Lexus Racing Snatches Podium Finish at Rolex 24 at Daytona

Lexus kicks off racing season with a third-place finish in grueling 24-hour event.

Lexus and newly formed race team Aim Vasser Sullivan (AVS) opened the 2019 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season this weekend with top-six finishes for both Lexus RC F GT3s, including a third-place podium result for the AVS No. 12 Lexus.

The podium finish by AVS drivers Townsend Bell, Frankie Montecalvo, Jeff Segal, and Aaron Telitz in the team’s inaugural IMSA event marked the best finish in an endurance race for the RC F GT3 since joining IMSA’s GTD class in 2017.

The No. 1 4 Lexus RC F GT3 finished sixth in the grueling 24-hour event, which had two red flag periods and multiple cautions due to heavy rain on the track. Co-drivers in the No. 14 Lexus included Nick Cassidy, Austin Cindric, Jack Hawksworth, and Richard Heistand.

“One on the podium and one in the sixth position was an incredible celebration of effort and dedication and precision and I think those are the three hallmarks of AVS right there,” said Bell.

The AVS Lexus RC F GT3s combined to lead a total of 53 laps during the 24-hour race with the No. 12 leading 31 laps and the No. 14 Lexus led 22 circuits around Daytona International Speedway’s road course. Bell led 22 of the laps, while Cassidy (nine laps), Segal (nine), Hawksworth (eight) and Cindric (five) also paced the GTD class during the Rolex 24.

“It was a little bit of a crapshoot because we’ve never used this car in the rain,” said Segal. “Low and behold, it does pretty well. The RC F GT3 suited us. On the restarts there took a lot of big chances and had no idea we would be red flagged here. I’m very happy that we were in that position but I think the car was really fast and it was really working well in those conditions. A big credit to this team to this team to get two cars home in top positions like this on the first time out.”

The Lexus RC F GT3 will return to racing action on March 16 in the Twelve Hours of Sebring at Florida’s historic Sebring International Raceway.

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S.J. Bryan

Longtime automotive journalist S.J. Bryan has been covering the automotive industry for over five years and is an editor with Ford Truck Enthusiasts and regular contributor to F-150 Online, Harley-Davidson Forums, and The Mustang Source, among other popular auto sites.

Bryan first discovered her passion for all things automotive while riding in her parent's 1968 Ford Mustang. The automotive expert cut her teeth growing up riding on Harleys, and her first car was a Chevy Nova. Despite her lead foot, Bryan has yet to receive a speeding ticket.

The award-winning former playwright was first published at age 18. She has worked extensively as a writer and editor for a number of lifestyle and pop culture publications. The diehard gearhead is a big fan of American muscle cars, sixth-gen Ford trucks, and Oxford commas.

S.J. can be reached at sherryjbry@gmail.com.