12Hours of Sebring Photos
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- Lexus Racing
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- Lexus 3GT Racing at Sebring
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- Lexus at Sebring International Raceway
3GT Racing will start P3, P4 at 12Hours of Sebring race
EBRING, Fla. (March 16, 2018) – 3GT Racing’s Lexus RC F GT3s earned top starting positions for tomorrow’s Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring at Sebring International Raceway, during Friday’s GTD qualifying session. The No. 15 Lexus RC F GT3 will start P3, with driver Jack Hawksworth at the wheel.
Hawksworth had a fastest lap of 1:59:251 during the 15-minute session. Only a fraction of a second behind Hawksworth was Dominik Baumann, driving the No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3. Baumann, who had a fastest lap of 1:59:476, will start the race P4.
3GT Racing’s Managing Partner, Paul Gentilozzi, said that it isn’t often that a team gets a chance, during an endurance race weekend, to go as hard as the car will go.
“I think it was an opportunity to let our two gold drivers really maximize the cars’ performance,” he said. “They did it well. And the conditions were just near perfect. So, we’re very happy.”
Baumann, who had his first race in the U.S. at the Rolex 24 at Daytona in January, said the team did a few improvements after the morning session and he was happy with the outcome.
“During qualifying the car felt really good,” the Austrian driver said. “We did our job and now we are at the front. It’s a really good starting position.”
Baumann will share driving duties in the No. 14 with Kyle Marcelli and Philipp Frommenwiler. David Heinemeier Hansson and Sean Rayhall will drive with Hawksworth in the No. 15.
Hawksworth said the balance of the No. 15 Lexus RC F GT3 felt great during the qualifying session.
“The car felt really good,” he said. “Obviously, this track position gives us a good shot in the beginning of the race, putting us up front with the leaders. It’s definitely an advantage that we’re happy to have.”
You can watch the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring race, live on FS1, beginning at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, March 17; from 12:30 to 3:40 p.m. on FS2; and for the checkered flag, from 6 to 11 p.m. on FS2. The 12-hour race is 10:40 a.m. to 10:40 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 48 years and have claimed more than 75 victories and 15 manufacturer and driver championships.
Sean Rayhall joins 3GT Racing for IMSA endurance race at Sebring
EAST LANSING, Mich. (Feb. 16, 2018) – Sean Rayhall will join the 3GT Racing team of drivers in the No. 15 Lexus RC F GT3 for the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida on March 17.
Rayhall said he’s looking forward to partnering with the No. 15 drivers, Jack Hawksworth and David Heinemeier Hansson.
Sean Rayhall
“Me and Jack actually had some really good fights racing LMPC in 2014,” Rayhall said. “I have a lot of respect for Jack. We’ve done a little open wheel, and both ended up in sports car racing. It’s going to be a lot of fun to race with him.”
Rayhall, 22, accumulated numerous career firsts in his early days of racing, including being named the youngest open-wheel National event race winner in 2009 at age of 13. He moved to racing sports cars in 2013 and earned 12 podiums in 14 races. In 2015, he began racing Prototype Challenge and continued racing PC through 2017. He earned two wins after his Indy Lights debut in 2015 and last year, after two wins during the European Le Mans series, claimed the championship.
“I’ve never been a full-time guy,” he said. “I’m the guy who gets thrown in for half a season; and that’s why this works.”
Rayhall said he’s long been an admirer of 3GT Racing’s Managing Partner, Paul Gentilozzi, having competed against Gentilozzi teams since 2013.
“I think I’ve always wanted to be a part of Paul’s program,” Rayhall said. “They’ve been such fierce competitors and I wanted to join with them after seeing Lexus come to life at the end of last year. Then at Daytona you could see the car was really getting in a stride. Now I’m looking forward to competing for podiums at Sebring and Petit Le Mans.”
Gentilozzi said that it has always been on his mind to have Rayhall as part of the team.
“We’ve driven against Sean for a number of years and always respected his ability as a competitor,” Gentilozzi said. “We are glad that we have the opportunity to feature him in the Lexus RC F GT3.”
Dominik Baumann and Kyle Marcelli will pilot the No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3.
There are four endurance races in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship series. Last month’s Rolex 24, the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida at Sebring International Raceway on March 17, Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen at Watkins Glen International on July 1 and Motul Petit Le Mans in Braselton, Ga. on Oct. 13.
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.
