Akkodis ASP Team has confirmed a two-car Lexus RC F GT3 effort in the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship, which will be the first season for the LMGT3 category.

Next year, Jerome Policand’s team celebrates their 25th anniversary, and will take on the WEC and the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the first time.

The championship itself has yet to feature a Lexus competitor, and so the new LMGT3 formula will enable two RC F GT3s to be represented.

In an online statement, ASP said: “The team will enter in the LMGT3 category, in a championship that they will be discovering, and notably with a new car, the LEXUS RC F GT3; this is a familiar approach for the Akkodis ASP Team, who is specialised in GT3 at the highest level.

“The Team intend to enter two cars in 2024 subject to the decision of the ACO/WEC selection process next month.

“The crews will be announced in a few weeks.”

ASP won consecutive 2022 and 2023 Endurance Cup titles in GT World Challenge Europe, and led the charge on landing Mercedes’ first win in almost a decade at the 24 Hours of Spa.

Most recently in international sportscar racing, the Lexus has been represented in Vasser Sullivan’s GTD efforts in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, as Ben Barnicoat and Jack Hawksworth won the GTD Pro title in the RC F GT3 package.

This will mark the fifth automotive manufacturer ASP has collaborated with in their history, having ran with the likes of Renault, Porsche, Ferrari and Mercedes machinery.

As part of an ongoing two-day Goodyear tyre test at Portimao, ASP are running a Lexus RC F GT3 to gain data with their LMGT3 tyre manufacturer.

Next year’s WEC season will begin with a 10-hour event in Qatar in March, before traveling to Europe for the Imola, Spa-Francorchamps, and the historic 24 Hours of Le Mans in June.

In July, the WEC will return to Sao Paulo in Brazil having not raced there since 2014, and will then travel to the United States at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas venue for September.

A six-hour race in Fuji and an eight-hour race in November will conclude the 2024 WEC season.

Ben Barnicoat, the new recruit to Vasser Sullivan’s ranks for its GTD Pro effort in the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship, says the opportunity to join Lexus after his McLaren departure was ‘a surprise’.

Barnicoat will team up with compatriot Jack Hawksworth for a full-season effort aboard the #14 Lexus RC F GT3 in the new category in 2022.

The Briton spent four years as a factory driver with McLaren’s GT squad before leaving at the end of 2021 but not before making his IMSA debut with Inception Racing at Petit Le Mans, driving a McLaren 720S GT3.

When his tenure at McLaren came to an end at the closing of 2021, Barnicoat says he received a call from Lexus, much to his surprise.

“I was coming off a great 2021 season and was lucky enough to get a call from Lexus,” said Barnicoat. “It did come as a surprise, to be honest. I had a very good year and I was hoping people were looking at me.

“For the call to come from America, when I had been racing in Europe, that was a little bit of a surprise. America is the place I’ve always wanted to race and be here fulltime. As soon as that phone call happened, it was an opportunity I didn’t want to let slip.”

Prior to his time with McLaren in GT racing, the 25-year-old competed in junior single seaters, notably winning races with Hitech GP in the European F3 Series in 2016. A year later, he signed on as a McLaren factory driver and began competing with Strakka Racing in the Blancpain GT Series.

He’s also had several outings in ACO-rules racing. He made his Le Mans debut with Inception Racing last year and join Carlin’s short-lived Dallara LMP2 effort in the European and Asian Le Mans Series in 2019.

The relationship with Carlin also led to a brief and unexpected return to Formula 3 in 2020, replacing Enaam Ahmed for four races midway through the season.

“It was an easy transition from Formula to sports car racing,” Barnicoat remarked. “When I drove for McLaren, we had some good results. Saw some highs and lows. I did well enough to earn my place here on the Lexus team.”

“I raced mostly GTs in Europe. I did a brief spell in LMP2 in 2019 when I did the Europe Le Mans and Asian Le Mans series with Carlin Motorsport.”

Barnicoat will team up with one of the most experienced drivers in Lexus’ stable in Jack Hawksworth. The two drivers were born not far from each other. Barnicoat hails from Chesterfield in Derbyshire, while Hawksworth was born in the nearby West Yorkshire county, in the town of Bradford.

“I’m very happy to be here and have a teammate like Jack Hawksworth – another Brit! – and that works well,” Barnicoat concluded. “We call ourselves ‘Team Northern England.’”

