The66th Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring Presented by Advance Auto Partswas anendurancesports car racingevent held atSebring International RacewaynearSebring, Floridafrom 15 to 17 March 2018. The race was the second round of the2018 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship,as well as the second round of theNorth American Endurance Cup.
The race was won byTequila Patrón ESM'sNissan Onroak DPidriven byPipo Derani,Johannes van Overbeek,andNicolas Lapierre,ahead of theCadillac DPi-V.R's ofWayne Taylor RacingandWhelen Engineering Racing.Porschetook GTLM honours withNick Tandy,Frédéric Makowiecki,andPatrick Piletbehind the wheel of their911 RSR.The GTD category was won byPaul Miller Racing'sCorey Lewis,Bryan SellersandMadison Snowin a GT3-specLamborghini Huracán.
Background
editInternational Motor Sports Association's (IMSA) president Scott Atherton confirmed the race was part of the schedule for the2018 IMSA SportsCar Championship(IMSA SCC) in August 2017.[1]It was the fifth consecutive year it was part of the IMSA SCC, and the 66th 12 Hours of Sebring.[1]The 24 Hours of Daytona was the second of twelve scheduled sports carenduranceraces of 2018 by IMSA, and the second of four races of the North American Endurance Cup (NAEC).[1]It was held at the 17-turn, 3.741-mile (6.021 km)Sebring International RacewayinSebring, Floridaon March 17, 2018.[1]
On March 1, 2018, IMSA released a bulletin outlining the minimum refueling times for all the classes.[2]All cars in the Prototype class were given 30 second minimum refueling time while GTLM and GTD were given times of 34 and 40 seconds, respectively. The times were made to override any refueling restrictor size following Montaplast by Land-Motorsport's penalty at Daytona.[3]
After the24 Hours of Daytona7 weeks earlier,Filipe Albuquerque,João Barbosa,andChristian Fittipaldiwere leading the Prototype Drivers' Championship with 35 points.[4]GTLM was led byRyan Briscoe,Richard Westbrook,andScott Dixonwith a three-point advantage overJoey Hand,Dirk Müller,andSébastien Bourdais.[4]In GTD, the Drivers' Championship was led byMirko Bortolotti,Rik Breukers,Rolf Ineichen,andFranck Pererawith 35 points.[4]Cadillac,Ford,andLamborghiniwere leading their respective Manufacturers' Championships, whileMustang Sampling Racing,Ford Chip Ganassi Racing,andGRT Grasser Racing Teameach led their own Teams' Championships.[4]
On March 7, 2018, IMSA released the latest technical bulletin outliningBalance of Performancefor the event.[5]In the Prototype class, theAcura ARX-05received a reduction of turbo boost and a fuel capacity reduction of 1 liter while theNissan Onroak DPigot a turbo boost reduction between 6000-7600 rpm. TheCadillac DPi-V.Rreceived a 10 kilogram weight increase while theMazda RT24-Preceived a fuel capacity increase of 2 liters and adjustments to the cars rear wing. In the GTLM class, theBMW M8 GTEreceived a 20 kilogram weight reduction and increase of power between 5000-7500 rpm while thePorsche 911 RSRgot a fuel capacity increase of 2 liters. In the GTD class, theMercedes-AMG GT3received a 20 kilogram weight increase and a 1mm air restrictor increase while theLexus RC F GT3received a 1mm air restrictor increase.
