Jack Hawksworth has become a customary face behind the wheel of Vasser Sullivan’s No. 12 Lexus RC F GT3, which is why it comes as no surprise that he is one of the key resources in the development of the Toyota GR GT3.
The success of Lexus, particularly with Hawksworth, has been unprecedented, highlighted by a 2023 GTD Pro title. However, the English driver is eager to open a new era of racing through Toyota’s new GT3 machine.
“It’s been awesome for me personally to be a part of the testing team and to drive the car for the first time back in 2023, Hawksworth said. “For me, to have been involved in it and to have seen it developed to where it is now has been really, really cool. I think it’s an amazing vehicle and I’m excited about what it’s going to do on a racetrack.”
As the car continues to prepare for its global debut next season, Hawksworth has been proud to see how the car has come together over the last few years starting back in 2023, and the flexibility the GR GT3 brings.
“I think just turning it into a car which can be hopefully competitive everywhere. Working on some of the weaknesses, it might have had and continue to build on some of the strengths.
“But I think now, when you see the new car, hopefully it’ll be really good in a lot of different conditions. I would look at the RC F in certain conditions and it’s exceptional, but in other conditions it can be difficult sometimes.
“I think hopefully the new platform, when it’s here, will be really good across the board and allow us to be competitive across all different kinds of tracks, whether it be a street course in the US or a road course in Europe.”
Although the chapter of the Lexus may be coming to a close in the not-so-distance future, with Vasser Sullivan presumably shifting to a dual-class effort for the new Toyota, Hawksworth has began to reflect this weekend on what his time with Lexus has brought towards his career.
“I’m proud of kind of where we came to where we are now,” Hawskworth said. “If you look at the first few seasons with the RC F, it was very difficult for us to even finish an endurance race, let alone compete for the win in an endurance race.
“Ten years on, we’ve won Petit Le Mans, we’ve won Sebring, we’ve won a championship. We’ve kind of ticked all the boxes, other than Daytona. To see the progress, and that all comes down to Vasser Sullivan, TRD, Lexus, and everybody finding a way to make this RC F GT3 car, which was of a bit of a Frankenstein GT when it came out, and find a way for it to be competitive and turn it into a race-winning car, and that’s what we’ve done. So, I’m proud of where we came from to where we kind of ended.”
