Vasser Sullivan and Lexus racing announce 2025 driver lineup

Vasser Sullivan and Lexus Racing today announce the driver lineups for the SealMaster-liveried No. 12 and No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3s set to compete in the 2025 IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship.

For the 2025 IMSA Michelin Endurance Championship, full-time INDYCAR driver Kyle Kirkwood returns to the No. 14 Lexus in GTD PRO while Frankie Montecalvo assumes endurance driving duties in the No. 12 GTD entry this season. Lexus veteran Townsend Bell returns to the starting grid for the 63rd running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway and will assume racing duties alongside Barnicoat, Telitz and Kirkwood in the GTD PRO class. Meanwhile Kirkwood, will also pilot the No. 12 RC F GT3 in the GTD class during the Rolex 24 at Daytona, becoming the first Lexus driver to run double-duty between two entrants in the prestigious race.

Barnicoat enters his fourth season as a Lexus factory driver in the No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3. The Chesterfield, England, native has accrued seven victories and 19 podium finishes in his tenure with the program, along with the 2023 GTD PRO championship. Last season, Barnicoat captured a GTD PRO class victory at the 12 Hours of Sebring with Hawksworth and Kirkwood, as well as a GTD win in Long Beach with Thompson. Telitz returns full-time in 2025 after spending last year as an endurance driver for the No. 12 team. This marks Telitz's sixth season with Vasser Sullivan and Lexus, during which he's secured five victories, 15 podium finishes, five pole positions and won the IMSA GTD Sprint Cup title in 2020.

This will be Kirkwood's sixth season as the endurance driver with Vasser Sullivan. The Jupiter, Florida, native has three IMSA victories, two of those coming in 2022 at Detroit and Petit Le Mans, along with the victory at the 12 Hours of Sebring last March.

Rounding out the lineup for the No. 14 is Vasser Sullivan and Lexus veteran, Bell, who will also continue his broadcasting duties with NBC as a race analyst. The California native has one victory and five podium finishes with Vasser Sullivan and Lexus. The former GTD champion, and Rolex 24, Sebring 12 and 24 Hours of Le Mans winner, returns to the Lexus for the first time since 2022.

For Thompson, this will be his second full-time season in the No. 12 RC F GT3 and his third overall season with the Vasser Sullivan Lexus program. Thompson had a breakout first full-time season a year ago, grabbing three pole positions, including at the Rolex 24, and a GTD class victory at Long Beach with Barnicoat. The Canadian driver has two victories, three podium finishes and three pole positions in 15 career starts.

Long-time Vasser Sullivan Lexus driver, Frankie Montecalvo, enters his seventh overall season with the team in 2025, as the endurance driver for the No. 12 team. Last season, Montecalvo earned a pole position at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, as well as a podium finish with Thompson and Telitz at the season-finale Petit Le Mans. In 67 career starts with Lexus, Montecalvo has two victories, 14 podium finishes and five career poles.

The Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 entries return to the track in the Roar Before the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway on January 17-19, 2025, to prepare for the Rolex 24 at Daytona on January 25-26, 2025.

Quotes:

Jeff Bal, Senior Manager – Lexus Motorsports

'The 2025 IMSA season can't come soon enough. The only thing more difficult than winning the 2023 championship, was defending it. We learned that the hard way last year and haven't taken a day off since the checkered flag at Road Atlanta in October. The entire Vasser Sullivan and Lexus Racing team has managed through the highs and the lows, coming into this season fully focused and committed to winning it all. The driver lineups showcase that we've got what it takes to win and we're intending to do just that beginning with Daytona. IMSA continues to put on an incredible show for all race fans and we're fortunate to be racing among many of the world's greatest, most storied programs. This year's going to be one for the ages.'

Jimmy Vasser & James 'Sulli' Sullivan – Co-Owners – Vasser Sullivan Championship Racing

'We are headed into the 2025 season with unfinished business and the team has prepared accordingly. Every driver in this line up has won with us and we're laser focused on clinching another championship and bringing home the Rolex 24 victory. With Kyle Kirkwood pulling double duty between both cars, and Townsend Bell pulling double duty with the NBC booth, this will be a very dynamic and powerful Rolex 24 race for us.'

About Vasser Sullivan Championship Racing

Vasser Sullivan Championship Racing is owned by INDYCAR Champion, Jimmy Vasser and Dallas Businessman, James 'Sulli' Sullivan. Vasser Sullivan and Lexus have been partners since 2019 winning the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in the 2023 GTD Pro Driver, Team, and Manufacturer Championship and the 2020 IMSA GTD Sprint Cup Championship. They have amassed an impressive record of 15 wins, 43 podium finishes and 23 pole positions in their six-year history. Vasser and Sullivan first partnered to compete in the INDYCAR Series from 2011-2016 with Team KVSH. They teamed-up again for another four INDYCAR seasons as Dale Coyne Vasser Sullivan Racing. The Vasser Sullivan INDYCAR partnership has recorded six major INDYCAR wins including being crowned 2013 Indianapolis 500 champions.

Vasser Sullivan has won some of the most prestigious races in motorsports. In addition to the Indianapolis 500, they have been triumphant at Petit Le Mans, the Twelve Hours of Sebring, the Six Hours of Watkins Glen and the Long Beach Grand Prix to name a few. They have finished second and third at the famed ROLEX 24 at Daytona.

About Lexus

Lexus' passion for brave design, imaginative technology, and exhilarating performance enables the luxury lifestyle brand to create amazing experiences for its customers. Lexus began its journey in 1989 with two luxury sedans and a commitment to pursue perfection. Since then, Lexus has developed its lineup to meet the needs of global luxury customers in more than 90 countries. In the United States, Lexus vehicles are sold through 244 dealers offering a full lineup of luxury vehicles. With eight models incorporating Lexus Hybrid Drive, Lexus is the luxury hybrid leader. Lexus also offers nine F SPORT models, one F performance model and one F model. Lexus is committed to being a visionary brand that anticipates the future for luxury customers.

Photo credit: Lexus
posted on conceptcarz.com

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