United States Vasser Sullivan Racing
Founded2010 (2010)
Team principal(s)James “Sulli” Sullivan, Jimmy Vasser
Current seriesIMSA SportsCar Championship
Current driversUnited Kingdom Ben Barnicoat
United Kingdom Mike Conway
United Kingdom Jack Hawksworth
United States Kyle Kirkwood
United States Frankie Montecalvo
United States Aaron Telitz
United States Kyle Kirkwood
Canada Parker Thompson
Teams'
Championships
IMSA SportsCar Championship: 2023
Drivers'
Championships
IMSA SportsCar Championship: 2023
A Lexus RC F GT3 campaigned by Vasser Sullivan Racing in the 2019 IMSA SportsCar Championship season.

Vasser Sullivan is an American organization involved in motorsports. It was founded in 2010 by James “Sulli” Sullivan as SH Racing to compete in motocross. In 2011, the team partnered with KV Racing Technology to form KVSH Racing. Following a two-year hiatus after the demise of KV Racing Technology, Sullivan and former KV co-owner Jimmy Vasser announced that they had formed Vasser Sullivan. The organization has competed in racing series including: the Red Bull Global Rallycross Series under the SH Rallycross/DRR banner, the IndyCar Series where it has competed as co-entrants with KV as well as with Dale Coyne Racing, and the IMSA SportsCar Championship where it formerly partnered with Aim Autosport as Aim Vasser Sullivan before later competing independently.

James Sullivan

Sullivan founded SH Racing after graduation from Baylor University in 2003 with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in entrepreneurship.

In addition to racing, Sullivan co-founded sports nutrition supplement firm Protein Bullet and the Dallas-based private equity fund Modena Capital Group.

SH Rallycross

SH Racing competes in Global Rallycross. With Scott Speed behind the wheel it competed in the 2013 X GAMES Los Angeles in a partnership with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing.

SH Rallycross/DRR was launched as SH Rallycross in 2014 to compete in the Red Bull Global Rallycross Series. The team captured the bronze medal, earning its first podium finish, in its third event at the 2014 X GAMES, in Austin, Texas. SH Rallycross/DRR is led by Sullivan, Dennis Reinbold and Jimmy Vasser. In 2016 it fielded a Ford Fiesta ST. SH Rallycross/DRR has made 33 RBGRC starts, earning 17 heat race wins, eight finals podiums and one finals victory. The team finished fourth in the championship standings in 2014 and 2015. It had its best season in 2015 with four podium performances in the finals, including a win in Washington, DC. It was the only Red Bull Global Rallycross SuperCar team to make it to each main (final) event.

KVSH Racing

KVSH Racing is co-owned by venture capitalist Kevin Kalkhoven 1996, Indy car champion Jimmy Vasser and Sullivan.

The group was formed in 2011, finishing eighth in the Indianapolis 500. The team won the Indianapolis 500 in 2013 with driver Tony Kanaan and fielded an entry in the IndyCar Series for four-time series champion Sebastien Bourdais. Bourdias is the only Indy car driver to win four consecutive championships, from 2004 to 2007. Bourdais finished 10th in the championship standings in 2014 and 2015. He was placed 14th in 2016 on the strength of 11 top-10 finishes in 16 races, including a victory at Detroit Race 1.

Sports Car Racing

Vasser Sullivan Racing announced a partnership with AIM Autosport and Lexus in October 2018 to form the AIM Vasser Sullivan team which debuted in IMSA competition at the 2019 Rolex 24.[1] The combined effort recorded their first win in the third race of the 2019 season with Jack Hawksworth and Richard Heistand finishing at the front of the GTD class at Mid-Ohio. The partnership resulted in numerous podiums and wins over the 3 seasons that it existed but in late 2020, Vasser Sullivan announced that it was splitting from AIM Autosport in order to establish a new team base in North Carolina. The team was rebranded back to just Vasser Sullivan Racing for the start of the 2021 season and has been operated out of their Charlotte, NC base since that time. Team manager Greg Cates, who has a history with multiple sports car teams ranging from Joest Racing to 3GT Racing was hired in 2020 and the rest of the crew was built out with engineers, mechanics, and other technical personnel hired from experienced IMSA, IndyCar, and NASCAR teams.[2]

Geoff Fickling was appointed as the race engineer for the No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3 bringing experience from sports car and open wheel cars while Chris Andrews was appointed as the race engineer for the No. 12 Lexus RC F GT3 with experience ranging from sports cars to NASCAR. Former Porsche mechanic and pit coach Travis Morgan was brought in as the car chief for the No. 14 while NASCAR veteran Jesse Goldin was appointed to be the car chief on the No. 12.[3]

