, Jack Hawksworth, Kyle Marcelli, Mid-Ohio, Mid-Ohio SportsCar Course

3GT Racing Adds Sponsor to No. 14 Lexus RCF

May 29, 2018 by 3GT-Racing Leave a Comment

(EAST LANSING, MI) May 29, 2018 – 3GT Racing’s blue, No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3 will sport the FER-PAL Infrastructure logo at this weekend’s Chevrolet Sports Car Classic on Michigan’s Belle Isle and for the remainder of the 2018 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Racing Championship season.

Established in 1986, FER-PAL Construction Ltd. is a trenchless technology company that offers complete watermain rehabilitation solutions. FER-PAL specializes in projects utilizing trenchless technologies of all types and sizes for municipalities across Canada and the United States. The company has partnered with No. 14 driver, Kyle Marcelli, for three years.

Shaun McKaigue, President and CEO of FER-PAL Infrastructure said the company is proud to sponsor the Lexus RC F GT3 No. 14, acknowledging Marcelli’s role as a brand ambassador for the company.

“Kyle has been invaluable as a brand ambassador for our company,” McKaigue said. “He represents what we value as a company in his success and in his dedication to his craft.”
Marcelli said he’s equally delighted to work with FER-PAL and to welcome the company on board as sponsors with the No. 14.

“I’m proud to have them with us as we hit the street course on Belle Isle this weekend,” Marcelli said. “I love the Belle Isle circuit and its many challenges. It should be a good race.”

Marcelli and co-driver, Dominik Baumann, marked the first win for the 3GT Racing team in the No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3 at the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship in Mid-Ohio on May 6.

The Chevrolet Sports Car Classic, a 100-minute sprint race, begins at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 2. The race can be seen on FS2 beginning at 12:30 p.m.

About FER-PAL Infrastructure:
Established in 1986, FER-PAL Construction Ltd. is a trenchless technology company that offers complete watermain rehabilitation solutions for municipalities across Canada and the United States. FER-PAL Technologies is a division of FER-PAL Infrastructure and is a manufacturer of automated machinery for high volume production. They design, fabricate and integrate assembly, test & inspection equipment for customers in the automotive, defense, pharmaceutical and aerospace industries. FER-PAL Technologies has invested extensively in Research and Development and currently holds patents in the areas of robotics, vision and laser systems.

About 3GT Racing
3GT Racing was formed to race the Lexus RC F GT3. Owned and operated by five-time Trans-Am Series Champion, Paul Gentilozzi and his long-time partners, Tony and John Gentilozzi, the East Lansing, Michigan-based team principals have been involved in motorsports for more than 48 years and have claimed more than 75 victories and 15 manufacturer and driver championships.

Filed Under: Team PR Tagged With: Chevrolet Sports Car Classic, Dominik Baumann, FER-PAL Construction Ltd, IMSA, IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship, Kyle Marcelli, Lexus, Shaun McKaigue

3GT Racing Earns First Win at Mid-Ohio

May 7, 2018 by 3GT-Racing Leave a Comment

LEXINGTON, OHIO (May 7, 2018) — The 3GT Racing team had a nearly perfect weekend of racing at the Acura Sports Car Challenge at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, the first sprint race of the season.

On Saturday, the two Lexus RC F GT3 cars, No. 14 and No. 15, came through qualifying with the top two starting positions for Sunday’s race. Jack Hawksworth earned the team’s first pole of the season in the No. 15 Lexus RC F GT3 and the No. 14, with Kyle Marcelli in the driver’s seat, started the race P2.

When the 2-hour, 40-minute race ended on Sunday, it was Dominik Baumann in the No. 14 taking the victory lap. With Jack Hawksworth in the No. 15 finishing, P4. And the 3GT Racing team cars had led every lap of the race.

Victory Mid Ohio

Paul Gentilozzi, 3GT Racing’s Managing Partner said this is what the team is supposed to do.

“Winning is important,” he said. “And I’m sure that I hate losing more than I like winning, but I’m not jumping up and down, because we did our job. This is what our team is used to doing. I celebrate the drivers and everybody here. Everybody that’s part of 3GT, from every sector, because they helped us win.”

Marcelli, who had won the Continental Sports Car Challenge on Saturday, started the race in the No. 14 and maintained the P2 position until Baumann took over driving duties.

“I was more nervous today watching the finish of the race than I’ve ever been driving to the finish of a race,” Marcelli said. “Dominik did a great job with the all the pressure that came with those last couple laps. This is a huge win for the team.”

