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Vasser Sullivan reveals Lexus GTD driver line-up for 2022

Aaron Telitz, Frankie Montecalvo and Richard Heistand will race the #12 Vasser Sullivan Racing Lexus RC F in the GTD category of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship next year.

#12 VasserSullivan Lexus RC F GT3, GTD: Frankie Montecalvo, Robert Megennis, Zach Veach

#12 VasserSullivan Lexus RC F GT3, GTD: Frankie Montecalvo, Robert Megennis, Zach Veach

Art Fleischmann

Following the team’s recent announcement that Ben Barnicoat would join Jack Hawksworth in the GTD Pro entry, joined by Kyle Kirkwood for the endurance rounds, the team owned by Jimmy Vasser and James Sullivan has revealed that Hawksworth’s erstwhile partner Telitz will remain as a full-timer with the squad but switching to the #12 alongside Montecalvo. This pair will be assisted in the endurance rounds by Heistand.

“Individually, Aaron, Frankie and Richard each have wins and podiums with our organization, so it made sense to band them together as co-drivers,” said Vasser and Sullivan in a joint statement. “We’ve got a lot of faith in these guys collectively to lead us to a championship and our recent Daytona test confirmed we’ve made the right choice. 

“We’ll be announcing our fourth driver for the Rolex 24 Hour race in the coming weeks.” 

For Telitz, a race winner in all three categories on the Road To Indy, including a champion of what was then called Pro Mazda, it will mark a fourth season in IMSA with Vasser Sullivan. He ran the 2019 IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup rounds, before becoming a full-time driver in 2020, when he and Hawksworth scored three wins and clinched the GTD Sprint Cup driver, team and manufacturer championships. In 2021, the pair scored a win and two other podiums.

"It's been an amazing two years of full-time running with Jack in GTD,” said the Wisconsin native. “Now, Frankie and I are reuniting to lead the #12 side in GTD for Vasser Sullivan and Lexus. We've got Richard on board as the endurance driver which is big too as we have three guys who all have experience in the RC F and know what it takes to win in it. Huge thanks to Jimmy and Sulli, and everyone at Lexus for putting their faith in me once again.”

Like Telitz, Montecalvo, from Highlands, NJ, will also be contesting his fourth season with Vasser Sullivan and Lexus. His first win came in 2020, while last season he took three podiums. Heistand, meanwhile, was Hawksworth’s partner for the four-year-old team’s first two victories in 2019.

Jeff Bal, Lexus motorsports manager, commented: “Frankie, Aaron and Richard know the car well and all three have earned wins, podiums and poles behind the wheel of the RC F GT3. Their experience in the Lexus combined with good chemistry creates an advantage for the #12. 

“Both Jimmy and Sulli have done a great job pulling together a winning driver lineup and building an excellent crew to make sure the Lexus will be in position to earn podiums throughout the season. The team is energized and we’re excited to watch them go out and fight for the GTD championship in 2022.”

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