Kyle Kirkwood believes Vasser Sullivan will need a miracle to take the lead in this weekend’s Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, admitting the Lexus RC F GT3 is 1.5 seconds behind the leader.
Lexus’ long-standing GT3 contender will enter the final year of its life in the IMSA Sports Car Championship in 2026, ahead of the debut of the new Toyota GR GT3 next year.
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Although its origins date back to 2017, the RC F GT3 remains highly competitive in IMSA and other championships, with Vasser Sullivan duo Ben Barnicoat and Jack Hawksworth winning the 2023 GTD Pro championship with the V8-powered car.
However, with the likes of Porsche, Ferrari and Ford rolling out evo updates to their GT3 models this year, and Lamborghini unveiling an all-new car based on the Temerario, Lexus faces an increasingly difficult fight to maintain its competitive position.
Andretti IndyCar star Kirkwood remains confident in the RC F GT3, describing the car as beautiful but admitting it is starting to show signs of age in its ninth year of racing.
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“[The car is] From what I understand, the limit has almost been reached here. “The American told Motorsport.com.
“[But] This is more of an engineering problem, right? As drivers, we have complete confidence in this device. Not long ago, this car won the championship. A few years ago we won some of the biggest games of the year. “
#14 Vasser Sullivan Racing Lexus RC F GT3: Jack Hawksworth, Ben Barnicoat, Kyle Kirkwood
#14 Vasser Sullivan Racing Lexus RC F GT3: Jack Hawksworth, Ben Barnicoat, Kyle Kirkwood
Asked how the car has developed over time, he added: “Pretty consistent, similar the last few years. I would say the biggest difference is the type of people we have around us and execution – that’s what we had when we won the championship a few years ago.”
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“I think this year [it has been] Like a complete makeover, a reset, [to] Understanding what we need to do better, an influx of people, some brainpower, and hopefully a little development.
“I would say, setup-wise, we haven’t been that much different the last few years. Maybe a lot different than five years ago. But it’s interesting how this thing has evolved.
“We keep putting things off, but it’s more about conditions than anything. We know what we’re getting. Everybody knows what we’re getting at this point. And still keep pushing and trying to get some wins out of this old girl.”
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While Kirkwood still has faith in the aging concept, especially throughout the season, the Daytona weekend has exposed how tough Vasser Sullivan’s battle will be.
Kirkwood and teammates Barnicoat and Hawksworth finished 12th out of 15 GTD Pro entries in the No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus, more than nine-tenths behind the No. 3 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R, with Alexander Sims taking pole position.
#3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Antonio Garcia, Alexander Sims, Marvin Kirchhöfer
#3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Antonio Garcia, Alexander Sims, Marvin Kirchhöfer
While a race like Daytona isn’t always decided by raw speed, the 27-year-old acknowledged that the North Carolina team needs everything in place to do well on Sunday.
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Lexus has never won a class title at the Florida Endurance Classic, although it has come close several times, including a second-place finish in 2019.
“We needed about a second and a half of pace, some miracles, some strategy. The yellow card fell on us,” he said. “Honestly, we need a lot to get us out of this. We’re not in an ideal situation. At this point, we’re going to have to have a miracle to get ahead.”
“We did everything right. The car felt great. We all said the same thing. It felt good, but we just weren’t quite in rhythm.
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“So, keep your head down and work hard and we’re trying to figure out what we can do here. Hopefully the game goes well and we get lucky on some things. But at the end of the day, it’s not going to be easy for us.”
Vasser Sullivan also competes in the Pro-Am GTD class in a Lexus RC F GT3, with Aaron Telitz, Benjamin Pedersen, Frankie Montecalvo and Esteban Masson co-driving the No. 12 car.
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