Lexus, 3GT End Partnership

Photo: Mike Levitt/IMSA

3GT Racing and Lexus have terminated its partnership in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, with the team and manufacturer going their seperate ways for 2019.

The “mutual end” to the partnership comes after a three-year relationship that delivered a pair of class victories and multiple poles in GT Daytona competition with the Lexus RC F GT3.

The Gentilozzi family-run organization gave the car its North American race debut in 2017, as part of a single-year factory-backed program prior to a more customer-focused effort this season in the highly competitive production-based class.

“Paul Gentilozzi and the 3GT Racing team played an integral role in assisting Lexus in the development of the RC F GT3,”  said Cooper Ericksen, vice president Lexus marketing.

“We are grateful for our partnership and for the growth we experienced together as Lexus returned to the race track. We wish them well in their future endeavors.”

Plans for the Michigan-based team or Lexus for 2019 have yet to be announced.

“We started this journey with Lexus in the spring of 2015, we have been exceptionally proud of the progress of the program on track,” said 3GT managing partner Paul Gentilozzi.

“In addition, we have made friends within the Toyota/Lexus organization that will remain friends for years to come.

“The cultural growth of our experiences with TCD in Japan and the technical exposure with TRD here in the U.S. have been invaluable. In our 48 years in motorsports, we can look back at this with success.

“We now move to a new chapter that will take us past 2020 on track.”

Lexus will remain in the WeatherTech Championship next year, with an announcement expected shortly on a new team partner.

Multiple teams are understood to have been in discussions with the manufacturer for next year, including several open-wheel outfits.

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