IMSA Weather Tech SportsCar Championship Archives

Karam earns 3GT Racing a second top 10 finish at CoTA

May 7, 2017 by Walters Web Design

Austin, Texas (May 6, 2017) – 3GT Racing’s Sage Karam earned the team’s second top 10 finish during the Advance Auto Sportscar Showdown at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas on May 6. Karam reached the checkered flag in 9th position during the fourth race of IMSA’s 2017 WeatherTech Sportscar Championship.

Karam’s co-pilot in the No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3, Scott Pruett, said he thought Sage did a great job, calling the race a “fight to the finish.”

Pruett started the race in the No. 14 when the green flag dropped at 1:35 p.m. He encountered a snarl of traffic among several GTLM cars at the first turn of the 3.427-mile, 20 turn track.

“It was crazy. Luckily, we got out of that, but that’s how the race started,” Pruett said. “I thought the car felt loose, and for me it was just about doing the best I could for the first stint, then get it over to Sage. He really did a great job and got everything he could out of the car.”

Karam posted the fastest lap in the No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3 (2.09.693) during lap 24. He said he was happy with the 9th position, but thinks that a better result is not far off. “The crew has been amazing. The guys have been working so hard and we had some great pits. Plus, the car’s been getting better every day. I really think we’re getting closer to a better result,” he said.

The team of the No. 15 Lexus RC F GT3 took to the track with Robert Alon in the driver seat, starting in the last position. Hawksworth had qualified the No. 15 in 2P on Friday, but a post-race technical inspection found one feature of the No. 15 was .015 inches too low, which forced the team to start at the back.

“It’s really hard to start from the back,” Hawksworth said. “When I got in the car, I was hoping I could move up and get a better position so I was pretty aggressive. I passed two or three cars and then I spun the Porsche.”

Hawksworth, who posted the fastest lap in the No. 15 Lexus RC F GT3 (2.09.398) during lap 21, earned a drive-through penalty for the Porsche incident.

3GT Racing’s Managing Partner, Paul Gentilozzi, said the penalty was deserved. “The GTD class is very competitive and passing is difficult,” he said.

“You can be two seconds faster and still be unable to get through that field. That’s what happened to us. That, and we were a little too aggressive and got the penalty. Our apology to the Porsche team. It wasn’t our intention, they checked up, and we ran into them.”

The next race for the 3GT Racing team will be in Michigan, the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix presented by Lear Corporation will be held on June 3.

About 3GT Racing

3GT Racing was formed to race the Lexus RC F GT3. Owned and operated by five-time Trans-Am Series Champion, Paul Gentilozzi and his longtime partners, Tony and John Gentilozzi, the East Lansing, Michigan-based team principals have been involved in motorsports for more than 46 years and have claimed more than 75 victories and 15 manufacturer and driver championships.

Filed Under: Race Reports Tagged With: Circuit of the Americas, COTA, IMSA, IMSA Weather Tech SportsCar Championship, Lexus, Sage Karam

3GT Racing team earns best finish at Long Beach race

April 8, 2017 by ENAHSWeb

LONG BEACH, CA (April 8, 2017) – The 3GT Racing crew was busy into the night and early morning of race day for the BUBBA Burger Grand Prix at Long Beach, as they repaired the No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3 after a glance at the wall, early in the second practice on Friday, left the car unable to take part in qualifying.

And when the green flag fell on the 100-minute race, part of the 3-day, 43rd annual Toyota Grand Prix at Long Beach, both Lexus RC F GT3s, No. 14 and No. 15 were at the starting line driven by Scott Pruett and Jack Hawksworth, respectively. Hawksworth had earned the second position in qualifying and because the No. 14 car had missed qualifying, Pruett started at the last, in 14th position.

Final results found the No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3 in sixth position in the GTD class (18th overall) and the No. 15 finished 11th in the team’s third race in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

“A little mistake when you’re trying hard can be costly and that’s what happened to us yesterday,” Pruett said about the incident that kept the No. 15 car from taking part in the qualifying round. “We didn’t make qualifying, we didn’t make second practice, but the guys worked all night to get the car together and here we come to finish 6. It really was a great recovery, I’m proud of the guys and proud of Lexus and this is a great program, it’s still new but we’ll just keep on building. Every race is a big learning experience.”

Pruett’s driving teammate, Sage Karam brought the No. 14 into the finish and declared the last few laps some of the most exciting of his career. Karam turned the fastest lap in the No. 14 with a time of 1:21:037 in the 26th lap.

“The most important thing is that the team worked their tails off to get the car ready to race, and we scored crucial points,” Karam said. “We got 6th place, which is our best finish yet, I couldn’t be prouder of the crew. They showed the dedication to the program by staying and getting this car repaired and ready for today. Really happy with this weekend.”

Jack Hawksworth in the No. 15, ran a strong race, including holding the lead for 5 laps. Co-pilot Robert Alon was driving the No. 15 when, in the final lap of the 1.968-mile and 11-turn street course, he found there was an incident at Turn 11.

“We always hate to be involved in any accident,” Paul Gentilozzi, 3GT Racing managing partner said. “It was a really tough race. Our guys were racing hard. We led laps and made progression with the car. We’re not, perhaps, as fast as the Mercedes, but we’re sneaking up on it. And I thought it was a very exciting race. Now we go home and lick our wounds and fix our many dents and get ready for Texas.”

Next IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race is the Advance Auto Parts Sports Car Showdown at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas on Saturday, May 6.

ABOUT 3GT RACING:

3GT Racing was formed to race the Lexus RC F GT3. Owned and operated by five-time Trans-Am Series Champion, Paul Gentilozzi and his longtime partners, Tony and John Gentilozzi, the East Lansing, Michigan-based team principals have been involved in motorsports for more than 46 years and they have claimed more than 75 victories and 15 manufacturer and driver championships.

