Lexus, Vasser Sullivan announce 2026 IMSA driver lineup

Lexus and Vasser Sullivan announce the driver lineups for the No. 12 and No. 14 RC F GT3 entries competing in the 2026 IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship GTD and GTD PRO classes.

Lexus factory drivers Jack Hawksworth and Ben Barnicoat return as the full-time duo in the No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3 for the 2026 campaign, joined by INDYCAR driver Kyle Kirkwood for select endurance events. Vasser Sullivan veteran Aaron Telitz will pair together with Benjamin Pedersen in the No. 12 Lexus RC F GT3 for the full season. Frankie Montecalvo once again takes on endurance driver duties for the No. 12 team, and the trio will be joined by Esteban Masson for the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

Hawksworth returns to the No. 14 and the GTD PRO class for his 10th season with Lexus after running with the No. 12 team in 2025 that finished third in the GTD class points standings.  Hawksworth will look to add another championship to his resume this season, which would couple the class title he earned with Barnicoat in 2023. To-date, the Bradford, England-native has 11 career victories, 32 podiums and 13 pole positions with Lexus since 2017.

Barnicoat enters his fifth season with Lexus and Vasser Sullivan, all of which have come in the No. 14 in GTD PRO competition. Last season, the No. 14 team finished 10th in the GTD PRO standings with Barnicoat and Telitz. The 28-year-old from Chesterfield, England, heads into 2026 with seven career victories and 19 podiums with Lexus and Vasser Sullivan, as well as the 2023 GTD PRO championship.

Jupiter, Florida-native Kirkwood is back for his seventh season with the Vasser Sullivan Lexus program. In his previous six seasons, Kirkwood has been part of three victories, including Detroit and Petit Le Mans in 2022 and the 2024 Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.

After a season in GTD PRO with the No. 14 entry, Telitz returns to the GTD class and the No. 12 for the 2026 season, his eighth year within the Vasser Sullivan team. In a one-off GTD start at Long Beach last season, the Wisconsin native earned a podium finish with Montecalvo in the No. 89 Lexus entry. Telitz has earned five career victories, 16 podiums and five pole positions so far with Lexus and Vasser Sullivan.

Copenhagen, Denmark-native Pedersen makes his debut with Vasser Sullivan this season after competing in IMSA’s LMP2 class the last two years, where he accrued three top-five finishes in 2025. Prior to his IMSA tenure, Pedersen climbed the ranks in open wheel racing, with seasons in the British Formula 3 and Formula 4 United States championships, followed by the INDY NXT and INDYCAR series.

Montecalvo returns for his eighth season within the Vasser Sullivan program as the endurance racer for the No. 12 team. In 2025, Montecalvo earned three podium finishes – two with the No. 12 at Sebring and Petit Le Mans, and the podium with Telitz at Long Beach. The New Jersey-native has two career victories, 17 podiums and five pole positions with Lexus and Vasser Sullivan.

Twenty-one-year-old Masson rounds out the Vasser Sullivan Lexus lineup for 2026, taking on his first Rolex 24 at Daytona in January. The Montreal, Quebec-native has had a very-accomplished young career, with championships in the French F4 (2021), Europcup-3 (2023) and European Le Mans Series (2025). Masson has also raced the RC F GT3 with the Akkodis ASP Lexus team in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) the last two seasons, which includes a podium-finish at the 6 Hours of Imola event in 2025.

Lexus and Vasser Sullivan begin the 2026 IMSA season at Daytona International Speedway for the Roar before the Rolex 24 (Jan. 16-18, 2026) and the 64th Rolex 24 at Daytona (Jan. 24-25, 2026). To keep up with all the racing action, follow Lexus Racing on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok by using #LexusPerformance.