Vasser Sullivan Racing finally broke through again in the GTD class of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, with Aaron Telitz and Benjamin Pedersen taking the No. 12 Lexus RC F GT3 to victory in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. It was the team’s first class win since the same event in 2024, ending a drought that had stretched across 22 IMSA starts, including this race.
The result carried extra significance for the organization led by Jimmy Vasser and James “Sulli” Sullivan. Long Beach already held a special place in the team’s recent history, and this weekend also marked the 30th anniversary of Vasser’s own Indy car victory at the California street circuit in April 1996, a win that helped launch his title-winning campaign that season.
For Lexus and Vasser Sullivan, the triumph was a long-awaited reward after a difficult period without success. The No. 12 crew did not dominate the early stages of the race, but instead executed a composed and intelligent strategy that allowed them to strike at exactly the right time.
Measured opening phase sets up decisive second half
The No. 12 Lexus started from sixth on the grid, with Benjamin Pedersen taking the opening stint. While the pole-sitting No. 36 DXDT Racing Corvette Z06 GT3.R of Robert Wickens controlled the first phase of the race, Pedersen kept the Lexus firmly in contention and handed the car over to Telitz at the scheduled stop.
Wickens had converted pole into a commanding opening run, leading the first 25 laps over 35 minutes and building a margin of more than five seconds. The Canadian looked fully in control, and the Corvette appeared to have the pace to dictate the race.
That picture changed when a caution caused by contact between two GTP cars neutralized the field and erased Wickens’ advantage. Once the race resumed, the restart became the critical moment of the GTD contest.
Telitz immediately recognized the opportunity. With the Lexus RC F GT3 able to bring its tires in quickly after restarts, he attacked Mason Filippi’s No. 36 Corvette. The decisive move began through the left-hand Turn 6 and was completed on the inside at Turn 8, putting the No. 12 Lexus in front at exactly the right moment.
Telitz later explained that the Lexus’ restart performance was one of the car’s key strengths all weekend, and it proved decisive in the battle against the DXDT Corvette, which had looked so strong in the opening stint but did not switch its tires on as effectively after the caution.
Chaos behind helps seal breakthrough victory
Filippi’s race then began to unravel almost immediately after losing track position. While trying to manage traffic and deal with a BMW prototype, he lost momentum in a chaotic sequence through the middle sector. Contact and pressure from the tightly packed GTD field dropped the No. 36 Corvette from second to sixth between Turns 4 and 8, with the car also losing its left-side mirror in the process.
That opened the door for the cars behind to capitalize. Robby Foley moved into second in the No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 EVO, while Albert Costa placed the No. 34 Conquest Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO into third. Corey Lewis in the No. 66 Gradient Racing Ford Mustang GT3 and Andrea Caldarelli in the No. 46 Pfaff Motorsports Lamborghini Temerario GT3 also emerged among the main beneficiaries of the shuffle.
One of the more intriguing stories came from the sister No. 89 Lexus RC F GT3. Forced to start from the rear after a post-qualifying ride-height infringement, the team adopted an alternate strategy by starting Jack Hawksworth instead of Frankie Montecalvo. Hawksworth charged through the field and, although the car later had to pit again so Montecalvo could fulfill his minimum drive time, the No. 89 still recovered to fifth place.
Out front, however, Telitz never relinquished control. Once he moved clear, the No. 12 Lexus managed the gap effectively and reached the checkered flag 5.055 seconds ahead of Foley’s BMW. Costa and Manny Franco completed the podium in third for Conquest Racing. Fourth went to the No. 70 Inception Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO, followed by the recovering No. 89 Lexus in fifth and the No. 36 DXDT Corvette in sixth.
The win not only ended Vasser Sullivan’s drought, but also restored Lexus to the top step in one of IMSA’s most competitive categories. The championship now heads to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on May 3, where GTD PRO rejoins the GTD and GTP classes.
