• Menu
  • Team
  • Schedule
  • News
  • Multimedia
  • Partners
  • Contact
    •

    3GT Racing qualifies 4 and 10 at Road America

    by Leave a Comment

    ELKHART LAKE, WI (Aug. 5, 2017) — 3GT Racing’s Lexus RC F GT3s qualified in fourth (No. 15) and 10th (No. 14) during the GTD qualifying session for the Continental Tire Road Race Showcase at Road America in Elkhart Lake, WI.

    The team made a driver change with the silver-rated drivers for the Road America race, putting Robert Alon in the No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3 with Sage Karam, and Scott Pruett with Jack Hawksworth in the No. 15 Lexus RC F GT3.

    Pruett qualified the No. 15 Lexus RC F GT3 in fourth with a fastest lap of 2:07:170.

    15 carousel at RA

    “Racing in the GTD category is so tight,” Pruett said. The difference between first and fourth position was measured in tenths of a second.

    “I think today was a good day for me in the No. 15 car,” he said. “The car felt pretty good. We’ll make some changes for the race and see where we go.”

    Pruett said every car is unique, even if it comes from the same manufacturer. So being in the No. 15 instead of the No. 14 did call for some accommodation.

    “There’s a little bit of learning, of adapting, not just to the car, but to the engineers and everybody involved,” he said. “Here at 3GT Racing, we’ve been working closely together on both the No. 14 and No. 15 Lexus RC F GT3s, so the transition is as short as it could be.”

    Alon qualified the No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3 with a fastest lap of 2:07:894, earning a 10th place on the starting grid. The No. 14 ran out of fuel near the end of the second to last lap.

    “We change the setup of each car from race to race and sometimes from pit stop to pit stop, so for me being in the No. 15 wasn’t a lot different from driving the No. 14,” Alon said. “During qualifying I struggled a bit in the early laps, and then I was doing better and increasing speed. I think if I hadn’t run out of fuel I might have picked up more speed in the last lap.” 

    3GT Racing’s Technical Director, John Gentilozzi, said the change in drivers is meant to give the team a different perspective.

    “Both cars did well today,” Gentilozzi said. “With variable weather conditions yesterday, our first true runs on a dry track came this morning. It’s a testament to our team and drivers that we were able to work out good setups for both cars.

    “We feel like we have a strong chance of a podium going into tomorrow, and we will push to get our best result of the season.”

    The Continental Tire Road Race Showcase at Road America, a two-hour, 40-minute race, will be televised live Sunday, Aug. 6 at 1:30 p.m. (ET) on FS1.

    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.

    Media Contact:
    Brenda Brissette Mata
    Communications Dir.
    [email protected]

    Filed Under: Race Reports Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

    3GT Racing debuts Lexus at storied track, Road America

    by Leave a Comment

    EAST LANSING, MI (Aug. 3, 2017) — This weekend will find the 3GT Racing team at the historical Road America track in Elkhart Lake, WI. The four-plus mile track is the longest road course of the season featuring 14 turns and a straightaway where 3GT Racing gold drivers, Jack Hawksworth in the No. 15 Lexus RC F GT3 and Sage Hawksworth in the No. 14, plan to aim for the lead.

    Hawksworth, who held the lead in the GTD class at Lime Rock for 29 laps, said he’s hoping to have that opportunity again at Road America, a track where he has had some experience. He raced TUDOR United SportsCar Championship in 2014 and last year in the Kohler Grand Prix Verizon IndyCar Series race.

    “I want to win,” Hawksworth said. “This is a good course for me. Suits my driving style. At some tracks, I have to adapt my style, but at Road America, I don’t. The course was made for me.”

    The team will make a driver change with the silver-rated drivers for the Road America race, putting Robert Alon in the No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3 with Karam and Hall of Famer Scott Pruett with Hawksworth in the No. 15 Lexus RC F GT3.

    3GT Racing’s Technical Director, John Gentilozzi, said the change will give the team a different perspective. “We really feel that by making these changes we will get a fresh look at everything,” he said. The change is currently planned for this race only.

    Every driver on the team has experience at Road America. Pruett knows the track well having earned victories in 1988 at the SCCA Trans Am series, and in 2011 and 2012, with back-to-back wins in the Grand Am Rolex sports car series.

    “It’s a great track,” Pruett said. “I think we’ve made huge gains since we started the season at Daytona. I’m really happy with the progress we’ve made and we’re going to continue along that path.”

    The No. 15 has accumulated three top-10 finishes in the last four races. “We were really fast at Watkins Glen, we were quick at Mosport and we were leading at Lime Rock,” Hawksworth said. “This time we need a podium.”

    Robert Alon won last year’s Prototype Challenge class race at Road America. He will be joining Sage Karam in the No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3. Alon said he’s looking forward to racing there this weekend.