Entries
editA total of 43 cars took part in the event split across 3 classes. 16 cars were entered in P, 9 in GTLM, and 18 in GTD.[6]In P, BAR1 Motorsports andJackie Chan DCR JOTAwere absent whileUnited Autosportsscaled down to 1 entry.Paul Di RestajoinedPhil HansonandAlex Brundlein the United Autosports #32 entry whileBruno Sennamissed the event after having undergone a surgical procedure a few weeks earlier.[7][8]In GTD,Grasser Racing TeamandManthey Racingskipped the event whileRisi Competizionescaled down focussing on its GTLM effort.CJ Wilson Racingmade theirIMSA SportsCar Championshipdebut at this event.[9]Dillon Machavern andMarkus Palttalajoined Don Yount in theTurner Motorsportentry. Following the retirement ofScott Pruett,Sean Rayhalljoined3GT Racingin the teams #15 entry.[10]Corey LewisjoinedBryan SellersandMadison Snowin thePaul Miller Racingentry.[11]Tom Dyer joinedRyan Eversleyand Chad Gilsinger in theHARTentry.[12]
Practice
editThere were four practice sessions preceding the start of the race on Saturday, three on Thursday and one on Friday. The first two one-hour sessions were on Thursday morning and afternoon. The third held later that evening ran for 90 minutes; the fourth on Friday morning lasted an hour.[13]
Practice 1
editThe first practice session took place at 11:00 amETon Thursday and ended withHélio Castronevestopping the charts forAcuraTeam Penske,with a lap time of 1:48.237.[14]
Pos. | Class | No. | Team | Driver | Time | Gap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | P | 7 | AcuraTeam Penske | Hélio Castroneves | 1:48.237 | _ |
2 | P | 90 | Spirit of Daytona Racing | Tristan Vautier | 1:48.387 | +0.150 |
3 | P | 10 | Wayne Taylor Racing | Renger van der Zande | 1:48.415 | +0.178 |
Source:[15] |
Practice 2
editThe second practice session took place at 3:10 pmETon Thursday and ended withRicky Taylortopping the charts forAcuraTeam Pensken, with a lap time of 1:47.841.[16]
Pos. | Class | No. | Team | Driver | Time | Gap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | P | 7 | AcuraTeam Penske | Ricky Taylor | 1:47.841 | _ |
2 | P | 55 | Mazda Team Joest | Jonathan Bomarito | 1:48.753 | +0.912 |
3 | P | 5 | Mustang Sampling Racing | Filipe Albuquerque | 1:48.805 | +0.964 |
Source:[17] |
Night Practice
editThe night practice session took place at 7:30 pmETon Thursday and ended withRené Rasttopping the charts forMazda Team Joest,with a lap time of 1:48.233.[18]
Pos. | Class | No. | Team | Driver | Time | Gap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | P | 77 | Mazda Team Joest | René Rast | 1:48.233 | _ |
2 | P | 55 | Mazda Team Joest | Harry Tincknell | 1:48.690 | +0.457 |
3 | P | 31 | Whelen Engineering Racing | Felipe Nasr | 1:48.799 | +0.566 |
Source:[19] |
Final Practice
editThe fourth and final practice session took place at 8:00 amETon Friday and ended withRicky Taylortopping the charts forAcuraTeam Penske,with a lap time of 1:47.076.[20]
Pos. | Class | No. | Team | Driver | Time | Gap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | P | 7 | AcuraTeam Penske | Ricky Taylor | 1:47.076 | _ |
2 | P | 22 | Tequila Patrón ESM | Pipo Derani | 1:47.512 | +0.436 |
3 | P | 38 | Performance Tech Motorsports | Patricio O'Ward | 1:47.861 | +0.785 |
Source:[21] |
Qualifying
editFriday afternoon's 65-minute qualifying session was divided into three groups.[13]All three categories had 15-minute individual sessions, and regulations stipulated teams to nominate a single driver to qualify their cars. The competitors' fastest lap times determined the starting order with the grid arranged to put the Prototype and GTLM cars ahead of all GTD entries.[22]
The first was for cars in GTD class.Daniel Serraqualified on pole for the class driving the #51 car forSpirit of Race,beatingChristopher Miesin the #29 Montaplast by Land-Motorsport car by over five tenths of a second.[23]
The second session of qualifying was for cars in the GTLM class.Connor De Phillippiqualified on pole driving the #25 car forBMW Team RLL,beating James Calado in the #62Risi Competizionecar by less than one tenth of a second.[24]
The final session of qualifying was for the P class.Tristan Vautierqualified on pole driving the #90 car forSpirit of Daytona Racing,bestingOlivier Plain the #2Tequila Patrón ESMentry.[25]
Qualifying results
editPole positionsin each class are indicated inboldand by ‡.
