Late Race Incident Denies Thompson and No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus a Win at Sahlen’s Six-Hour
WATKINS GLEN, NEW YORK
In a thrilling, weather-challenged race at Watkins Glen International, Parker Thompson, with teammates Frankie Montecalvo and Aaron Telitz, drove the No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 to a fourth-place finish in GTD. The trio performed strongly in a Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen event, fraught with pouring rain, high winds, multiple caution flags, and a 40-minute red flag stoppage. Thompson closed the contest with tremendous pace, attacking the class leader in the final minutes before a side-to-side collision forced him off-track and dropped him down the order and off the podium.
Thompson showed class-leading pace throughout the event, with the fastest lap time in Practice 2 and Qualifying. On Sunday, he started on the pole and maintained the lead throughout his opening stint, building a solid foundation as he handed the car off to Montecalvo at the end of the first hour.
Montecalvo kept the momentum, leading throughout his first stint before rejoining in second place after a pit stop. He held this position until Telitz took over, navigating a race that saw rapidly changing weather conditions, including torrential downpours, that resulted in a lengthy red flag.
With about thirty minutes left, racing resumed, and Thompson rejoined the action in fourth place. Demonstrating his racing prowess and pace, Thompson quickly advanced two positions and aggressively challenged for the class lead. However, in a dramatic and decisive moment with just under nine minutes remaining, an attempted pass for the lead saw Thompson forced into a runoff area. Ultimately, he and the No. 12 GTD machine finished in fourth place.
Reflecting on the event, Thompson said, “There’s not much more to say after this except ‘onwards and upwards.’ The No. 12 Vasser Sullivan team did everything they needed to do to win the Watkins Glen six-hour race. We won here in 2023, and a repeat win was in sight, but it was taken away from us, racing hard in the final minutes for the win. I’ll decompress and learn from this. I’m new to the closer role in these GTD races, and I’m still learning who is fair and who is a foe out there. I learned that the hard way today. One thing is for sure: we’ve got more momentum than any other team in GTD, and I can’t wait to take that back up to the Great White North and use this as motivation to fuel the fire for the back half of the season.”
Thompson, Montecalvo, and the No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 team will aim for their first victory of the season as the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship heads north of the border to Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, July 12-14. This track holds special significance for Canadian-born Thompson, who has been victorious there in various series throughout his career. For 2024, the event represents Thompson’s only opportunity to race in front of a Canadian crowd, and no doubt, he will look to leverage the team’s momentum to secure victory there.
UPCOMING IMSA WEATHERTECH SPORTSCAR CHAMPIONSHIP EVENTS
Chevrolet Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park – July 14
IMSA Sportscar Weekend at Road America – August 4
Michelin GT Challenge at VIR – August 25
Tirerack.com Battle on the Bricks at IMS – September 22
Motul Petit Le Mans – October 12
For more details and broadcast information, visit imsa.com.
