Thursday, April 7, 2022 – Highlands, NJ – Vasser Sullivan driver, Frankie Montecalvo, is ready to get back to racing as the third round of the IMSA WeatherTech Championship hits the streets of Long Beach, CA, for the Long Beach Grand Prix.
The Long Beach Grand Prix marks the first of two events on the west coast, with the Monterey Grand Prix scheduled for early May. Montecalvo will be joined by co-driver Aaron Telitz for the 100-minute sprint race. With limited time on track and an unforgiving circuit, qualifying up front will be key for a successful weekend.
“I’m excited to get back to Long Beach this season. The Long Beach Grand Prix is such a fun event, and it’s always exciting to drive there,” said Montecalvo,
“We’re just coming off of one of our longest and bumpiest races of the season, so I know the crew has been working hard to get the car set up and ready to go for the start of the practice sessions on Friday.”
“I love street courses because there is absolutely no room for error. It’s very rewarding when you have a good lap, but it can also be very costly if you don’t get the lap right.”
“We saw last year that the Lexus RC F GT3 has great pace on this circuit. However, with a track as tight as Long Beach, passing will be extremely difficult. Qualifying up front will be important to finish at the top of the charts.”
“I’ve never finished on the podium at Long Beach, but I’m hoping to change that this year. The GTD field is stacked, but I believe we have the car, the lineup, and the crew to score a spot on the podium on Saturday. It’s going to be an action packed two days, but I cannot wait to kick things off on Friday morning and hopefully come away with my first Long Beach podium on Saturday!”
On track action for the Long Beach Grand Prix kicks off on Friday, April 8 at 12:15 PM ET and continues through Saturday. The green flag flies for the Long Beach Grand Prix on Saturday, April 9 at 5:05 PM ET. You can watch Frankie race live with coverage beginning at 5:00 PM ET on the USA Network and on the Peacock App. To stay up to date with current broadcast time and all of Frankie’s racing news, follow him on Facebook and Twitter.