Aaron Telitz

Last updated
Aaron Telitz
Aaron Telitz Victory Lane Road America 2018.jpg
Telitz at Road America in 2018
Nationality Flag of the United States.svg American
Born (1991-12-13) December 13, 1991 (age 33)
Birchwood, Wisconsin
Indy Lights career
Debut season 2017
Current team Belardi Auto Racing
Racing licence FIA Silver Driver.png FIA Silver (until 2021)
FIA Gold Driver.png FIA Gold (2022–) [1]
Car number4
Starts39
Wins3
Poles3
Fastest laps4
Previous series
2014–2015
2016 		U.S. F2000 National Championship
Pro Mazda Championship
Awards
2014 Team USA Scholarship

Aaron Telitz (born December 13, 1991) is an American race car driver. He currently competes full-time in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, driving for AIM Vasser Sullivan.

Contents

Career

Born in Birchwood, Wisconsin, Telitz began his racing career in karting in 1998. He remained in karting until 2012. In 2014, Telitz moved into open-wheel racing, competing in the U.S. F2000 National Championship with ArmsUp Motorsports. He claimed a win and six podiums in 14 races, ending fourth in the season standings. Telitz returned to the series in 2015, moving to Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing. He got a win and 11 podiums in 16 races, finishing third in the final classification.

In 2016, Telitz moved up the Road to Indy ladder, graduating into the Pro Mazda Championship with Team Pelfrey. [2] He collected six wins and six second place finishes in 16 races, claiming the championship over teammate Patricio O'Ward.

Telitz's 2018 Indy Lights car at Road America 9 Aaron Telitz 2018 Road America Grand Prix.jpg
Telitz's 2018 Indy Lights car at Road America

Belardi Auto Racing signed Telitz for the 2017 Indy Lights season, and he scored a second-place finish in the Freedom 100. [3] He stayed with the team for the following year. [4] Also during 2018, Telitz tested an IndyCar for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports. [5]

After not finding enough funding to remain in open-wheel racing for 2019, Telitz was contacted by Jimmy Vasser in late 2018 to compete for his WeatherTech SportsCar Championship team for the four endurance championship events, starting with the 2019 24 Hours of Daytona with co-drivers Townsend Bell, Frankie Montecalvo and Jeff Segal. As part of the deal, Telitz would accompany Vasser's IMSA and IndyCar teams to all other events in hopes of moving to the IndyCar operation. [6] He started off the season with a second place at Daytona. [7]

Telitz still found his way into open-wheel racing during 2019; however, as he signed with Belardi for the Freedom 100, which was derailed with a broken half shaft. [8] A month later, he returned to Belardi for his home event at Road America. [9] His schedule expanded as the season went on, eventually winning a Lights contest in Toronto. [10]

For 2020, Telitz initially re-upped with AVS Vasser Sullivan for four WTSCC endurance events. That schedule was expanded to a full-time ride in June when original full-time driver Parker Chase found that the reconfigured schedule would clash with his educational pursuits. [11]

Personal life

Telitz is a painter and during his 2018 season sold paintings to pay for crash damage. [4] On November 22, 2021, Aaron's wife Maggie gave birth to a son.

Racing record

Career summary

SeasonSeriesTeamRacesWinsPolesF/LapsPodiumsPointsPosition
2013 F1600 Championship Series WISKO Race Engineering1212163963rd
2014 U.S. F2000 National Championship ArmsUp Motorsports1410162464th
2015 U.S. F2000 National Championship Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing 16103113483rd
2016 Pro Mazda Championship Team Pelfrey 166104134211st
2017 Indy Lights Belardi Auto Racing 1621142716th
2018 Indy Lights Belardi Auto Racing 1601153166th
2019 Indy Lights Belardi Auto Racing 711221339th
IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTD AIM Vasser Sullivan 400019625th
2020 IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTD AIM Vasser Sullivan 1134052673rd
2021 IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTD Vasser Sullivan Racing 13120326407th
2022 IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTD Pro Vasser Sullivan Racing 1000026530th
IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTD 110214234110th
Michelin Pilot Challenge - GS TGR Riley Motorsports 1000026052nd
GT4 America Series - Pro-Am TGR Smooge Racing
2023 IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTD Vasser Sullivan Racing 11100229273rd
2024 IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTD Vasser Sullivan 50211113531st
Michelin Pilot Challenge - GS Archangel Motorsports10102322208th
24H Series - GT3 Optimum Motorsport
2024-25 Asian Le Mans Series - GT Dragon Racing300000NC†
2025 IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTD Pro Vasser Sullivan Racing 2000044610th*

† Telitz was ineligible for points. * Season still in progress.

