DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Change has always been the one constant in auto racing. But maybe now there’s another.
Jack Hawksworth is celebrating his 100th IMSA start with Lexus this weekend at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. In the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, which generally only features around 10 races a year, 100 races for a driver with the same marque – and even the same car, the Lexus RC F GT3 – is a true mark of longevity.
“It’s crazy, really, just kind of how time flies,” Hawksworth reflected on an IMSA-hosted media preview of the 74th running of Sebring’s classic endurance race.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to be with Lexus for a decade now. We’ve competed in a lot of races together – a hundred, to be exact after this this weekend’s Sebring race. There’s been a lot of pretty good moments and some not so good moments, but it’s been really cool to kind of be part of this family and to be a part of the success and the championships and the race wins we’ve been able to have.
“It’s been the highlight of my career to be with this brand and to do this for so long.”
When Hawksworth joined forces with Lexus in late 2016, it marked a sharp turn in his career. To that point, he had focused on open-wheel competition, winning what was then known as the Star Mazda championship in 2012 with engineer Geoff Fickling – who’s been a big part of his Lexus tenure – and culminating in 49 IndyCar starts between 2014-’16 for Bryan Herta Autosport and A.J. Foyt Racing.
For the first two years, 3GT Racing operated the Lexus IMSA effort before Vasser Sullivan (co-owned by 1996 IndyCar champion Jimmy Vasser and James ‘Sulli’ Sullivan) took the reins in 2019. Hawksworth has notched 11 race wins, 32 podiums, and 13 Motul Pole Awards in his 99 Lexus starts to date. His first Lexus win came at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in 2019.
The Englishman, who just turned 35 last month, had no idea the combination has been together for such a significant milestone number of starts.
“It took me by surprise a bit – it wasn’t on my radar,” Hawksworth admitted. “Until about a week ago I had no idea and then our PR team at Lexus reached out and told me that it was my 100th race. I guess my reaction initially was just shock, really, that I had done that many IMSA races with Lexus. It’s gone very, very quickly. It’s just a number, right? You tend to hold on to the win stats and the podium stats. But to have started 100 races with the same manufacturer, that’s cool.
“It’s cool look back on and I’m proud that I’ve been on that journey the whole way,” he continued. “You can certainly link me with the start of the Vasser Sullivan program and the start of the RC F GT3 racing in America. To see where the program has come from those beginning days in 2017 to where we are now – we’re a factor pretty much at any race. On any given day, we can win as a race team. I’ve worked with some really good people and a really good organization and I’m very fortunate to have been a part of it from the very beginning.”
Hawksworth is again teamed with Ben Barnicoat in the No. 14 Lexus in the Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) PRO class of the WeatherTech Championship. It’s the same duo who won the 2023 GTD PRO championship after finishing second in 2022. Vasser Sullivan also fields a No. 12 entry in the GTD class driven this year by Aaron Telitz and Benjamin Pedersen, joined for IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup races by Frankie Montecalvo.
Barnicoat and Hawksworth’s driver for Michelin Endurance Cup races including the Twelve Hours of Sebring is IndyCar star Kyle Kirkwood, who is coming off a statement victory in the inaugural Grand Prix of Arlington. The addition of Kirkwood gives the No. 14 Lexus one of the strongest driver lineups in any of IMSA’s four classes.
“Kyle has obviously had a great start to the IndyCar season and it’s definitely nice that he’s coming off a win to join us at Sebring,” related Hawksworth. “We’ve all been cheering him on. It’s kind of got me back into watching IndyCar a bit with him racing over there and seeing his success this season has been really cool.
“I know he’s riding high off the back of that victory last weekend so we’re hoping he brings that speed and that winning feeling to our race team this weekend. We’re lucky to have him in the race car with myself and Ben.”
The Vasser Sullivan Lexus entries enter the Sebring weekend as favorites in both GTD and GTD PRO. Hawksworth owns two wins at the characterful Florida airfield circuit (the 2024 12 Hours and a 2020 sprint race), with the 2024 victory from pole position bookended by podium finishes in 2023 and ’25.