    “I really like the track,” he said. “It’s fast, really fast. You really have to be quick at every corner. I can guarantee it’s going to be fun and a good race.”

    Karam left his mark at Road America in 2010 when he was 15 years old and set a new track speed record during qualifying and won back-to-back USF2000 races.

    “It’s one of those tracks in America that you are excited to go to and drive,” Karam said. “It’s a long-high speed track and I’ve had some good luck there. I’m looking forward to getting back. I think we’re in a better position with our car at road America than we were at Lime Rock. We had the wheel issue and some other things – we just need to have some luck.”

    The No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3 crossed the finish in 12th at Lime Rock after a problem with the right front wheel put the team out of the front running.

    The 2-hour, 40-minute Continental Tire Road Race Showcase will be broadcast live Sunday, Aug. 6, on FS1 starting at 2:30 p.m. (ET).

     

    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.

    Filed Under: Team PR Tagged With: , , , ,

    3GT Racing gets another top ten at Lime Rock

    by Leave a Comment

    3GT Racing’s No. 15 Lexus RC F GT3 finished 7th in the GTD class with drivers Jack Hawksworth and Robert Alon. The No. 14, with drivers Sage Karam and Scott Pruett, finished 12th. The NorthEast Grand Prix at Lime Rock was the 8th race in the 2017 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship series.

    Paul Gentilozzi, 3GT Racing managing partner, said he was proud of the way the drivers drove and proud of the pit stops.

    “We lost a millimeter of restrictor, which is 20 horsepower, so we couldn’t pass anybody,” Gentilozzi said. “We used good strategy, good technique but we lost 10 seconds in the pit because of series mandated fuel filling.”

    Jack Hawksworth qualified the No. 15 in fourth position, but a change before race time allowed the No. 15 to start in third. In the first hour of the race, Hawksworth commanded the GTD lead for 29 laps. The No. 15 co-driver, Robert Alon, said he had hoped to continue at the front of the pack after the first driver change, but it just didn’t work out.

    “We are doing pretty well overall,” Alon said. “Jack led for quite a few laps, we had a great pace going, we just didn’t get the ending that we wanted.”

    Hawksworth said those early laps felt great. He loved having the lead, but a bit of splitter damage seemed to slow the car and after the driver change, there was little passing power.

    “It was a good day, but it wasn’t quite the end we hoped for,” Hawksworth said. “Considering our rough start in practice one and then the progress we made throughout the weekend, it was ok.”

    The No. 15 car started the race with Karam behind the wheel.

    “We didn’t have a great balance at the beginning of the race,” Karam said. “But I really went for it and passed 5 cars in the first laps. We had a great start, but then Scott got in and something broke on the tire rim. We lost that lap and just couldn’t get it back, then the hood broke. We had gremlins today. We should have been in the top five, but we had gremlins.”

    Pruett said he thought the beginning of the race went well, but the good start quickly faded after the pit and driver change. “Everything was going great, the driver change was picture perfect,” he said. “Then I got into the car and it wouldn’t turn. I had to come in for another lap and we just never got it back. I’m so frustrated for the team and for Lexus, because we are just knocking on the door.”

    Next up for the 3GT Racing team is Road America in Elkhart, Wisc.

    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.

    Filed Under: Race Reports Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

    3GT Racing heads east for Lime Rock Grand Prix

    by Leave a Comment

    3GT Racing heads to New England’s home of racing, Lime Rock, in Lakeville, Connecticut, for the Northeast Grand Prix on July 22. It’s the 8th race in the 2017 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season.

    The team, which has earned seven top-10 finishes this season, hopes the 1.5-mile course will be the setting for a podium or win for the Lexus RC F GT3 cars, No. 14 and 15.

    pre race Lime Rock pic

    “We’re so close to a win or podium right now,” said Sage Karam, driver of the No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3. Karam set a new GTD track record during qualifying at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park less than two weeks ago and won the TOTAL Pole award. He led the GTD class for nearly the whole first hour of the two-hour race, but a couple of drive-through penalties during the first pit stop pushed the car back and he and co-driver, Scott Pruett, earned the No. 14 team’s first fifth-place finish. The No. 15 Lexus RC F GT3 finished fifth earlier in July at Watkins Glen.

    Karam, who has only raced at Lime Rock once, in 2009 when he was 14-years old, said he doesn’t think it will take him long to relearn the track.

    “I remember it’s a short track with a lot of right hand turns,” he said. “Hopefully the cars will roll off the trailer like they did in Canada. We’ve shown we have the speed, we’re ready for a win.”

    Hall of Famer, Pruett, has been to Lime Rock many times. “I’ve been there when it’s wet and when it’s dry,” Pruett said, adding that weather can make a difference at the historic track. “Because the laps are so short and things happen so fast, it’s a fun track to run. And since we’re just going to be running with the GTLM cars, it will change things up significantly.”

