DETROIT (June 16, 2021) – The Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 entries both earned top-five finishes in Saturday’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race at Detroit’s Raceway at Belle Isle Park. Jack Hawksworth and Aaron Telitz finished fourth driving the No. 14 Lexus while Townsend Bell and Frankie Montecalvo teamed up to earn a fifth-place result in the 100-minute sprint race.

Telitz started the race from the back of the GTD field due to an incident during qualifying that resulted in the team becoming unable to take part in the GTD points qualifying due to damage to the No. 14 RC F GT3. Telitz quickly worked his way through the field and handed the No. 14 Lexus over to Hawksworth in fourth place. Hawksworth made his way up to third before a punctured tire forced him to the pits and he was able to come back to earn the fourth place result.

Montecalvo started the race second in the GTD class and held that position until contact from a competitor forced the No. 12 Lexus RC F GT3 to spin. Montecalvo and Bell were able to work their way back through the field to salvage a fifth-place finish.

Lexus and Vasser Sullivan Racing return to the track at Watkins Glen International on Sunday, June 27 for the third endurance race of the season. Follow the Lexus Racing action all season on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter by using #LexusRCF GT3, #LexusPerformance and #LexusRacing.

Vasser Sullivan Driver Quotes
JACK HAWKSWORTH, No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3
How was your race?
“It was a really up and down weekend for us on the No. 14 Lexus. The race was going really well. Aaron had a great start, we had a good pit stop and were able to get with the lead group. Our RC F GT3 got up to third and we were running down the leaders and just clipped the inside retaining wall in turn 6 and had to pit. I got back out there and fought back to fifth. It’s a hard one to stomach after having such good pace all weekend and to not come home with a trophy is disappointing. The Vasser Sullivan team did a great job and Aaron did a fantastic job in that first stint and we had great pace. We’ve just got to put this behind us now and move on to Watkins Glen. It’s going to turn for us at some point. Our Lexus has been too good at the beginning of the year to not get a win yet so we’ll try again at Watkins Glen.”

AARON TELITZ, No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3
How was your race today?
“It was an awesome start to the race for me here at Belle Isle. Going from P12 up to fourth and then pitted from there and handed the car off to Jack (Hawksworth). He made it up to third and just a bummer getting the flat tire midway through his stint there. But, hey, we’re on the board finally with a P5 position. I think it’s been a long time since our 14 Lexus has been in the top five so hopefully that gets the ball rolling in the right direction for us.”

TOWNSEND BELL, No. 12 Lexus RC F GT3
How was your time back behind the wheel of the Lexus RC F GT3?
“It was so fun to be back. I didn’t want it to end because I was having a blast out there. It’s a shame what happened to Frankie (Montecalvo) both on the start and then to get turned around like that. It’s a little frustrating that the car did a drive thru (penalty) and still comes back out ahead of us. In the end we passed them straight up which was nice, but track position is so important in a race like this. Once that went south, we were hanging on. Personally, I was thrilled to be back driving the Lexus. I love this Vasser Sullivan team. I’m proud of everyone despite the result. I had a blast driving the RC F. That Lexus feels right at home and the team did a great job getting me back up to speed. It was nice to be competitive.”

FRANKIE MONTECALVO, No. 12 Lexus RC F GT3
How was your race?
“We had a great start to our race. We qualified P2 and on the front row with a crazy start in our Lexus RC F GT3. I held onto that position through the first yellow and a couple laps after that I got hit from the Lamborghini behind me so it really wasn’t an ideal first stint. Townsend (Bell) did a phenomenal job stepping in for Zach (Veach) this weekend and we were able to salvage a sixth place result.”