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    3GT Racing team earns best finish at Long Beach race

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    LONG BEACH, CA (April 8, 2017) – The 3GT Racing crew was busy into the night and early morning of race day for the BUBBA Burger Grand Prix at Long Beach, as they repaired the No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3 after a glance at the wall, early in the second practice on Friday, left the car unable to take part in qualifying.

    And when the green flag fell on the 100-minute race, part of the 3-day, 43rd annual Toyota Grand Prix at Long Beach, both Lexus RC F GT3s, No. 14 and No. 15 were at the starting line driven by Scott Pruett and Jack Hawksworth, respectively. Hawksworth had earned the second position in qualifying and because the No. 14 car had missed qualifying, Pruett started at the last, in 14th position.

    Final results found the No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3 in sixth position in the GTD class (18th overall) and the No. 15 finished 11th in the team’s third race in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

    “A little mistake when you’re trying hard can be costly and that’s what happened to us yesterday,” Pruett said about the incident that kept the No. 15 car from taking part in the qualifying round. “We didn’t make qualifying, we didn’t make second practice, but the guys worked all night to get the car together and here we come to finish 6. It really was a great recovery, I’m proud of the guys and proud of Lexus and this is a great program, it’s still new but we’ll just keep on building. Every race is a big learning experience.”

    Pruett’s driving teammate, Sage Karam brought the No. 14 into the finish and declared the last few laps some of the most exciting of his career. Karam turned the fastest lap in the No. 14 with a time of 1:21:037 in the 26th lap.

    “The most important thing is that the team worked their tails off to get the car ready to race, and we scored crucial points,” Karam said. “We got 6th place, which is our best finish yet, I couldn’t be prouder of the crew. They showed the dedication to the program by staying and getting this car repaired and ready for today. Really happy with this weekend.”

    Jack Hawksworth in the No. 15, ran a strong race, including holding the lead for 5 laps. Co-pilot Robert Alon was driving the No. 15 when, in the final lap of the 1.968-mile and 11-turn street course, he found himself in an incident at Turn 11.    

    “We always hate to be involved in any accident,” Paul Gentilozzi, 3GT Racing managing partner said. “It was a really tough race. Our guys were racing hard. We led laps and made progression with the car. We’re not, perhaps, as fast as the Mercedes, but we’re sneaking up on it. And I thought it was a very exciting race. Now we go home and lick our wounds and fix our many dents and get ready for Texas.”

    Next IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race is the Advance Auto Parts Sports Car Showdown at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas on Saturday, May 6.

    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 they have claimed more than 75 victories and 15 manufacturer and driver championships.

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    Lexus RC F GT3 No. 15 qualifies for second position in Bubba Burger Sports Car Grand Prix

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    Long Beach, California (April 7, 2017) – The No. 15 Lexus RC F GT3, driven by Jack Hawksworth, qualified in the 2nd position in the GTD class at the Toyota Grand Prix at Long Beach. 

    During the 15-minute qualifying session, Hawksworth held first position for a couple of laps, but said he was very happy finishing in 2nd with a time of 1:19:276 1:19.243, just 0.0.033 of a second behind first place finish.

    No 15 qualify at Long BeachHawksworth said the car had a few issues in the morning practice, but the crew found the issues and made the repairs in time for a satisfying second practice and an outstanding qualifying round.

    “We really didn’t expect to be quite that competitive today,” Hawksworth said. “But we just didn’t really expect to be as competitive as we were on this circuit because we didn’t really think this circuit would suit the Lexus. But I think we were wrong. The car feels really good. Happy to be on the front row and get off to a good start for tomorrow. Now Robert (Alon) and I just have to keep our heads down and try to get this result tomorrow.”

    Managing partner, Paul Gentilozzi said the qualifying result means a lot to the whole team, especially the crew. “It’s really a validation for these guys who work so hard to make us competitive,” he said.

    The 100-minute Bubba Burger Sports Car Grand Prix, part of the 3-day, 43rd annual Toyota Grand Prix at Long Beach, will be 1:05 p.m. to 2:45 p.m.

    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.  a lot to the crew.

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    3GT Racing team ready for Sebring

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    EAST LANSING, MI (March 9, 2017) — The 3GT Racing team is ready to take the track with the No. 14 and No. 15 Lexus RC F GT3s at the Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Fla., March 17-18, for IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, 65th annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida.

