Next year’s Lexus RC F entries in IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s GT Daytona class will be run by a new squad that sees AIM Autosport combine forces with IndyCar team-owner partners Jimmy Vasser and James Sullivan.
Vasser and Sullivan, who were partners at the now defunct KVSH Racing in IndyCar, were co-entrants of Dale Coyne Racing’s #18 car this year, backing their erstwhile KVSH driver Sebastien Bourdais.
AIM Autosport has successfully run customer racing programs since the 1990s and as recently as 2012 won the Grand-Am Rolex series GTD class.
AIM Vasser Sullivan thus takes over running the Lexus RC Fs from the Paul Gentilozzi-owned 3GT Racing. After a troubled debut season in 2017, the highlights of which were two fifth-place finishes and a pole position, 3GT made notable gains in 2018. Domink Baumann and Kyle Marcelli scored two wins and finished fifth in the drivers’ championship, Jack Hawksworth took three pole positions, and Lexus leapt from eighth to third in the manufacturers’ standings.
However, a decision has been made to switch allegiance, with David Christ, group VP and general manager, Lexus division, describing AIM Vasser Sullivan (AVS) as “a great fit for our organization as we continue to evolve our race program.
“Lexus F is a brand infused with motorsports technology and the high performance capabilities of the RC F GT3 on the race track has proven Lexus as more than just a luxury automaker.”
Mark Egger, motorsports manager, Lexus division, added: “It’s been exciting for Lexus to get back into sportscar racing with the RC F GT3. We’ve been able to build our fanbase through on-track performance and by engaging with consumers at our Lexus Racing Experience activation, and look forward to continuing that growth in our new partnership with AIM Vasser Sullivan.”
AVS will operate from both its current facility in Woodbridge, Ontario, Canada and a new facility located in Charlotte, NC.
Team co-owner Andrew Bordin commented: “To compete for wins and championships in this ultra-competitive class requires excellence in all aspects of racing and we now have all of the right pieces in place.” Vasser, meanwhile, said: “‘Sulli’ and I are excited and looking forward to entering a new chapter in our racing careers. The AIM Vasser Sullivan team, with the support of Lexus and our sponsors, has the tools to get the job done and we are looking forward to this new challenge.”
The press release stated that the team “will announce its 2019 driver line ups in the coming weeks.”
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