Pruett, Karam Confirmed in Newly Renamed 3GT Lexus Effort

Photo: Mike Levitt/IMSA

Scott Pruett and Sage Karam have been reconfirmed as drivers for the newly renamed 3GT Racing, which will give the Lexus RC F GT3 its debut in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship next year.

The team, formerly known as F Performance Racing, will campaign a pair of brand-new, 2017-spec Lexus cars, beginning with the Rolex 24 at Daytona in January.

Pruett and Karam were initially announced as drivers for the factory backed program, which was scheduled to debut mid-season with an interim development chassis.

The program, however, was delayed until next year, in order to focus on an all-new RC F GT3, designed by Toyota Technocraft in Japan.

It recently completed the FIA Balance of Performance test in Ladoux and is expected to begin an extensive testing and development program in the U.S in the coming weeks.

Team principal Paul Gentilozzi confirmed to Sportscar365 they plan to take part in the IMSA-sanctioned test at Daytona in November.

“We recently had an opportunity to see our new 2017 car run on track at Fuji Speedway and we are very excited about its potential,” said technical director John Gentilozzi.

The East Lansing, Mich.-based squad elected to change its team name to better define its relationship with the manufacturer.

“As we continue the development of our team, we recognize that more differentiation would be beneficial,” Paul Gentilozzi said.

“The previous team name was perceived as being tied to Lexus F, and might be confused with other Lexus racing efforts around the globe.

“The IMSA WeatherTech Championship was developed for top-tier privateer competitors, so in the spirit of the series, we are changing our name to 3GT Racing. This allows our race team to distinguish itself while we continue racing Lexus vehicles.”

The remainder of the team’s full-season driver lineup expected to be announced within the next week.

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John