Filed Under: Race Reports Tagged With: Grand Prix of Long Beach, IMSA, IMSA Weather Tech SportsCar Championship, Long Beach, Sage Karam, Scott Pruett

Lexus to Compete in IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and F Performance Racing Announces Sage Karam as Driver

January 29, 2016 by Walters Web Design

TORRANCE, CA – January 29, 2016 – Lexus and their F Performance Racing group have reached an agreement with the International Motor Sports Association to campaign the RC F GT3 in the IMSA Weather Tech SportsCar Championship. The agreement gives the Japanese Luxury automaker a presence in GT Daytona (GTD) class the race series through the 2018 season.

“We are excited to reach this agreement with IMSA to campaign the RC F GT3 at such a high level. Our hope is to build a strong foundation for the new F Performance Racing organization during 2016 season, seizing the opportunity to develop the team and the race vehicle in anticipation of the multi-car effort during the 2017 season,” said Jeff Bracken Group Vice President and General Manager, Lexus division.

Additionally, F Performance Racing also announced that Sage Karam will join veteran racer Scott Pruett as drivers for F Performance Racing when the East Lansing, Michigan-based team campaigns the Lexus RC F GT3 for a limited schedule in the 2016 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

“We have had our eye on Sage for some time,” said Paul Gentilozzi, Managing Partner of F Performance Racing. “His experience in IMSA events with Scott at Daytona and Sebring showed us great maturity. Our program is a building experience, and having Scott Pruett as a teammate/mentor is really a priceless commodity. I am sure Sage will fit in with our group and help us get a first victory for Lexus and F Performance Racing.”

Both drivers were previously contracted with Chip Ganassi. Pruett announced his plan to race with Lexus and F Performance in November, the same time the luxury brand declared its return to motorsports racing for the first time since 2009.

The 20-year-old Karam, released from his contract with Ganassi in December, said he’s thrilled about this new opportunity and to be teammates with Pruett.

“I’m really excited to be a part of the F Performance Team, it’s a great opportunity for me,” Karam said. “I have worked alongside Scott Pruett for a few years so we have a good relationship and I’m really looking forward to driving alongside him. We like to work with each other and we push each other to each other’s limits.”

“When I was racing, it can be said I was not very concerned about making friends during competition—winning was our first priority,” said Gentilozzi. “That said, I learned how to temper aggression with strategy on our way to championships, and that is something we hope to share with Sage.”

Pruett is looking forward to working with Karam again.

“I am very excited to have Sage as part of F Performance Racing,” Pruett said. “I had the opportunity to race with him a couple of times at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, as well as the IMSA race at Indianapolis, where he did a fabulous job. He’s a great young American talent and I couldn’t be more excited to have him as my teammate for 2016.”

Pruett and Gentilozzi have known each other personally and professionally for nearly 30 years. “Scott and I have won Daytona together twice as teammates,” Gentilozzi said. “He won a Trans-Am championship driving for me. I was his first drive back after he got injured in Indy cars (in 1990). We’ve just always had a close and trusted relationship. There aren’t many relationships in motorsports that you can count on for 30 years.

When it came time for Scott to accept another challenge, I couldn’t think of a better guy to do it with.”

F Performance Racing is working closely with Lexus to prepare the car for the homologation process and for competition.

“IMSA has given us a small window to bring the safety and performance of the car to a level commensurate with the competition in the 2016 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Series,” said John Gentilozzi, F Performance Racing Technical director.

“Lexus is determined to enhance its performance globally,” Gentilozzi said. “They make great cars that have a high performance ability and they really needed to authenticate that by competing in motorsports. That’s a fact around the world. You can talk about how your car performs but the public really requires you to authenticate that.” The multi-year commitment by Lexus to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Series will demonstrate the performance capabilities of the RCF GT3, which will eventually be made available to other competitors as a customer racing program.

Gentilozzi said the plan was never to compete for a full season in 2016. “The program is too new. We have every intention to race hard, and every intention to win. Right now we’re going through extensive testing and engineering analysis, we hope to be racing as soon as possible.”

ABOUT F PERFORMANCE RACING

F Performance Racing was formed in 2015, with the return of luxury brand Lexus to motorsports racing, to race Lexus RC F GT3. Owned and operated by five-time Trans-Am Series Champion, Paul Gentilozzi and his longtime partners Tony and John Gentilozzi. The East Lansing, Michigan-based team principals have been involved in motorsports for more than 45 years. Media Contact: Brenda Brissette-Mata, 517-371-3000, [email protected]

ABOUT LEXUS

Lexus launched in 1989 with two luxury sedans and a commitment to pursue perfection. Since that time, Lexus has expanded its line-up to meet the needs of global luxury customers. Lexus is now going beyond its reputation for high quality vehicles with the integration of innovative technology, emotional exterior and interior designs, and engaging driving dynamics and performance. With six models incorporating Lexus Hybrid Drive, Lexus is the luxury hybrid leader. Lexus also offers seven F SPORT models and two F performance models. In the United States, Lexus vehicles are sold through 236 dealers who are committed to exemplary customer service.

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Note to Editors: Lexus product information and images are available online via our news media web site http://LexusNewsroom.com.

Photo: Lindsey Boice

Team Website: FPerformanceRacing.com

Filed Under: Press Tagged With: F Performance Racing, GT3, IMSA, IMSA Weather Tech SportsCar Championship, John Gentilozzi, Lexus, Lexus RC F GT3, Paul Gentilozzi, Sage Karam, Scott Pruett