Lexus RC F GT3 Makes Top-Five Finish at Lime Rock
IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race also sees Jack Hawksworth register fastest lap. Action continues Aug. 5 at Road America.
The 3GT Racing No. 15 Lexus RC F GT3 finished fifth in the GTD class in last Saturday’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race at Lime Rock Park with co-drivers Jack Hawksworth and Mario Farnbacher, who subbed for full-time driver David Heinemeier Hansson.
Hawskworth started third in Saturday’s race and led 31 laps in the No. 15 Lexus around the mile-and-a-half Connecticut road course. He ran the quickest lap in class on lap 45 to mark the fourth time in five events that he has earned the fastest lap of the race.
The No. 15 Lexus has registered four top-five finishes in seven GTD races this season and currently ranks fifth in the championship standings.
The No. 14 RC F GT3 finished seventh in the first of two GT-only sprint races this season with 3GT Racing drivers Dominik Baumann and Kyle Marcelli. Marcelli ran the second quickest GTD lap of the two hour and 40 minute race. The No. 14 Lexus is currently sixth in the provisional point standings after seven GTD events this year.
Lexus currently sits fourth in IMSA’s provisional GTD manufacturer championship standings with four races remaining this season.
Lexus and 3GT Racing return to competition on Aug. 5 for a sprint event at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Race coverage will begin at 2:30 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1.
Lexus Racing Quotes
How was your race in the Lexus RC F GT3 at Lime Rock?
Jack Hawksworth, No. 15 Lexus RC F GT3: “To be honest, we struggled in practice all weekend, so coming into this morning we didn’t really know what to expect. Threw a Hail Mary in qualifying and ended up third, which was okay, but we were concerned about the race. We got out there and the pace was pretty okay in the first stint, pitted early to get on the new tires and the pace was good and the strategy was good. We got held up right at the end of my third stint by another car, which cost us about four or five seconds and was enough for us to come out of the pits in fifth instead of second or third. That traffic at the end of my stint is really what made the difference between being on the podium and being fifth. I’m honestly quite happy because the Lexus was working a lot better in the race and we were close to being on the podium.”
Can you talk about your stint in the No. 15 Lexus in today’s race at Lime Rock?
Mario Farnbacher, No. 15 Lexus RC F GT3: “Jack (Hawksworth) had a great three stints before I got in the Lexus. Unfortunately, we got held up at the end of his stint so that cost us a bit of time. I couldn’t get by with new tires because it’s tough to overtake here, so I needed a mistake from my competitors to get by. I basically thought I could save the tires a bit more and just try to overtake them at the end of my stint because they had a few laps more on their tires but unfortunately it didn’t work out and I lost too much ground to the end. Overall, it was okay. Our car was way better in the race compared to in practice. We’re happy with a fifth place result because this track was tough with traction issues for everybody and we made the best out of it.”
How was your race driving the RC F GT3 today?
Dominik Baumann, No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3: “I started the race P2 and lost one position to Jack (Hawksworth) at the start. I just took the wrong line because it’s really narrow and just two lines through all of the corners. I was past the leader in turn 1, and in turn 3, Jack (Hawksworth) passed me. It was okay and I knew we just had to stay with the leaders. I tried to save some tires, but it failed I would say. We struggled a lot at the end with the tire degradation. My stint was okay, I just tried to defend the last quarter of my last stint. I lost one position, but it was right before our pit stop. It was an okay day. I tried to save the car and keep the car in shape for Kyle (Marcelli).”
What was your day like racing in two events in the same day?
Kyle Marcelli, No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3: “Overall it was a difficult race for us in many respects. Personally, it was a busy, busy weekend for me. The busiest I think yet. It was just two series here this weekend with the Continental Series and the WeatherTech Series and it was virtually back-to-back on-track both Friday and Saturday, so I ran lots of miles this weekend. Today’s race was interesting because my entire stint for about two hours was green flag, and so around here a lap is only 52 to 55 seconds so you do a heck of a lot of laps in two hours. We had a couple mistakes (during the race). Dominik (Baumann) drove a good first stint and after qualifying second he was third for his stint. We came in the pits to do the driver change and my radio never got plugged in so after tires and fuel were done I was kind of sitting there waiting for the radio call to leave and I didn’t hear anything and then I realized my radio wasn’t in. We lost five to 10 seconds on that stop and probably two to three positions on that track. My first stint was okay, my second stint was a handful and then we came in for fuel and tires to go to the last hour and that last hour our Lexus was great. I think I passed nearly everyone in the field, but the only downside is we were already a lap down to them all. Just another one of those days where you’ve got to push every single lap because you never know what will happen.”
Can you assess the performance of the Lexus RC F GT3s this weekend?
Mark Egger, Lexus Motorsports Manager: “The RC F GT3 performed well today. Unfortunately, we didn’t see results we would have liked due to more tire degradation this race, but we were happy to see that Jack (Hawksworth) led some laps and had the fastest race lap again this weekend. We’re looking forward to Road America in two weeks’ time where we had some success last year and the track seemed to suit the RC F GT3.”