    The team’s official IMSA race debut, marking Lexus’ return to North American sports car racing, took place in January at the Rolex 24 at Daytona. There, the No. 15 Lexus RC F GT3 finished 14th in the GTD class, 36th overall. The No. 14 car retired after an incident in the second hour.

    Car 14 - 3GT RacingBoth cars will be on track for Sebring’s 17-turn, 3.74-mile circuit with full-time drivers Sage Karam, Scott Pruett, Robert Alon and Jack Hawksworth, and endurance drivers, Ian James and Austin Cindric.

    Paul Gentilozzi, 3GT Racing managing partner, said the team learned a lot about the car and about the team, during the debut race at Daytona. Gentilozzi knows Sebring well, he won the GTS class in 1992 at Twelve Hours of Sebring and won the overall pole position in 1994. “Twelve hours at Sebring is like 24 hours at any of the other famous tracks in the world,” he said. “The design, conditions, and grueling pace make it a special challenge. But we’re looking forward to the challenge.”

    Pruett, veteran driver and newly named inductee into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, has had two wins at Sebring. In 1986 and most recently an overall win in 2014 during the Tudor United SportsCar championship. Pruett said the track at Sebring, with its long and storied history of impacting cars and drivers with big bumps, multiple turns and an unconventional surface, is “an acquired taste.”
    “It’s one of those tracks that hasn’t changed much over the years,” Pruett said.

    “It’s one of the roughest in the circuit and challenging. It demands a lot of our set up, our crew, our drivers and our car. But with some of the BoP changes, as well as going back to using Continental’s standard construction tire, we’re going to be a lot more competitive. You could see it at the test, just looking at the lap times. And I hope, and plan, that will be the case when we go back to race.”

    The sanctioning body of IMSA announced Balance of Performance modifications for three of the four WeatherTech Championship classes, shortly after the Rolex 24 at Daytona. Changes for the Lexus RC F GT3 cars, which run in the GTD class, include more ballast (+10 kg), an additional +2mm (total) across the restrictor and additional fuel capacities and increased refueling speeds (+2L, +2.0mm).

    Practice sessions at Sebring will be held on Thursday, March 16 and qualifying for the GTD class, will take place on Friday, March 17. The race is schedule to begin at 10:40 a.m. on Saturday.

    ADDITIONAL DRIVER QUOTES:
    Robert Alon, No. 15 Lexus RC F GT3: “I’ve been to Sebring three times, twice in Prototype Lites and once in PC. I’m very familiar with the track. I came away from our test with a great deal of confidence in the car. It seemed to really handle the bumps well. I’m really looking forward to this race, it’s one of my favorite tracks.”

    Sage Karam, No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3: “Sebring is really a different animal. Probably one of the bumpiest circuits ever. At the test, as far as reliability, our car did great. It really floated over that surface, took the bumps well. For me, that’s really encouraging because twelve hours is a long time to go on that surface. We have a few question marks going into the race, but our goal here is the same as it was in Daytona. And that is – complete all the hours in the race and do as well as possible. If we can do that, we’ll be off to a great start for the rest of the season.”

    Jack Hawksworth, No. 15 Lexus RC F GT3: “While testing at Sebring we ran through an extensive program and were really happy with our progress and the competitiveness of the Lexus RC F GT3. Getting to the end of the 24 hours at Daytona was a big confidence boost for the whole 3GT Racing team. We have had time to make improvements and the whole team has really seemed to gel. If we can continue to the build on this, then I am positive we can achieve a great result. I love this track, it has a ton of character and I can’t wait to get out there!”

    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 they have claimed more than 75 victories and 15 manufacturer and driver championships.

    MEDIA CONTACT:
    3GT Racing, PR Director, Brenda Brissette-Mata
    Ph: 517-337-3000 Cell: 810-394-8910 Email: [email protected]

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    3GT Racing drivers happy with second testing at Daytona

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    EAST LANSING, Mich. (Dec. 20, 2016) — 3GT Racing was back for the second test session at Daytona International Speedway last week, with all four core-drivers taking a turn on the high banks.

