SALINAS, Calif. (May 12, 2025) – The Vasser Sullivan No. 12 Lexus RC F GT3 scored another gritty second-place finish with drivers Jack Hawksworth and Parker Thompson in the GTD class to lead the way for the Lexus Vasser Sullivan team during Sunday afternoon’s Monterey SportsCar Championship at Laguna Seca. The No. 14 Lexus driven by Aaron Telitz and Marvin Kirchhöfer in the GTD PRO class, battled hard all race long and eventually brought home a seventh-place finish in the GTD PRO class.

The Lexus Vasser Sullivan No. 12 team qualified seventh, but Parker Thompson made a jaw-dropping move to start the race in turn one, as he pulled to the outside of the field and went from seventh to second in a matter of moments. Eventually, Thompson was able to move up into the lead early in Sunday’s two-hour, 40-minute timed race.

Thompson settled into second-place following the team’s first pit stop of the day before handing the car over to Jack Hawksworth for the final stint. From there, the Lexus factory driver delivered a smooth performance to the finish line for the No. 12 Lexus Vasser Sullivan team, securing a third consecutive runner-up finish following strong showings at Sebring and Long Beach.

The No. 14 car qualified eighth, with Telitz starting the race and able to move up into sixth-place early on. However, prior to the first scheduled pit stop of the day, Telitz was pushed off the racing surface by another car, affecting the handling of the RC F GT3 for he and Kirchhöfer for the rest of the race. They were able to manage the car and compete to the end, bringing home a hard fought, seventh-place finish.

With the No. 12 car bringing home another podium finish, the result helped the Lexus team gain more ground in the GTD class manufacturer standings. Lexus was able to move up one spot to second, behind the class-leading Mercedes-AMG. For the No. 14, they remain seventh in the GTD PRO manufacturer point standings.

The Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3s return to action on the streets of Downtown Detroit on Saturday, May 31, where the GTD PRO class will compete in the Detroit Grand Prix on the 1.7-mile street course. To keep up with all the racing action, follow Lexus Racing on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok by using #LexusPerformance.

Vasser Sullivan Driver Quotes
PARKER THOMPSON, No. 12 Lexus RC F GT3
What does it mean to get a runner-up podium finish after where you started the race? 
“Most of my race was there in turns 1 and 2 to be honest, which is famous here at Laguna Seca. It was kind of funny because we talked about the difference between the inside and the outside lanes. I was pretty solid on going to the inside but when I saw it open up, I decided to send it on the outside and it worked out pretty well. From there, I knew we were in a good spot and knew they were going to mix up the strategy a bit, and it was my job to keep the car clean and hand it off to Jack (Hawksworth) to bring it home. This was such a good day for us. It’s not been our strongest track. To leave here with a good points day and now head to some tracks that are really good for us, it was a good day for our team. Can’t wait to see what this Lexus Vasser Sullivan Racing team can do on the east coast swing coming up.”

JACK HAWKSWORTH, No. 12 Lexus RC F GT3
What did it take to get a second-place podium finish today?
“Mega race for us. We qualified further back than we would have liked, but Parker (Thompson) just ripped the start and took it from sixth to first, which really put us in a position to fight and run up front the whole race. We had to go slightly off strategy at the beginning, but in many ways it worked out for us because Parker was able to jump to the lead and put some good laps in. The Mercedes were quicker than us and were able to catch up, but then the final 10 laps we did what we could to stay there in case anything happened. To get second, full credit to this Lexus Vasser Sullivan team. They gave us a great race car. It’s always a tricky track for us so to escape here with a second we are really happy with that. Hats off to the team, Parker – really everyone, just a mega day.”

AARON TELITZ, No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3 
“Our No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3 car was running really well, we were up in the top-five in GTD PRO. Our race took a turn after the contact with the No. 9, which bent a bit of the car, but our tough Lexus RC F soldiered home. We picked up some seventh-place points, which is better than what it could have been. We are on an upward trend at least. Wish today would have been a little better, but we were really glad to make it to the finish, and the car was quite good here. It’s normally a track we struggle with, but I was actually really happy with the car balance.”

MARVIN KIRCHHOFER, No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3 
“Obviously it wasn’t the result we were hoping for. Aaron (Telitz) had a really good start and made his way up to P6, but when he was fighting his way up into P5 the contact caused some damage and limited our pace. From that minute on, it became a bit more difficult to attack towards the front. Finishing P7 isn’t the result we wanted, but from a team effort perspective, everyone maximized the job. Really appreciate that for the whole Lexus Vasser Sullivan team. I was also very happy to see the No. 12 finishing in P2, so a good team effort on their side and very well deserved.”