Wednesday, January 31, 2024 – Highlands, NJ – After starting on pole and running in the top ten for twenty-three hours of the Rolex 24, a fire in the final hour of the race kept Vasser Sullivan driver Frankie Montecalvo from a podium finish at the Rolex 24.
Montecalvo shared driving duties in the No. 12 Lexus RC F GT3 with Parker Thompson, Aaron Telitz, and Ritomo Miyata. Thompson qualified their Lexus on pole for the twice around the clock endurance race the weekend prior. Telitz started the race and immediately took a commanding lead over the competition.
As the race continued, the No. 12 cycled through positions but always remained in the top ten in the GT Daytona (GTD) class. Thompson pitted from third place for the final time with just under an hour remaining. Upon leaving the pits, something in the engine bay caught fire. Thompson was able to pull the car to the side of the pit exit and extinguish the flames, but the No. 12 Lexus’ race would sadly come to an early end with a 15th place finish.
“It was an unfortunate end to our Rolex 24. After starting from the pole position, leading much of the race, and fighting for a podium position in the final hours of the race, our Rolex 24 was cut short in the final hour,” said Montecalvo.
“All of the drivers did a phenomenal job throughout the race. No one put a tire wrong, and we were able to run consistent laps and stay out of trouble. Once again, the Vasser Sullivan crew was flawless in the pits and executed perfect pit stops throughout the race. I can’t thank my co-drivers and the entire Vasser Sullivan team enough for all of their tireless work the last two weeks and leading up to the event.”
“I’m incredibly grateful that Parker was able to get out of the car quickly and walk away from the fire unscathed. While it wasn’t the way we wanted to end our Rolex 24, there are a lot of positives to take away from the last two weeks in Daytona, and I already can’t wait to get back to racing at the 12 Hours of Sebring in March.”
The next event for Montecalvo is the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring on March 16. Don’t forget to follow Frankie on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date with current broadcast times and all of Frankie’s racing news.
