12-Hours at Sebring – Next up for Lexus Endurance Racing
With a luxury brand pedigree that has Quality, Reliability, and Durability as core values, it only makes sense that, when it comes to motorsports, Lexus would focus on endurance racing. These all-day–and many times all-night–races prove racing is about so much more than just speed. The cars must last through hours of driving at 10/10ths of their capability. Night and poor weather conditions are raced through. The pit crews are expected to take vehicles that would be considered not drivable in a race in of any other series, fix them, and get them back on the track to continue competing.
“Half as Long and Twice as Hard”
The next endurance race facing the Lexus #12 and #14 cars of the Vasser Sullivan Racing Team is the 12-hours at Sebring. It is considered one of the three legs of the informal Triple Crown of endurance racing along with the 24 Hours of Le Mans and 24 Hours of Daytona. “Half as Long and Twice as Hard” has been a frequent description of the Sebring 12-hour race. Some point to the many gear changes throughout the course and the track surface’s rough and bumpy abuse on the vehicles to the cause of difficulty. A majority of the race is run in the heat of the day, yet the finish, when everything gets more intense, is at night on a track with no course lights. When drivers were polled on which turns are the hardest among all the tracks in the season, Sebring turns 1 and 17 were ranked 1st and 6th hardest overall. It is the only course cited more than once in the polls.
Lexus RC F GT3 Shares Much with Street RC F
Keeping racing relevant to Lexus’ real-world products, Lexus competes in the GTD and GTD Pro classes where the cars are the closest to street vehicles. Because body modifications are allowed, the cars certainly appear different from their street counterparts, but they are more alike than they seem. The Lexus RC F GT3 5.4-liter V8 engine, platform, and suspension geometry are all based on the equivalent street-legal vehicle. There are no horsepower changes from the street car which shares the same 7,200 rpm redline. The RC F road car also has upgraded suspension tuning, additional safety measures, and a stripped-out interior reflecting its race-focused purpose.
Vasser Sullivan Racing Team
The two Lexus models are operated by Vasser Sullivan Racing, owned by 1996 IndyCar Champion Jimmy Vasser and sports marketer James ‘Sulli’ Sullivan. Using the Lexus RC F GT3s, the team has earned and impressive 10 wins and 28 podium results in the last four seasons. In the previous season–its first in the PRO category–the No. 14 Lexus finished second in the championship standings in 2022 with two wins, six podium finishes, and two pole positions. In 2020, Vasser Sullivan took the GTD Sprint Cup Championship with four wins and seven podium results. The full-time driver lineups for Vasser Sullivan Racing include Jack Hawksworth and Ben Barnicoat in the No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3 for the GTD PRO class, with Kyle Kirkwood added for the Sebring race. In the No. 12 for the GT class will be drivers Aaron Telitz, and Frankie Montecalvo, and likely a third currently unnamed co-driver.
The 12-hours at Sebring this year is held on Saturday, March 18, 2023 – 4:30 pm – 10:30 pm ET. Broadcast coverage can be found on the USA channel. You can bet we will have it on at Lexus of Las Vegas while we are open for business to help you with all your Lexus purchasing, financing, and servicing needs.