    The Michigan-based team racing the Lexus RC F GT3 two-car effort, made its official IMSA debut at a test session at Daytona in November where Jack Hawksworth got in a few laps with the No. 14 car. At the second session, Hawksworth was the first driver to hit the track in the No. 15.

    2016 WeatherTech Sportscar Championship December Daytona Testing

    “It felt even better this time around,” Hawksworth said. “I thought the entry to the corners felt much smoother and the car was really comfortable to drive. I also got a lot of laps in and that’s very important. We ended the day having learned quite a lot, we’ve really come a long way.”

    Scott Pruett, with four Rolex America Championships to his credit, stressed the importance of the first two tests at Daytona before the final, “Roar Before the Rolex 24,” which will be January 6 – 8.

    “Testing is paramount,” Pruett said. “Especially when you have a brand, new car and integration with a lot of new guys on your team. It’s been great learning the car and learning to work together.”

    Newly announced 3GT Racing endurance drivers Gustavo Menezes and Austin Cindric were also at the test. Menezes took a few laps around the 2.5 mile road course. Teammate Robert Alon, a former LM1 champion, said GTD driving is challenging, “but it’s a great challenge. Everything is a little slower than I’m used to, but it gives me time to think, to be strategic and I like that.”

    Paul Gentilozzi, 3GT Managing Partner and winner of the 1994 Rolex 24, said the value of testing before the Rolex 24 cannot be underestimated.

    “We all know that it is the most important endurance event of American sports car racing.  Winning once establishes your credibility, winning a second time or more is validation of your team’s hard work,” he said. “Our complete goal is to give Lexus their first and most important validation as a company that they can compete against the world’s best.”

    The American endurance classic race, Rolex 24 at Daytona, will be January 28 and 29.

     

    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 they have claimed more than 75 victories and 15 manufacturer and driver championships.

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    3GT Racing Adds Drivers Hawksworth and Alon for No. 15 Lexus Entry

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    3GT Racing Car - Lexus F

    EAST LANSING, Mich. (Nov. 11, 2016) — 3GT Racing has signed drivers Jack Hawksworth and Robert Alon to pilot the No. 15 Lexus RC F GT3 in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship series in 2017.

    The signing of Hawksworth and Alon completes 3GT Racing’s 2017 full-time driver lineup. The duo joins Sage Karam and Scott Pruett, who will pilot the No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3 entry, for 3GT Racing.

    “I’m really looking forward to racing a Lexus for 3GT Racing,” said Hawksworth. “Paul (Gentilozzi) has shown a lot of faith and belief in me since our first race together in 2014. This is a fantastic opportunity and I know we are destined to do great things together.”

    Hawksworth previously drove to a victory in the IMSA WeatherTech Series PC class with RSR Racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2014. Paul Gentilozzi, team principal of 3GT Racing, said the two drivers were selected by the team after extensive testing of ten drivers in Michigan in September.

    “I’m honored to be a part of such a great partnership between 3GT Racing and Lexus,” said Alon. “I’m also very excited to be teammates with some of the best in the business and can’t wait to get behind the wheel of the Lexus RC F GT3 later this month in Daytona.”

    The 25-year-old Hawksworth moved from England to the United States in 2011 and began competing in the Star Mazda Series the next year. Hawksworth claimed the series championship in 2012 by breaking the Star Mazda record for most wins (eight) and poles (four). He went on to compete in the Verizon IndyCar series from 2014 through 2016 where he won the Tony Renna Rising Star Award in his rookie season. The native of Bradford, England also won in the Indy Lights Series in 2013.

    Alon is a native of Santa Monica, California who just began racing in 2014. The 26-year-old driver captured three PC class wins and four poles in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in 2016, and he has also previously competed in the US Prototype Championship Series and the LAKC Series.

    “We have been very fortunate to have the patience and opportunity to test many prospective drivers for our program,” said Gentilozzi.  “Choosing Robert and Jack was the result of our team’s analysis of both their on-track driving, social skills, fit in our structure and competitive maturity. That maturity does not always mean just the number of years they have raced, it reflects on their ability to bring our Lexus to the finish every race”.

    The Lexus RC F GT3 was designed by Toyota Technocraft in Yokohama, Japan, and the second Lexus RC F GT3 arrived at the Michigan-based team’s headquarters in October.

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