    The race at Lime Rock will be the first of two showdowns with GT class cars, GT Daytona (the class that includes the Lexus RC F GT3) and GT LeMans (GTLM).

    Jack Hawksworth, driver of the No. 15 Lexus RC F GT3, said having the race include only the two classes will not only impact traffic, but should make the race a little more challenging. “Traffic’s going to be a bit of an issue because the track is so small,” Hawksworth said. “It’s a short, fast track and it will be interesting to see how it all plays out. I haven’t raced there, but I’m ready. And we are definitely ready for a win.”

    The other half of the No. 15 Lexus RC F GT3 driving team, Robert Alon, drove his first race at Lime Rock last year in PC. “I really enjoyed the track,” Alon said. “It’s a road course oval. You don’t have to worry a lot about the track, it allows you to just focus on the racing.”

    The 2-hour, 40-minute race will begin at 3:05 p.m. and will be broadcast live on FS2 starting at 3 p.m. (ET) and on IMSA Radio on IMSA.com.

    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.

    Filed Under: Team PR Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

    3GT Racing earns first fifth at Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix

    by Leave a Comment

    It was a rollercoaster weekend for the 3GT Racing team at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park during the Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix, seventh race of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season.

    The No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3, with drivers Sage Karam and Scott Pruett, finished in fifth place. It is the second fifth place for the 3GT Racing team and the first for the No. 14.

    Car 14 with Mark Levinson while qualifying at RolexKaram set a new GTD track record during qualifying on Saturday in the No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3, with a fastest lap of 1:16:536, the former track record lap was 1:18:245. He started in first and maintained the lead position for 35 laps, until coming in for a pit stop and driver change. 

    Two drive-through penalties earned during the pit stop put the car, with driver Pruett, further back in the pack and fighting to return to the front.  He made it through the traffic, coming in for the second driver change at P8.

    “I think, for having two drive-through penalties, dang, we did ok getting fifth at the end,” Pruett said. “The team did a great job, Sage did a great job recovering. It was a crazy day with the on and off rain. All we can do is keep doing what we’re doing. The car has been strong. We caused our own issues today, unfortunately. We’ll just keep tying things up and work to make it better.”

    Karam said he felt terrible about the penalty, but the car felt great when he was in the first time and the second.

    “It was my first-time leading this season and it felt great. I was kind of cruising, then the pit stop came and everything that we needed to go right, went wrong,” Karam said. His second drive was focused on moving through the traffic. A couple of yellow flags helped tighten up the pack and the on-again/off-again rain helped Karam make ground on some of the cars in front of him. 

    Two cars in paddock at CTMP

    The No. 15, with drivers Jack Hawksworth and Robert Alon, finished 12th, but first the car had to make an incredible comeback after being damaged during practice session when Hawksworth went off the track at turn three.

    The 3GT Racing crew worked through the night, even made a quick trip to Michigan to retrieve needed parts, and had the car up and running in time for the race. Starting at the back of the pack was inevitable, but Alon brought the car from 14 to 10 before bringing it in to pit.

    Then, in a bizarre coincidence, Robert Alon earned the same drive-through penalty Karam had received minutes earlier. When he brought the No. 15 Lexus RC F GT3 in for a pit and driver change, and couldn’t get the car in neutral. “I can’t thank the crew enough for all the work they did,” Alon said. “They worked all night to get the car back together, and not only get it together, but it was quick.”

    Hawksworth got the No. 15 Lexus RC F GT3 back on the track and did his best to punch through the traffic. He had great speed, but even with a yellow flag, didn’t have the time he needed. “The car was incredible, very fast. I passed the leader, got back on the lead lap, then we lost it in the pit exchange. I caught the leader up again, tried to pass him but only passed him once. I was always catching cars and getting stuck behind them,” he said. “We were one of the quickest cars on the track for the whole race.”

    John Gentilozzi, 3GT Racing Technical Director, said he was impressed with the cars speed, but especially disappointed in the outcome on behalf of the crew who had worked through most of the night to repair the No. 15 Lexus RC F GT3.

    “I’m really sorry we couldn’t reward the crew with a better finish. A win or a podium, or something,” Gentilozzi said. “But, in the end, we had two really good cars, two very fast cars, and for us to get back out there after what happened in practice is a testament to the guys that work on those cars. What first looked desperate turned out to be an OK day considering we took fifth with the 14, ran a clean race and brought both cars home in one piece. We’ll try again at Lime Rock.”

    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.

    Filed Under: Race Reports Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

    LATEST

    12Hours of Sebring Photos

    3GT Racing will start P3, P4 at 12Hours of Sebring race
    MORE ➤