3GT Racing qualifies P3 and P9 for Motul Petit LeMans
BRASELTON, GA (October 6, 2017) – With Jack Hawksworth behind the wheel, the Lexus RC F GT3 No. 15 qualified P3 during a 15-minute qualifying session at Road Atlanta. Sage Karam, who drove the No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3, qualified to start P9 on the grid tomorrow during the Motul Petit LeMans.
Karam’s fastest lap was 1:21.115 and Hawksworth’s fastest lap was 1:20.798.
“It felt pretty good out there,” Hawksworth said. “Our guys did a really good job. The conditions had changed a lot since this morning’s practice. I think we have decent pace in the daytime, and we know the car works really well at night. I’m hoping during the race to stay in or around the top three, four or five, and then, in the evening, try and win the thing.”
The Motul Petit LeMans is the final race in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season.
The weather forecast for Saturday’s 10-hour race calls for a chance of rain and Hawksworth, who has often said he loves to race in the rain, said he hopes it stays away tomorrow.
“To be honest, if everything is going smooth tomorrow, I’d rather it not rain,” he said. “The car worked really well in the rain at Watkins Glen but it just becomes a lottery when it rains. I think our car was very good today during qualifying. All our drivers have experience in the rain, but I’d just rather stay out of it.”
Because it is an endurance race, each team has an additional driver. Austin Cindric joins Hawksworth and his co-driver, Scott Pruett on the 2.54-mile, 12-turn track.
Ian James will be the third driver in the No. 15, Lexus RC F GT3, teaming up with Robert Alon and Karam. Karam feels a little differently about the forecasted rain.
“Bring it on,” Karam said.
“The last three hours of tomorrow’s race will be at night, so if the car continues to be good, that works for us,” he said. “I’m just thinking about getting through the first few hours. We’re out of practice time, so now we just look at the data and plan. And I’ll be praying for rain.”
Rain or no rain, 3GT Racing Technical Director, John Gentilozzi said he was a little surprised at the outcome for the No. 14 during today’s qualifying session.
“We thought we had a set up on the No. 14 that was going to work really well, based on what we saw this morning during practice,” Gentilozzi said. “But I think Jack was able to put together a little bit better lap and maybe the changes made on the No. 15 were enough to counter the track changes that followed the Continental Challenge race that was right before we went out to qualify.
“But tomorrow will be different. It’s a long race, a 10-hour race, and I think we have a couple of real stable cars that will be easy on tires throughout. I think they’ll both be able to move up through the field. So, we’ll just put our heads down and keep driving.”
The 10-hour race is scheduled for a green flag at 11:05 a.m. (ET) on Saturday. Live coverage of IMSA’s 20th Anniversary Motul Petit Le Mans from Road Atlanta will begin on FS1 at 10:30 a.m. (ET) and move to FS2 from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. with live coverage continuing from 2:30 to 5 p.m. on FOX Sports GO and from 5 p.m. until 9:30 p.m. on FS2.
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 46 years and have claimed more than 75 victories and 15 manufacturer and driver championships.
