Lexus RC F GT3s Ready to Race at Road America
Lexus currently ranks fourth in the GTD manufacturer championship standings after seven IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship races this season.
The 3GT Racing Lexus RC F GT3s will return to Wisconsin’s historic Road America circuit for the second time, competing in Sunday’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship sprint race.
In the Road America debut last year, both 3GT Racing Lexus entries finished in the top-10 as the No. 14 recorded an eighth-place result and the No. 15 finished 10th. Hawksworth also turned the fastest GTD lap around the 14-turn, 4.048-mile road course last year.
The 3GT Racing No. 15 Lexus RC F GT3 is coming off a fifth-place finish in the GTD class at Connecticut’s Lime Rock Park two weeks ago, with drivers Jack Hawksworth and Mario Farnbacher, who subbed for full-time driver David Heinemeier Hansson. Hawskworth led 31 laps in the No. 15 Lexus and ran the quickest lap in class (lap 45). 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, 40-minute race.
Following Lime Rock, Lexus currently ranks fourth in the GTD manufacturer championship standings. Along with the first win earlier this year at Mid-Ohio and a podium finish at Canada, 3GT Racing drivers are consistently registering quickest laps in GTD competition behind the wheel of the RC F GT3. The No. 15 Lexus has registered three poles, four top-five finishes and currently ranks fifth in the championship standings with Hawksworth and Heinemeier Hansson. Hawksworth ran the quickest GTD race lap in four of the last five races.
The No. 14 RC F GT3 has recorded one win, two podiums and sits sixth in the championship point standings with Baumann and Marcelli. Baumann, who is competing in America for the first time this year, also ran the fastest lap of the race at the Twelve Hours of Sebring in March.
The two hour and 40 minute sprint event begins at 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday and will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1.
Lexus Talks Racing
What has your experience been like racing in America for the first time this year?
DOMINIK BAUMANN, No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3: “Every track and place is new for me, so it’s always a new experience with each track I go to. We have such cool fans and the crowds are so big, so that has been really cool to experience. I try to prepare as best as I can leading into the race weekend. Kyle (Marcelli) knows every track and he can give me the help I need. This is why we’ve been so successful. It’s a lot about him because he knows everything, he’s a nice guy and now a good friend of mine. It’s a great combination and he’s been a big help for me to get faster on the American race tracks. The tire has been new for me this year, so I’ve had to get used to it. It’s just you have to know what you need to do in the car. I rely on the data and video to get as much out of my Lexus as I can. It’s important not to overdrive the car because you will lose some time at the end of the stint.”
What is your outlook for the RC F GT3 racing at Road America?
KYLE MARCELLI, No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3: “I certainly think Road America should be a good track for us. It’s a faster track, and the faster the track the better. The RC F likes to go fast, it likes the fast corners and the high downforce stuff so hopefully we can find our way back on the podium. We proved over and over again that the RC F is fast when our tires are new relative to the competition and when our tires are old relative to the competition we struggle a bit. It is a bit of a give and take.”
Are you looking forward to the race at Road America this weekend?
JACK HAWKSWORTH, No. 15 Lexus RC F GT3: “Road America is more of a track that suits the RC F GT3. I love Road America. I always run well there. It’s a really cool track. It’s always nice to go to Road America after Lime Rock because we go from the smallest track we compete at to the largest. It’s the big boy track.”
Do you enjoy racing at Road America?
DAVID HEINEMEIER HANSSON, No. 15 Lexus RC F GT3: “I have fond memories of Road America. It was where I did my first ALMS race in 2011, and where I won in the LMPS in 2012. I haven’t been back since my win, but thankfully the sim rendition I have is spot on, so I hope to show up with the track fresh in my memory. It’s a fast track that should suit the RC F. I have high hopes that we’ll be in contention.”
