IMSA: Pruett embracing mentor role at Lexus 3GT

Scott Pruett is old enough to be the father of his three Lexus RC F teammates. As the sage veteran within the Japanese brand's IMSA's WeatherTech SportsCar Championship effort run by 3GT Racing, the 56-year-old will play dual roles in 2017.

First, he'll lead 3GT's two-car effort in the GT Daytona category, and with a trio of teammates in their 20s, the five-time winner of the Rolex 24 at Daytona will download five decades of experience to young IndyCar veterans Sage Karam and Jack Hawksworth, along with rising sports car ace Robert Alon.

"Any way I could help these guys I am going to help," Pruett said. "As much as they want to listen, I'm going to teach. I know for a fact that Sage is; he's been like a son. I'm just getting to know Jack and Robert now. That will be the same way. You have to get to a position in your career and you need to be giving back so others can continue on. And I'm proud to be there."

Despite the obvious age differences, Pruett has found plenty of common ground with his teammates. As a former IndyCar driver who dealt with many ups and downs during his open-wheel career, the plight of Karam and Hawksworth is especially familiar.

"Well, first, Sage reminds me so much of me at that age and the frustrations that he goes through," he said. "I am happy that he has kind of pushed his IndyCar aspirations toward the back seat and wants to be part of an exciting manufacturer sports car program. And Jack is falling in right in behind him.

"I knew of Jack, and I think he is another great talent. And I think he has been frustrated in exactly the same way that Sage has. They really want to make their break in IndyCars and that amount of frustration of not being able to do it has caused them to... I'm not going to say got turned off to racing, but certainly has put a damper on I their passion for it all."

With a prime factory-supported IMSA program to use to their benefit, Pruett is confident all three will impress in the V8-powered GT3-spec RC Fs.

"Seeing both Sage and Jack, I see that, that fire and excitement, they are really excited about being part of this program," Pruett added. "I didn't know much about Robert at all until we went and did our driver evaluation test. We had spent two days and had quite a few different guys in the cars, and I was impressed."

Development issues with the 2015 version of the RC F formed Lexus to delay its entry into the GTD category but with a faster and more promising 2017 model being developed, Pruett says he won't let his next-generation co-drivers have all the fun.

"No, I am not letting those young punks go [do all the testing]... yes, they are coming with me but I have been doing the work," he added with a laugh. "I love doing the work. I'm still the first guy at the track in the morning; I want to be right in the middle of everything. You either give it 110 percent or you retire. I enjoy being around the cars, seeing the development cycle of the cars and all that entails.

"In the team, everybody's learning curve right now is vertical – how to work on the cars and how to the most efficient working on the cars and making changes and all that. I always find it incredibly interesting and inspiring watching the teams, whichever teams I have driven for with, seeing the guys learn something brand-new."

Known for his unyielding passion and aggression behind the wheel, Pruett is looking forward to a new season of fights in IMSA's most heavily populated class.

"It isn't going to be easy, especially with how the cars have to be homologated by the FIA and there are so many restrictions," he said. "That in itself becomes a monumental challenge: How can you get better than the other guys? It adds to the enjoyment of the weekend fight, wheel to wheel, fender to fender going after it. I dig it. I love it."