Watkins Glen, N.Y. (June 22, 2025) – The Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3s led multiple laps in Sunday’s six-hour race at Watkins Glen International before misfortune struck resulting in ninth and 11th-place results. Aaron Telitz and Ben Barnicoat finished the race ninth in the GTD PRO class in the Vasser Sullivan No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3 while Jack Hawksworth, Parker Thompson and Frankie Montecalvo finished 11th in the GTD category after a late race miscue.
The Lexus RC F GT3s led a total of 85 laps around the 11-turn, 3.4-mile upstate New York road course with the No. 12 pacing the field for 83 laps and the No. 14 led twice.
Telitz started the race fifth in the No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3 and ran among the top five during his first stint. Barnicoat, who returned to competition after injury, got behind the wheel of the Lexus for his first time since the Rolex 24 at Daytona and was able to get the car up to the second position in class following two stints. Telitz was holding strong in second when an issue in the pit resulted in the No. 14 Lexus losing a wheel on track and they were forced to go behind the wall after stopping on track. The team returned to the six-hour endurance event eight laps down and went on to finish ninth in the GTD PRO class.
Thompson started fifth in the No. 12 Lexus RC F GT3 and ran among the top 10 before Montecalvo jumped in the Lexus for two stints. With a great strategy by the team, Montecalvo worked his way up to the top five before Thompson got back in the Lexus and made his way to the lead of the GTD field. Thompson handed driving duties over to Hawksworth for the final hours of the race and Hawksworth led the GTD PRO field until the No. 12 ran out of fuel on the final lap of the six-hour race, resulting in an 11th-place finish.
The Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3s return to action when they travel north of the border for a sprint race at Canadian Tire Motor Park on Sunday, July 13. To keep up with all the racing action, follow Lexus Racing on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok by using #LexusPerformance.
"A heartbreaker today. Maybe the worst day in the history of this team in terms of the way it all ended. The No. 14 Lexus was running a good race, and they had an issue. We had a fantastic race on the 12 car side. We got track position and our Lexus was working well, managing the race. Frankie (Montecalvo) did a great job, Parker (Thompson) did a great job in the middle of the race and got us into the lead. We led the last three hours of the race and we were able to get good restarts. Super disappointed. We had an issue there at the end, but we’ll put it behind us and get stronger. That’s all that we can do."
- JACK HAWKSWORTH
"It was a championship day for five hours and 58 minutes of the Watkins Glen six hour. The only thing we can do at this point is put our heads down, get to Canada and try and recover some of the points that we’ve lost. Full focus ahead on the championship. It’s only halfway and let’s give it everything we have for the rest of the championship."
- PARKER THOMPSON
"Jack (Hawksworth), Parker (Thompson) and everyone did a good job on the 12 car. It’s a shame we didn’t quite make it with a half a lap to go, but everyone did what they needed to and almost made it."
- FRANKIE MONTECALVO
"First and foremost, it’s just so good to be back and be back racing with Vasser Sullivan. I already said a million times, you don’t realize what you have until it’s gone and you miss it. Being back out there today with the guys was just an incredible feeling. Of course, the end result wasn’t what we wanted, but mistakes happen. It was very unfortunate that we had the pit stop error, but I’m sure the team will learn from this and come back stronger. Taking the positives from today – I felt like I had good pace in my return inside the Lexus RC F GT3. Aaron (Telitz) did a phenomenal job as well as our engineer Geoff (Fickling) calling an incredible strategy. There were some tough calls to make and he chose the right ones. I feel like we have everything we need to go and have five great races. We’re going to go out and have some fun and win some races."
- BEN BARNICOAT
"It was looking like a really promising day here at the six hours of the Glen. It was amazing to ride back into battle with Ben (Barnicoat) today. It felt like we were both in there with a fight always at the sharp end until we had a little mishap on pit lane, but we still made it to the finish. We feel like we’re definitely in a good enough form to get some wins and get some podiums coming up in the next few rounds. We just need to limit our mistakes."
- AARON TELITZ