“This is an amazing opportunity for me. It’s amazing to see the direction Lexus is going with its motorsport program and to have a teammate like Jack, you can’t ask for more.”

Ben Barnicoat will form part of Vasser Sullivan’s single car GTD Pro effort in the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship.

The 24-year-old Briton will partner with compatriot Jack Hawksworth aboard the #14 Lexus RC F GT3. Kyle Kirkwood will join the duo for the four endurance rounds alongside his commitments with AJ Foyt Racing in IndyCar.

Barnicoat recently ended a five-year stint as a factory GT driver with McLaren, during which he raced in the GT World Challenge, Intercontinental GT Challenge and one previous race in IMSA at last month’s Motul Petit Le Mans.

Hawksworth, meanwhile, is the most experienced driver in Lexus’ GTD Pro stable. The former IndyCar racer has driven the RC F GT3 in IMSA since 2017, including three seasons with what is now known as Vasser Sullivan.

Lexus is the second manufacturer to announce its GTD Pro line-up after Corvette Racing did so previously.

Vasser Sullivan will also continue to campaign one car in the GTD category. The driver line-up for that car is yet to be announced.

Vasser Sullivan Racing has become the first team to publicly commit to IMSA’s new GTD Pro category for the 2022 campaign.

The team will enter a single Lexus RC F GT3 in the new category with factory support, while also continuing its involvement in the current GTD category.

“In three seasons together Vasser Sullivan and Lexus have shown enthusiasts what the RC F GT3 is capable of,” said team co-owner James Sullivan.

“Our partnership with Lexus is based on trust, and together, we’re energized to be launching an assault on the newly formed GTD Pro class, and renewing our commitment to winning a GTD class championship.

“The opportunity to compete in both classes will showcase the combined strength of both Lexus performance and Vasser Sullivan.”

Drivers for the new entry have yet to be announced. The team currently campaigns a pair of cars in the GTD category with Jack Hawksworth, Zach Veach, Aaron Telitz and Frankie Montecalvo as drivers.

The team is the first to officially announce plans to enter IMSA’s new top GT class, but many more are expected to follow. Corvette Racing previously expressed interest, as have several other teams.

“We’re excited to compete in GTD Pro with Vasser Sullivan and can’t wait to run the Lexus RC F GT3 against some of our most storied competitors,” said Lexus Motorsports manager Jeff Bal. 

“Jimmy and Sulli have done an incredible job in GTD and we are excited to partner with them next season in the new GTD Pro class.”

The list of racing car projects that were aborted prematurely is almost endless. Spend some time searching on the internet, and you will come across countless stories of ambitious programmes that never saw the light of day for a variety of reasons.

One of these stories centers around the FIA World Endurance Championship, and Toyota’s ultimately fruitless pursuit to turn a cutting edge supercar into a Le Mans racer.

At some point, Toyota decided to try and develop a car to run in the GTE classes of the first season of the FIA World Endurance Championship, as part of a double-fronted factory effort in the series alongside its LMP1 effort.

The choice for the project fell on a two-seater, front engined super car recently launched by its luxury vehicle division Lexus.

The Lexus LFA remains one of the most popular cars of its time. Officially unveiled in 2009 and produced from 2010 to 2012, the LFA quickly gained traction thanks to its driving characteristics, engineering and soundtrack delivered by its V10 engine. 

As a result, it garnered praise from some significant figures in the motoring industry, including Chris Harris, Jay Leno and Jeremy Clarkson. But, had cards fallen a little differently, it could have raced at Le Mans. 

The idea would have been to run one car of each: a single LFA, alongside a single Toyota TS030 Hybrid. Had it happened, the first season of the WEC would have seen the LFA compete in the GTE Pro category alongside the likes of Ferrari, Porsche and Aston Martin.

The involvement of the Lexus LFA in motorsport is nothing new. Early prototypes of what would eventually become the roadgoing supercar were spotted on the Nürburgring Nordschleife as early as 2004.

A year later, Lexus unveiled the first concept in Detroit. Initially, it still carried the name LF-A. The car was intended as a second car from the Lexus F marque, the company’s high performance division.

A second concept for the car was unveiled in 2007, and then in 2008, the car began racing properly as a means of further development for its roadgoing counterpart.