Vasser Sullivan saw further expansion ahead of the 2022 season as Lexus Racing signed Ben Barnicoat who joined Jack Hawksworth in the No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3 that competes in the GTD Pro class of the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar championship. Barnicoat joined the team at the behest of Hawksworth who was the person to reach out to him to bring him into the fold.[4] With Barnicoat being added to the No. 14 Lexus, Aaron Telitz was moved to the No. 12 Lexus RC F GT3 alongside Frankie Montecalvo.[5] Richard Heistand and Townsend Bell would return to join the No. 12 Lexus at the Rolex 24 at Daytona while Kyle Kirkwood joined the No. 14 squad in the same race and for the remaining endurance races that season.

Hawksworth and Barnicoat even took up an apartment together in Huntersville, NC which is near the Vasser Sullivan shop and the Lexus Racing facilities.[6] Vasser Sullivan Racing won the IMSA GTD Pro championship with the No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3 for the 2023 season and retained Jack Hawksworth and Ben Barnicoat as full season drivers for the 2024 season.[7] Vasser Sullivan Racing also placed third in the IMSA GTD championship but elected to swap in Parker Thompson into a full-season role alongside Frankie Montecalvo for the 2024 season. Aaron Telitz will return in an endurance driver role. [8]

Results

Complete IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship results - No. 12 Lexus RC F GT3

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

Year Entrant Class Make Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Rank Points
2019 AIM Vasser Sullivan GTD Lexus RC F GT3 Lexus 5.4L V8 DAY
2
SEB
9
MDO
5
DET
3
WGL
9
MOS
3
LIM
13
ELK
9
VIR
7
LGA
11
PET
11
8th 236
2020 AIM Vasser Sullivan GTD Lexus RC F GT3 Lexus 5.4L V8 DAY
12
DAY
2
SEB
5
ELK
1
VIR
10
ATL
5
MDO
10
CLT PET
8
LGA
8
SEB
9
13th 223
2021 Vasser Sullivan Racing GTD Lexus RC F GT3 Lexus 5.4L V8 DAY
13
SEB
6
MDO
2
DET
5
WGL
11
WGL
2
LIM
10
ELK
6
LGA
10
LBH
13
VIR
13
PET
3
8th 2538
2022 Vasser Sullivan Racing GTD Lexus RC F GT3 Lexus 5.4L V8 DAY
15
SEB
7
LBH
3
LGA
8
MDO
3
DET
4
WGL
16
MOS
6
LIM
8
ELK
3
VIR
4
PET
13
8th 2602
2023 Vasser Sullivan Racing GTD Lexus RC F GT3 Lexus 5.4L V8 DAY
5
SEB
5
LBH
3
LGA
12
WGL
1
MOS
6
LIM
12
ELK
5
VIR
5
IMS
14
PET
12
3rd 2927

Complete IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship results - No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3

(key)(Races in bold indicate pole position)

Year Entrant Class Make Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Rank Points
2019 AIM Vasser Sullivan GTD Lexus RC F GT3 Lexus 5.4L V8 DAY
5
SEB
15
MDO
1
DET
1†
WGL
5
MOS
12
LIM
6
ELK
4
VIR
13
LGA
9
PET
9
6th 237
2020 AIM Vasser Sullivan GTD Lexus RC F GT3 Lexus 5.4L V8 DAY
9
DAY
1
SEB
1†
ELK
3
VIR
4
ATL
10
MDO
1
CLT
8
PET
2
LGA
11
SEB
12
4th 265
2021 Vasser Sullivan Racing GTD Lexus RC F GT3 Lexus 5.4L V8 DAY
16
SEB
7
MDO
13
DET
4†
WGL
6
WGL
1†
LIM
3
ELK
5
LGA
6
LBH
4
VIR
3
PET
15
7th 2640
2022 Vasser Sullivan Racing GTD Pro Lexus RC F GT3 Lexus 5.4L V8 DAY
4
SEB
7
LBH
2
LGA
2
WGL
4
MOS
5
LIM
3
ELK
1
VIR
3
PET
1
2nd 3277
2023 Vasser Sullivan Racing GTD Pro Lexus RC F GT3 Lexus 5.4L V8 DAY
3
SEB
2
LBH
1
LGA
2
WGL
1
MOS
4
LIM
2
ELK
2
VIR
2
IMS
3
PET
8
1st 3760

Complete IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship results - No. 17 Lexus RC F GT3

(key)(Races in bold indicate pole position)

Year Entrant Class Make Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Rank Points
2022 Vasser Sullivan Racing GTD Lexus RC F GT3 Lexus 5.4 L V8 MDO
7
DET
1
18th 649

Points only counted towards the WeatherTech Sprint Cup and not the overall GTD Championship. * Season still in progress.

