Bell rejoins Vasser Sullivan for Rolex 24
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Richard S. James | January 5, 2022 11:58 AM ET
Townsed Bell will once again complete the Vasser Sullivan lineup in the No. 12 Lexus RC F GT3 at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, in addition to also handling commentating duties for NBC during both the Roar before the 24 and the Rolex 24 at Daytona. Bell will team with Aaron Telitz, Frankie Montecalvo and Richard Heistand in the Lexus.
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“This is the first time I’ve raced the Rolex 24 with all four drivers having experience in the race and with our Lexus RC F GT3,” said Bell. “That makes me confident. This will be my fourth season with the team and I couldn’t be more proud of the organization that Jimmy and Sulli have built- brick by brick. We have a really strong team now with a few key personnel additions over the off season. When I think about the proven race-winning capability of our Lexus RCF GT3, the VS team, and all of the outstanding support from Lexus Racing, I can’t wait to get going at Daytona. Make no mistake, this will be the most competitive GT field in history, however we have a group ready and eager to compete.“
This will be Bell’s eighth Rolex 24. He is the 2015 IMSA GTD Champion, the 2014 Rolex 24 at Daytona GTD winner and the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans winner in the GTE-AM class. In 2019, Bell co-drove the Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 to a second place finish in the team’s Rolex 24 debut. Bell competed in 10 Indianapolis 500’s with a best finish of fourth in 2008 in a Jimmy Vasser-owned car.
The addition of Bell follows prior announcements that Jack Hawksworth and Ben Barnicoat will be the full-season co-drivers of the No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 GTD PRO entry with Kyle Kirkwood serving as the endurance co-driver while Telitz and Montecalvo will be the full-season co-drivers of the No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 GTD Class entry with Heistand co-driving the endurance races.
The 2022 season will mark the fourth year Lexus and Vasser Sullivan have partnered together. During that time, the Lexus RC F GT3 has earned seven GTD class wins, 18 podiums and nine pole positions.