The LFA achieved some degree of success in the annual endurance classic in the Eifel, winning its class in 2010 and 2012. While production ended later that year, the LFA continued to race at the Nordschleife, battling on until 2015, after which the LC500 took its place.

But what about the Le Mans racer, then? Development on a potential GTE version of the LFA began after the roadcar had hit production in 2010.

The V10 engine from the production car would have made its way into the GTE version, fitted with a pair of air restrictors at 29.4mm each. As a result, the Lexus LFA GTE would have produced 475PS and 560Nm, maxing out at 9000 rpm. Top speed would have been limited to 300 kilometers per hour.

The car was also more than just a sketch on a napkin somewhere. While never officially confirmed, the LFA GTE did exist and underwent physical testing. It notably underwent a test at Valencia in 2011. This was done after a scale model of the car had undergone a full wind tunnel testing programme.

It was clear Toyota was gearing up for a return to endurance racing after well over a decade of absence. So why then did we never see it race in the World Endurance Championship? 

Why was the plug pulled? A brief comment from Pascal Vasselon, Toyota Gazoo Racing’s technical director since 2010, shines a bit more light on the mysterious project.

“At some point, we wanted to keep racing, and possibly to race at Le Mans,” Vasselon said. “So we had kicked off this LFA GTE program. But then, when it became clear that there was a preference to go for LMP1, then the program had just been replaced. It was just replaced by a more ambitious program in LMP1.”

Vasselon also confirmed that the car was indeed operational, albeit in an early stage of its existence.

“It has been running at an early stage of development, but it has been running. It was a running car.”

Vasselon states that the LFA was simply overhauled and replaced by Toyota’s more ambitious LMP1 efforts. Another reason that is said to have played a part in the decision to abandon a joint effort and instead focus fully on LMP1, is that running both LMP1 and GTE at the same time is a challenging endeavour, one that has never truly been attempted in the World Endurance Championship.

The most recent example of a manufacturer running both at the same time is Porsche, which raced in both LMP1 and GTE Pro with factory squads from 2014 to 2017. There is, however, one significant difference between the two.

Porsche’s factory GTE Pro efforts are operated by German affiliate operation Manthey Racing, which have done so since 2013. So while Manthey took care of the GTE side of things, Porsche itself could fully focus on the LMP1 team. 

Toyota does not have such a structure and instead, all factory operations are carried out on its own. It would therefore need to focus on both categories at the same time. Instead, its plans transformed into a single, two-car prototype effort starting in 2012, which endures to this day.

While we will never know how successful a factory GTE effort from Toyota could have been, it is safe to say that the decision to fully concentrate on LMP1 hasn’t been a bad one. Since the TS030’s debut in 2012, Toyota has gone on to win three world titles and three consecutive victories in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The lone LFA GTE development car reportedly does still exist, and is believed to be located somewhere in Japan. Its exact whereabouts, however, are unknown.

Even though the LFA never saw action in the WEC and at Le Mans, the V10 supercar has seen more than its fair share of motorsport action even before the official roadcar even hit showroom floors, as we’ve seen.

While the GTE program ultimately never came to fruition, Vasselon says that some of the lessons learned and data gathered did make their way towards the LFA’s other racing ventures.

“There are always some, I would say, data sharing activities between the different companies within Toyota. The physical car did not race, there has been some data sharing.”

So while the Lexus LFA GTE ultimately never made it to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Lexus’ popular V10 supercar ended up seeing its fair share of racing action.

Toyota, meanwhile, focused on prototype racing and never looked back and it’s fair to conclude that that was the right decision to make.

Although one can’t help but wonder that the Lexus LFA racing at Le Mans could truly have been something special.

Vasser Sullivan Racing has announced that Aaron Telitz and Jack Hawksworth will return to the team for the 2021 IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship.

Telitz and Hawksworth will reunite aboard the #14 Lexus RC F GT3, which they took to three wins, three pole positions and the Sprint Cup title during the 2020 season.

“We have not been shy about our attack on the IMSA GTD championship for 2021,” said Vasser Sullivan Racing co-owner Jimmy Vasser.

“Securing both Hawksworth and Telitz in the No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus entry is the first of a few dominoes to fall as we prepare our assault on this championship.

“We couldn’t be more energized for what’s to come. Additionally, a big thank you to Andrew (Bordin), Ian and Keith (Willis) for their work and partnership over the last two seasons.”