Baumann moved the No. 14 from P2 into the lead when the No. 15 went in for their first driver change. And once Baumann got there, he never left.

“I just kept thinking no mistakes, get to the finish line, stay focused,” Baumann said. At times he led the class with a gap of as much as 20 seconds.

“I felt the pressure coming with 15 minutes to the end,” he said. Alvaro Parente was closing the gap, but Baumann staved him off.

“I was a little bit lucky with traffic,” Baumann said. “On that last lap, Parente closed the gap so quick that I tried to defend with everything I got. I was happy to see the white flag. To get the first win is a great feeling.”

Hawksworth, who earned the race’s fastest lap and led the GTD class for the first 43 laps, said it was a great day for the team and shows all the hard work everybody has put in.

“David (Heinemeier Hansson) did a fantastic job in that second stint and held (Alvaro) Parente off,” Hawksworth said. “I think we lost some time and when I was back driving, I was faster but really slow to overtake (Lawson) Aschenbach. I spent the whole stint trying to get past him. Finally passed him for 4th.”

Heinemeier Hansson, co-driver in the No. 15, said his job was to, as much as possible, keep the lead that Hawksworth had earned once the driver change put him behind the wheel of the No. 15.

“I had a wonderful battle with Parente,” Heinemeier Hansson said. “I held him up for a good ten laps. It was wonderful to see the team get the first win and for us to get fourth after that amazing pass by Jack (Hawksworth) there at the end. It was an exciting race.”

For John Gentilozzi, the team’s Technical Director, the win was closer than he had hoped or expected it to be.

“Given where we were early in the race I felt like we were going to finish further ahead,” he said. “Certainly, full credit to the Acura team and Parente for digging in and driving hard. But Dominik was able to push in his last stint and keep ahead of him. We had a bit of a bad break in traffic and that let the Acura catch up and really Dominik had used quite a bit of his tires, so it was hard for him to stay in front, but he drove hard. And at the end of the day, we won.”

Filed Under: Race Reports Tagged With: Acura Sports Car Challenge, David Heinemeier Hansson, Dominik Baumann, Jack Hawksworth, John Gentilozzi, Kyle Marcelli, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course

3GT Racing Qualifies Top Two Positions at Mid-Ohio

May 7, 2018 by 3GT-Racing Leave a Comment

LEXINGTON, OHIO (May 5, 2018) — 3GT Racing’s Lexus RC F GT3 cars will lead the GTD class when the green flag waves at the Acura Sports Car Challenge at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course at 1:05 p.m., Sunday, May 6.

Jack Hawksworth, in the No. 15 Lexus RC F GT3 won his first pole position, with a fastest lap time of 1:19:317. Kyle Marcelli, in the No. 14, was less than a tenth of a second behind, with a 1:19:370 lap.

This is the first sprint race of the season and marks the return of IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship series to the 13-turn, 2.258-mile course.

Paul Gentilozzi, Managing Partner of 3GT Racing, and five-time former Trans-Am Series Champion, said his teams have had a great history of success at Mid-Ohio and that he’s hoping at race time, success with 3GT will continue that tradition.

“I’m excited for everybody on the team,” he said. “drivers, engineers, mechanics, everybody on the team and we’re all hoping that tomorrow we get to continue this success.”

Hawksworth said he was focused on finishing as close to the lead as possible. pushing through qualifying to get the lead was part of the strategy.

“Pushing through to get the lead was what we really wanted,” he said. “We want to have, in the 15 car, the gold driver in first, the silver second and then the gold third. So, we needed to pull a big gap in the beginning of the race. I wanted us to have that. I made a little mistake there near the end that might have let me go a little faster, but I’m very happy with the result.”

Marcelli was equally happy with the results in the No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3. “We worked hard at the test a couple weeks ago to get the car where we wanted it to be and I’m really happy with the results,” he said.

John Gentilozzi, Technical Director of the 3GT Racing team said that locking out the front row at Mid-Ohio is special.

“We had our first pole last year and now to get both cars in the front row, is a very nice thing,” he said. “Jack put in a great drive and Kyle put down a really great lap. That was an impressive performance by them both. All we have to do now is take that into tomorrow’s race.”

The Mid-Ohio race begins at 1 p.m. on Sunday, May 6 and will be streamed live on FSGO with FS2 authentication. Or you can listen via IMSA.com, Radio LeMans.com and Sirius XM Radio.

Filed Under: Race Reports Tagged With: Jack Hawksworth, John Gentilozzi, Kyle Marcelli, Mid-Ohio, Mid-Ohio SportsCar Course, Paul Gentilozzi