vitesse-20241216


o			Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

☒			Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

o			Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

o			Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

On October 22, 2024, Vitesse Energy, Inc. (the “Company”) entered into an amendment (the “Credit Agreement Amendment”) to its Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, as amended from time to time, among the Company, as borrower, Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., as administrative agent, and the lenders party thereto, dated as of January 13, 2023. Pursuant to the Credit Agreement Amendment, the Company’s semi-annual borrowing base redetermination was completed and, among other things: (i) the maturity date was extended to a date that is four years following the effective date of the Credit Agreement Amendment, (ii) the borrowing base was reaffirmed at $245 million (iii) the elected commitment amount was decreased from $245 million to $235 million and (iv) the definition of the term “Applicable Margin” was amended to reduce the rates in the Utilization Grid for SOFR Loans and ABR Loans (as each of those terms is defined in the Credit Agreement) by 0.25%.

The foregoing description of the Credit Agreement Amendment does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Credit Agreement Amendment, which will be attached as an exhibit to the Company’s quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2024.

On December 16, 2024, Vitesse Energy, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Vitesse”), and Lucero Energy Corp., a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the Province of Alberta, Canada (“Lucero”), announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Vitesse will acquire Lucero in an all-stock transaction. A copy of the joint press release is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1 and is incorporated herein by reference. In addition, on December 16, 2024, Vitesse released an investor presentation. A copy of the investor presentation is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.2 and incorporated herein by reference.

The information in this Item 7.01, including the exhibits hereto, is being furnished and shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section, nor shall it be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act, except as shall be expressly set forth by specific reference in such a filing.

This report does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to subscribe for or buy any securities or a solicitation of any vote or approval with respect to the proposed transaction between Vitesse and Lucero or otherwise, nor shall there be any offer or solicitation in any jurisdiction in which such offer or solicitation would be unlawful under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction.

In connection with the proposed transaction, Vitesse and Lucero intend to file materials with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and on SEDAR+, as applicable. Vitesse intends to file a Proxy Statement with the SEC in connection with the solicitation of proxies to obtain Vitesse stockholder approval for the issuance of stock in the proposed transaction, and Lucero intends to file an information circular and proxy statement (the “Circular”) with the TSX Venture Exchange (“TSXV”) and on SEDAR+ in connection with the solicitation of proxies to obtain Lucero shareholder approval of the proposed transaction. Vitesse intends to mail or otherwise provide a Proxy Statement to the stockholders of Vitesse. This report is not a substitute for the Proxy Statement, the Circular or for any other document that Vitesse or Lucero may file with the SEC or on SEDAR+ and/or send to Vitesse’s stockholders and/or Lucero’s shareholders in connection with the proposed transaction. INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS OF VITESSE AND LUCERO ARE URGED TO CAREFULLY AND THOROUGHLY READ THE PROXY STATEMENT AND THE CIRCULAR, RESPECTIVELY, AS EACH MAY BE AMENDED OR SUPPLEMENTED FROM TIME TO TIME, AND OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS FILED BY VITESSE AND/OR LUCERO WITH THE SEC OR ON SEDAR+, WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT VITESSE, LUCERO, THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION, THE RISKS RELATED THERETO AND RELATED MATTERS.

Shareholders of Vitesse and Lucero will be able to obtain free copies of the Proxy Statement and the Circular, as each may be amended from time to time, and other relevant documents filed by Vitesse and/or Lucero with the SEC or on SEDAR+ when they become available through the website maintained by the SEC at www.sec.gov or on SEDAR+ at

www.sedarplus.ca, as applicable. Copies of documents filed with the SEC by Vitesse will be available free of charge from Vitesse’s website at ir.vitesse-vts.com or by contacting Vitesse’s Investor Relations Department at (720) 532-8232. Copies of documents filed on SEDAR+ by Lucero will be available free of charge from Lucero’s website at www.lucerocorp.com/investors/ or by contacting Lucero’s Investor Relations Department at (877) 573-0181.

Vitesse and its directors, executive officers and certain other members of management and employees may be deemed, under SEC rules, to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from Vitesse’s stockholders in connection with the proposed transaction. Information regarding the interests of the persons who may, under the rules of the SEC, be considered participants in the solicitation of the stockholders of Vitesse in connection with the proposed transaction, will be set forth in the Proxy Statement and the other relevant documents to be filed with the SEC. Stockholders can find information about Vitesse and its directors and executive officers and their ownership of Vitesse common stock in the Proxy Statement for Vitesse’s 2024 Annual Meeting, filed with the SEC on March 20, 2024, and additional information about the ownership of Vitesse common stock by Vitesse directors and executive officers is included in their Forms 3, 4 and 5 filed with the SEC.

Certain statements in this report are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Examples of forward-looking statements include statements concerning the proposed transaction, including any statements regarding the expected timetable for completing the transaction, the results, effects, benefits and synergies of the transaction, future opportunities for Vitesse, future financial performance and condition, guidance and any other statements regarding Vitesse’s or Lucero’s future expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, financial conditions, assumptions or future events or performance that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “expect,” “if,” “intend,” “estimate,” “probable,” “project,” “forecast,” “predict,” “outlook,” “aim,” “will,” “could,” “should,” “would,” “potential,” “may,” “might,” “likely” “plan,” “positioned,” “strategy,” and similar words and expressions.

Forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated, including, but not limited to, the possibility that stockholders of Vitesse may not approve the issuance of new shares of Vitesse common stock in the transaction or that shareholders of Lucero may not approve the transaction; the risk that a condition to closing of the transaction may not be satisfied; that either party may terminate the arrangement agreement or that the closing of the transaction might be delayed or not occur at all; potential adverse reactions or changes to business or employee relationships of Vitesse or Lucero, including those resulting from the announcement or completion of the transaction; the diversion of management time on transaction-related issues; the ultimate timing, outcome and results of integrating the operations of Vitesse and Lucero; the effects of the transaction, including Vitesse’s future financial condition, results of operations, strategy and plans; the ability of Vitesse to realize anticipated synergies in the timeframe expected or at all; changes in capital markets; regulatory approval of the transaction; the effects of commodity prices, including any resulting impact on Vitesse’s ability to sustain its anticipated dividend following the closing of the transaction; the risks of oil and gas activities; and the fact that operating costs and business disruption may be greater than expected following the public announcement or consummation of the transaction.

Additional factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated can be found in Vitesse's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, and subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, which are on file with the SEC and available from Vitesse's website at ir.vitesse-vts.com, and in other documents Vitesse files with the SEC; and in Lucero's annual information form for the year ended December 31, 2023, which is on file with TSXV and on SEDAR+ and available from Lucero’s website at www.lucerocorp.com/investors/, and in other documents Lucero files with TSXV or on SEDAR+.

All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made and are based on information and assumptions believed to be valid at that time. Neither Vitesse nor Lucero assumes any obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect circumstances or events that occur after the date the forward-looking statements were made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events except as required by applicable securities laws. As forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties, caution should be exercised against placing undue reliance on such statements.


5619 DTC Parkway, Suite 700 Greenwood Village, Colorado						80111
(Address of principal executive offices)						(Zip Code)


Exhibit Number						Description

99.1						Joint Press Release December 16, 2024
99.2						Investor Presentation, released December 16, 2024
101						Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document)


Date: December 16, 2024			VITESSE ENERGY, INC.

			/s/ James P. Henderson
			James P. Henderson
			Chief Financial Officer