The team will be running without AIM Autosport for the first time next season, after the Canadian organisation parted ways with Vasser Sullivan last month.

Hawksworth will embark on his third season with Lexus in IMSA, while Telitz signs on for his first full season aboard the #14 Lexus after splitting duties between the team’s two cars during 2020.

This past season, the team finished third in the GTD standings after both cars crashed out of the Twelve Hours of Sebring simultaneously.

AIM Autosport and Vasser Sullivan, the two teams that formed the Lexus GT3 effort in the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship, have mutually agreed to part ways effective immediately.

AIM and Vasser Sullivan has run the pair of Lexus RC F GT3s since 2019 after taking over from 3GT Racing and took several race wins and a Sprint Cup title in 2020.

The Canadian outfit, which operated the two-car operation, is based in Canada and owned by the brothers Ian and Keith Willis, as well as Andrew Bordin.

“AIM Autosport is very proud of the success achieved with the Lexus RCF GT3 in IMSA over the last two years with our partners, Jimmy Vasser, James Sullivan, Lexus and TRD,” AIM wrote in a statement. “For 2021, circumstances are such that AIM and Vasser Sullivan are going to go in different directions.

“Motorsports is a tight-knit community and you never know what the future will bring. If the opportunity and circumstance presents itself in the future, we would be happy to join forces once again to achieve even greater success.”

Vasser Sullivan, which is also active in IndyCar, is hinting at ‘exciting announcements’ with regards to the team in the near future, stating:

“After two successful seasons, Vasser Sullivan Racing and AIM Autosport have mutually agreed to part ways.”

“We thank Andrew Bordin, Ian and Keith Willis for their dedication and hard work – especially during the unique 2020 season – and wish them the best.

“Vasser Sullivan will be making some exciting announcements regarding the direction of the team in the near future.”

For its part, AIM Autosport released a separate statement in which it is hinting towards a future in IMSA’s Michelin Pilot Challenge, possibly with the Toyota GR Supra GT4 in the series’ GS category.

“Off the heels of a successful 2020 season, AIM Autosport looks forward to new opportunites for 2021 and beyond.”

“Remaining active in the race shop, AIM is exploring on-track options for the upcoming racing season with a focus on an IMSA GS program continuing the winning relationship developed over the past two years with Toyota Racing Development (TRD).”

“AIM looks forward to racing with our partners and for our fans in the coming years.”

Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor have captured the GTLM titles in the IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship after team-mates Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner were handed a post-race penalty.

Gavin and Milner had finished third in class in Sunday’s Hyundai Monterey Sports Car Championship event at Laguna Seca, but were demoted to last in class after failing post-race scrutineering checks. The #4 Corvette C8.R was found to have had a height infraction with the car’s rear diffuser.

The pairing were subsequently placed at the back of the class, promoting the Porsche duo of Nick Tandy and Fred Makowiecki to third.

As a result of the ruling, Garcia and Taylor have an insurmountable points lead after finishing in second place. The pair have taken five wins and six pole positions during the 2020 campaign and can no longer be caught in the point’s tally. Corvette Racing has also locked up the team’s title with six victories versus two for BMW and two for Porsche.

Sprint Cup honours for AIM Vasser Sullivan

AIM Vasser Sullivan also sealed the Weathertech Sprint Cup title on Sunday, with Aaron Telitz and Jack Hawksworth only having to start the final round of the sprint championship in order to win the title.

Telitz and Hawksworth sealed the driver’s title in the #14 Lexus RC F GT3, while AIM Vasser Sullivan won the team’s title and Lexus took the manufacturer’s crown.

It marks the first time Lexus has won a championship in IMSA and the second time the Sprint Cup champions have been crowned. Pfaff Motorsports won the driver’s title in 2019 with Zacharie Robichon, while Meyer Shank Racing and Porsche took the team’s and manufacturer’s titles respectively last year.

Telitz and Hawksworth took three victories en route to the title, winning the Weathertech 240 at Daytona, Cadillac Grand Prix of Sebring and Acura Sports Car Challenge at Mid-Ohio as well as taking four pole positions.

The duo had a difficult outing at Laguna Seca. The #14 Lexus started at the back of the grid after a puncture in qualifying and battled on to finish eleventh place. This allowed Meyer Shank Racing to regain the GTD championship lead heading into the final round at Sebring later this month.