Complete IndyCar Series results

(key)

Year Chassis Engine Drivers No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Pos. Pts.
SH Racing
2011 STP ALA LBH SAO INDY TXS MIL IOW TOR EDM MDO NHA SNM BAL MOT KTY LSV
Dallara IR-05 Honda HI7R V8 South Africa Tomas Scheckter 07 8 23 22 C 32nd 52
KV Racing with SH Racing
2012 STP ALA LBH SAO INDY DET TXS MIL IOW TOR EDM MDO SNM BAL FON
Dallara DW12 Chevrolet IndyCar V6t Brazil Tony Kanaan 11 25 21 4 13 3 6 11 2 3 4 18 6 10 20 18 9th 351
2013 STP ALA LBH SAO INDY DET TXS MIL IOW POC TOR MDO SNM BAL HOU FON
Dallara DW12 Chevrolet IndyCar V6t Brazil Tony Kanaan 11 4 13 20 21 1 13 12 3 10 3 13 5 24 24 13 15 21 24 3 11th 397
KVSH Racing
2014 STP LBH ALA IMS INDY DET TXS HOU POC IOW TOR MDO MIL SNM FON
Dallara DW12 Chevrolet IndyCar V6t France Sébastien Bourdais 11 13 14 15 4 7 13 20 20 4 5 16 19 1* 9 2 12 11 18 10th 461
2015 STP NOL LBH ALA IMS INDY DET TXS TOR FON MIL IOW MDO POC SNM
Dallara DW12 Chevrolet IndyCar V6t France Sébastien Bourdais 11 6 21 6 8 4 11 14 1 14 5 14 1* 9 17 23 20 10th 406
2016 STP PHX LBH ALA IMS INDY DET ROA IOW TOR MDO POC TXS WGL SNM
Dallara DW12 Chevrolet IndyCar V6t France Sébastien Bourdais 11 21 8 9 16 24 9 1 8 18 8 7 20 5 10 5 10 14th 404
United Kingdom Stefan Wilson 25 28 34th 14
Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan
2018 STP PHX LBH ALA IMS INDY DET TXS ROA IOW TOR MDO POC GAT POR SNM
Dallara DW12 Honda HI18TT V6t France Sébastien Bourdais5 18 1 13 13 5 4 28 13 21 8 13 11 19 6 4 21 3 6 7th 425
2019 STP COA ALA LBH IMS INDY DET TXS ROA TOR IOW MDO POC GAT POR LAG
Dallara DW12 Honda HI19TT V6t France Sébastien Bourdais5 18 24 5 3 11 11 30 11 9 8 12 8 9 11 7 19 9 7 11th 387
2020 TXS IMS ROA IOW INDY GAT MDO IMS STP
Dallara DW12 Honda HI20TT V6t United States Santino Ferrucci 18 21 9 6 6 13 18 4 16 10 14 14 15 12 23 13th 290
2021 ALA STP TXS IMS INDY DET ROA MDO NSH IMS GAT POR LAG LBH
Dallara DW12 Honda HI21TT V6t United Arab Emirates Ed Jones5 18 15 20 12 22 14 28 9 17 23 26 6 14 24 11 10 12 19th 233

References

  1. "Lexus partners with AIM Vasser Sullivan". 16 October 2018.
  2. "Vasser Sullivan's Off-Season Transformation "Paying Off" – Sportscar365". 25 January 2021.
  3. https://www.speedsport.com/sports-cars/imsa/teamwork-making-the-dream-work-at-vasser-sullivan/
  4. "Lexus GTD Pro Signing Barnicoat "Thriving" in New Environment – Sportscar365". 20 January 2022.
  5. "Telitz Moves to No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus in GTD – Sportscar365". 21 December 2021.
  6. https://www.autoweek.com/racing/more-racing/a43879196/vasser-sullivan-lexus-duo-winning-in-imsa-gtd-pro-fueled-by-mexican-food-sushi/
  7. "Hawksworth, Barnicoat to Defend Title with Vasser Sullivan – Sportscar365". 10 November 2023.
  8. "Vasser Sullivan swap Parker Thompson, Aaron Telitz for 2024 season". 20 November 2023.
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