Vasser Sullivan has added a second Lexus RC F GT3 alongside their existing #12 GTD car for the upcoming IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship round at Long Beach on 20 April.
The 1-hour 40-minute Grand Prix of Long Beach sprint race will feature solely GTP and GTD cars, and not GTD Pro cars like last year’s race.
As a result, Vasser Sullivan has elected to field another [#89] car with an altered driver lineup like they did so in 2021.
The team currently run a GTD and a GTD Pro Lexus in the 2024 season, with the latter #14 Lexus having most recently won the 12 Hours of Sebring last month.
The #12 will be driven by Jack Hawksworth and Frankie Montecalvo, meanwhile the #89 will be driven by Ben Barnicoat and Parker Thompson.
As GTD Pro regulars, and reigning champions, Hawksworth and Barnicoat will compete in the GTD category for the third IMSA round of 2024.
Vasser Sullivan Racing Team Principals Jimmy Vasser and James ‘Sulli’ Sullivan said: “The Long Beach Grand Prix is quite simply ‘special’ for our team and Lexus.
“We are coming to Long Beach with one expectation…to win again.
“Pairing Frankie [Montecalvo] and Jack [Hawksworth] in the No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3, alongside Ben [Barnicoat] and Parker [Thompson] in the No. 89 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3, gives us the best shot at that.”
Jeff Bal, Senior Manager of Motorsports Lexus Division added: “We’re excited to return to the streets of Long Beach and honored to have Vasser Sullivan run a second GTD entry alongside the Vasser Sullivan No. 12 RC F GT3.
“As a tribute to the year Lexus entered the U.S. luxury automotive race, the team will run the number 89 alongside the 12 as a nod to 35 years here in the U.S.
“Since 1989, Lexus has built a reputation on unprecedented quality and reliability along with consistently delivering an industry-leading guest experience, shaping the luxury industry to where it is today.
“‘No best, only better’ is present everywhere within Lexus, and the same is true when it comes to racing.”
