Starworks to Forgo Petit Le Mans in Wake of Chase Departure

Photo: Peter Burke/IMSA

Starworks Motorsport will forgo next month’s Motul Petit Le Mans following Parker Chase’s departure to AIM Vasser Sullivan for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season finale.

Chase was confirmed in the No. 12 AVS Lexus RC F GT3 for the ten-hour enduro on Thursday, with an eye to joining the team on a full-time basis in 2020.

The 18-year old had intended to complete the full WeatherTech Championship season with the Peter Baron-led squad until speed-related issues with its Audi R8 LMS GT3 led to the team’s withdrawal following the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen.

Starworks return to action at Road America last month but has not been in action since.

In a statement, the team “sends the young racer warm wishes” as he continues his “development” in the WeatherTech Championship.

“Without a doubt, this has been a challenging season, and sometimes it’s better to regroup and focus on the future,” Baron said.

“Multiple things outside our control set us up for failure since day one. I’m very proud of how we operated and wouldn’t change a thing we did as a team.”

Baron said the team will now focus on the putting a program together for 2020.

“What we can do moving forward is change what we have control over and prepare ourselves for a better year ahead,” he said,

“We’ve been working on our 2020 plans for some time, and look forward to getting the final players and pieces in place. We are happy for Parker to get this opportunity with another program and wish him the best.”

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