3GT Racing, Lexus RC F GT3 cars meet the checkered flag at Sebring
A tenacious crew and a dedicated team of drivers brought both brilliant blue chrome Lexus RC F GT3 cars to the finish line of the 65th annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida in Sebring, Fla. This was the second race in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for the team.
The No. 15 Lexus RC F GT3 finished 13th in the GTD class, 28th overall. Piloted by Robert Alon, Jack Hawksworth and Austin Cindric. Hawksworth earned the fastest lap in the No. 15 and the second overall quickest lap in the GTD class with a lap of 2:01.674.
The No. 14 Lexus entry, driven by Scott Pruett, Sage Karam and Ian James, finished 18th in class, 35th overall, after a couple of mechanical issues forced the car to the garage for attention at the 3.74- mile, 17 turn historic Florida road course.
Paul Gentilozzi, 3GT Racing managing partner said: “It is hard to have a mechanical issue outside your control that takes you from the top five contention. We do know we are now close to the hunt and it motivates us even more to solve these new car issues.”
Both cars had impressive qualifying runs the day before, when they locked down fourth (No. 15) and fifth (No. 14) positions for race day. During qualifying, Alon, in the No. 15, had a best lap of 2:00:998. Not far behind in the No. 14, veteran driver Pruett turned in a lap of 2:01.158.
On race day, Alon and Pruett were the first drivers on the track in the gorgeous cars under a bright blue Florida sky. Pruett soon had the No. 14 car in third position, but struggles began by midway in the race and the car never made it back to a top ten position.
“Yes, we had some issues today, but that’s the nature of racing,” said Karam, who was driving when the No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3 began to experience some fuel issues. “The good thing here is that we completed the race and all of the drivers had a chance to get in some experience. The fuel issue was a shame because we were multiple laps down but we got back out there. But the car was performing really well before that happened.”
The No. 15 Lexus RC F GT3 maintained 5th and 6th positions in the GTD class for most of the race, but a necessary brake change during a pit stop, slowed the cars progression and a brake change eliminated the chances of a top finishing place.
“We ran in the top 5 pretty much all day, top 5 or 6, we were running really strong,” Hawksworth said. “We had the second quickest lap of the race, which shows how competitive we are. The boys on the crew did a really good job all day. We had the brake issue and that’s what threw the race away from us. I don’t know if we would have won, but I think we could have still been on the podium at the end. It’s just a bitter pill to swallow, but with a new program and new car we must expect it. I think with the pace we’ve shown here at Sebring, we’re going to do great.”
Next up for the team is BUBBA burger Sports Car Grand Prix at Long Beach, Calif., April 7-8.
ADDITIONAL DRIVER QUOTES:
Scott Pruett, No. 14, Lexus RC F GT3: “Whenever you have problems it’s disappointing. But we have to consider where the program is at. We’ve made a big step forward taking a checkered flag. And we’ve learned more about the car and the system. This is all part of development, you hate it, but you know that it’s just part of the program.”
Robert Alon, No. 15, Lexus RC F GT3: “We had a great race. Obviously, we ran into am issue with the brakes and had to swap them out, but overall, we had great pace. We qualified really and it’s a good morale booster for the rest of the season. We ran well all day. I don’t think any of the drivers did anything wrong, we did a great job. It’s disappointing but it shows great potential for future. We have a great car and we’re in a good place.”
Ian James, No. 14, Lexus RC F GT3: “We started off the race with pretty high hopes, unfortunately with the 14 car, things just kind of fell apart a little bit. But getting both Lexus cars to the finish – that’s a first for Lexus. Hopefully the guys have fun in the sprint races and I’ll come back for the last one. We learned a lot today. But it was really a good step in the right direction for the team and for Lexus and the car, I expect them to come back stronger.”
Austin Cindric, No. 15, Lexus RC F GT3: “I think in Daytona we showed the car’s potential and we ran it for 12 hours here in Sebring and I think we showed the car has a lot of speed. We definitely had a Lexus that was really capable of winning the race and that was definitely capable of a podium finish. A few bumps in the road, but for the sake of racing this car, I think it’s really positive. I’ve got to thank Paul (Gentilozzi, 3GT Racing team principal) and everybody for letting me be a part of this program. I’m excited for July to get to Watkins Glen and see what we can do and what these guys can do in the next few races to really step up this program, which I know they will.”
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.
To learn more visit:
www.3gt-racing.com