American open-wheel racing results

U.S. F2000 National Championship

YearTeam12345678910111213141516RankPoints
2014 ArmsUp Motorsports STP
16		 STP
12		 BAR
5		 BAR
2		 IMS
3		 IMS
11		 LOR
1		 TOR
6		 TOR
3		 MDO
7		 MDO
2		 MDO
7		 SNM
2		 SNM
4		4th246
2015 Cape Motorsports
Wayne Taylor Racing 		STP
2		 STP
2		 NOL
2		 NOL
16		 BAR
1		 BAR
4		 IMS
3		 IMS
2		 LOR
3		 TOR
6		 TOR
5		 MDO
3		 MDO
3		 MDO
2		 LAG
4		 LAG
2		3rd348

Pro Mazda Championship

YearTeam12345678910111213141516RankPoints
2016 Team Pelfrey STP
2		 STP
1		 ALA
2		 ALA
2		 IMS
7		 IMS
2		 LOR
5		 RDA
1		 RDA
1		 TOR
1		 TOR
1		 MOH
2		 MOH
3		 LGA
2		 LGA
5		 LGA
1		1st421

Indy Lights

YearTeam123456789101112131415161718RankPoints
2017 Belardi Auto Racing STP
1		 STP
5		 ALA
13		 ALA
5		 IMS
6		 IMS
13		 INDY
2		 RDA
11		 RDA
5		 IOW
9		 TOR
5		 TOR
2		 MDO
8		 MDO
5		 GMP
15		 WGL
1		6th271
2018 Belardi Auto Racing STP
DNS		 STP
9		 ALA
8		 ALA
4		 IMS
3		 IMS
2		 INDY
6		 RDA
5		 RDA
3		 IOW
7		 TOR
4		 TOR
3		 MDO
7		 MDO
7		 GTW
5		 POR
6		 POR
2		6th316
2019 Belardi Auto Racing STP
STP
COA
COA
IMS IMS INDY
9		 RDA
3		 RDA
5		 TOR
1		 TOR
6		 MDO
8		 MDO
6		 GTW POR POR LAG LAG 9th133

Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results

YearEntrantClassChassisEngine123456789101112RankPoints
2019 AIM Vasser Sullivan GTD Lexus RC F GT3 Lexus 5.0 L V8 DAY
2		 SEB
9		 MDO DET WGL
9		 MOS LIM ELK VIR LGA PET
11		25th96
2020 AIM Vasser Sullivan GTD Lexus RC F GT3 Lexus 5.0 L V8 DAY
12		 DAY
1		 SEB
1†		 ELK
3		 VIR
4		 ATL
5		 MDO
1		 CLT
8		 PET
2		 LGA
11		 SEB
12		3rd267
2021 Vasser Sullivan Racing GTD Lexus RC F GT3 Lexus 5.0 L V8 DAY
16		 SEB
7		 MDO
13		 DET
4†		 WGL
6		 WGL
1†		 LIM
3		 ELK
5		 LGA
6		 LBH
4		 VIR
3		 PET
15		7th2640
2022 Vasser Sullivan GTD Lexus RC F GT3 Toyota 2UR 5.0 L V8 DAY
15		 LBH
3†		 LGA
8		 MDO
3		 DET
4		 WGL
16		 MOS
6†		 LIM
8		 ELK
3		 VIR
4		 PET
13		10th2341
GTD Pro SEB
7		30th265
2023 Vasser Sullivan Racing GTD Lexus RC F GT3 Toyota 2UR 5.0 L V8 DAY
5		 SEB
5		 LBH
3		 LGA
14		 WGL
1		 MOS
6		 LIM
12		 ELK
5		 VIR
5		 IMS
14		 PET
16		3rd2927
2024 Vasser Sullivan Racing GTD Lexus RC F GT3 Toyota 2UR 5.0 L V8 DAY
15		 SEB
13		 LBH LGA WGL
4		 MOS ELK VIR IMS
22		 PET
3		31st1135
2025 Vasser Sullivan GTD Pro Lexus RC F GT3 Toyota 2UR-GSE 5.0 L V8 DAY
11		 SEB
11		 LGA
DET
WGL
MOS
ELK
VIR
IMS
PET
10th*446*

† Points only counted towards the WeatherTech Sprint Cup and not the overall GTD Championship. * Season still in progress.

References

  1. ↑ Goodwin, Graham (November 10, 2021). "Updated 2022 Provisional FIA Driver Rankings Published". Dailysportscar. Retrieved February 21, 2025.
  2. ↑ "Aaron Telitz". Archived from the original on August 22, 2016. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Telitz thrilled with second place in Freedom 100". IndyCar on NBC . May 26, 2017. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
  4. 1 2 Kallman, Dave. "Indianapolis 500 hopeful Aaron Teltiz sells paintings to stay on track". Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel . Retrieved June 14, 2019.
  5. ↑ Pruett, Marshall (April 3, 2018). "Telitz finding unique ways to pay off crash damage". RACER. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
  6. ↑ Kallman, Dave. "Sports cars might not be the detour they seem for Indy hopeful Aaron Telitz". Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel . Retrieved June 14, 2019.
  7. ↑ Glendenning, Mark (April 12, 2019). "AIM Vasser Sullivan tie validates Telitz's IndyCar ambitions". RACER. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
  8. ↑ "Tough Going for Belardi Auto Racing in the Freedom 100". Indy Lights . Archived from the original on June 15, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
  9. ↑ "Telitz returns to Belardi Indy Lights team for Road America". RACER. June 13, 2019. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
  10. ↑ Allan, Lance (October 7, 2019). "Wisconsin native hoping for call-up to IndyCar Series". WMTJ. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  11. ↑ Allaway, Phil (June 24, 2020). "Aaron Telitz to Drive Remainder of 2020 for AVS Vasser Sullivan". Frontstretch. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
Sporting positions
Preceded by Pro Mazda Championship
Champion
2016 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Zach Robichon
 WeatherTech Sprint Cup
Champion
2020
With: Jack Hawksworth 		Succeeded by
Ross Gunn
Roman De Angelis

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