Thursday, April 13, 2023 – Highlands, NJ – With the two longest races of the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship complete, Vasser Sullivan driver Frankie Montecalvo is ready to take on the shortest race of the 2023 calendar, The Long Beach Grand Prix.
At only 1.968 miles in length and 100 minutes, The Long Beach Grand Prix is the shortest duration race as well as one of the shortest circuits on the schedule. The stark contrast from the previous race at Sebring will not only be a test to the drivers but to the crew as well to find the perfect set-up.
“It’s always fun to get back to the west coast and to the streets of Long Beach. It’s a difficult weekend because our time on track is limited and the circuit conditions evolve all weekend, so it’s important to make every lap count in practice and qualifying,” said Montecalvo.
“We’re coming off two top-five finishes, so we’ve had a great start to the season and want to continue that this weekend. Last year Aaron [Telitz] and I took home third place in class, and our sister car scored second in the GTD Pro class. It would be phenomenal to finish the weekend on the podium again with Aaron and have another strong showing for Lexus in both classes.”
“Long Beach is an incredibly unique track in that it’s constantly changing. The way the track feels during the first practice will be completely different for the second practice, qualifying and even the race. As the weekend continues, more and more rubber is laid down on the surface from the various series competing during the weekend, so car setup is incredibly important. It’s a constant adjustment from both the crew and the drivers, but we feel confident that we’ll have our No. 12 Lexus RC F GT3 in the best operating window when the green flag flies on Saturday.”
On track action for the Long Beach Grand Prix begins on Friday, April 14 and will continue through Saturday. Both practice sessions and qualifying will take place on Friday. You can watch the race live on Saturday, April 15 on the USA Network with coverage beginning at 5:00 PM ET. Don’t forget to follow Frankie on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date with all of his racing news.