Pos. | Class | No. | Team | Driver | Time | Gap | Grid |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | P | 90 | Spirit of Daytona Racing | Tristan Vautier | 1:47.432 | _ | 1‡ |
2 | P | 2 | Tequila Patrón ESM | Olivier Pla | 1:47.592 | +0.160 | 2 |
3 | P | 7 | AcuraTeam Penske | Ricky Taylor | 1:47.773 | +0.341 | 3 |
4 | P | 22 | Tequila Patrón ESM | Pipo Derani | 1:47.834 | +0.402 | 4 |
5 | P | 31 | Whelen Engineering Racing | Felipe Nasr | 1:47.853 | +0.421 | 5 |
6 | P | 6 | AcuraTeam Penske | Juan Pablo Montoya | 1:48.177 | +0.745 | 6 |
7 | P | 77 | Mazda Team Joest | René Rast | 1:48.192 | +0.760 | 151 |
8 | P | 5 | Mustang Sampling Racing | Filipe Albuquerque | 1:48.256 | +0.824 | 7 |
9 | P | 55 | Mazda Team Joest | Jonathan Bomarito | 1:48.279 | +0.847 | 162 |
10 | P | 10 | Wayne Taylor Racing | Renger van der Zande | 1:48.370 | +0.938 | 8 |
11 | P | 99 | JDC-Miller MotorSports | Stephen Simpson | 1:48.742 | +1.310 | 9 |
12 | P | 38 | Performance Tech Motorsports | Patricio O'Ward | 1:49.068 | +1.636 | 10 |
13 | P | 54 | CORE Autosport | Colin Braun | 1:49.158 | +1.726 | 11 |
14 | P | 85 | JDC-Miller MotorSports | Simon Trummer | 1:49.329 | +1.897 | 12 |
15 | P | 52 | AFS/PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports | Sebastián Saavedra | 1:49.423 | +1.991 | 13 |
16 | P | 32 | United Autosports | Paul di Resta | 1:49.488 | +2.056 | 143 |
17 | GTLM | 25 | BMW Team RLL | Connor De Phillippi | 1:55.839 | +8.407 | 17‡ |
18 | GTLM | 62 | Risi Competizione | James Calado | 1:55.897 | +8.465 | 18 |
19 | GTLM | 24 | BMW Team RLL | Jesse Krohn | 1:55.985 | +8.553 | 19 |
20 | GTLM | 67 | Ford Chip Ganassi Racing | Richard Westbrook | 1:56.098 | +8.666 | 20 |
21 | GTLM | 66 | Ford Chip Ganassi Racing | Joey Hand | 1:56.191 | +8.759 | 21 |
22 | GTLM | 912 | Porsche GT Team | Laurens Vanthoor | 1:56.251 | +8.819 | 22 |
23 | GTLM | 3 | Corvette Racing | Antonio García | 1:56.588 | +9.156 | 23 |
24 | GTLM | 911 | Porsche GT Team | Nick Tandy | 1:56.626 | +9.194 | 24 |
25 | GTLM | 4 | Corvette Racing | Tommy Milner | 1:56.900 | +9.468 | 25 |
26 | GTD | 51 | Spirit of Race | Daniel Serra | 1:58.710 | +11.278 | 26‡ |
27 | GTD | 29 | Montaplast by Land-Motorsport | Christopher Mies | 1:59.229 | +11.797 | 27 |
28 | GTD | 15 | 3GT Racing | Jack Hawksworth | 1:59.251 | +11.819 | 28 |
29 | GTD | 14 | 3GT Racing | Dominik Baumann | 1:59.476 | +12.044 | 29 |
30 | GTD | 48 | Paul Miller Racing | Madison Snow | 1:59.489 | +12.057 | 30 |
31 | GTD | 63 | Scuderia Corsa | Gunnar Jeannette | 1:59.609 | +12.177 | 31 |
32 | GTD | 75 | SunEnergy1 Racing | Thomas Jäger | 1:59.952 | +12.520 | 32 |
33 | GTD | 69 | HART | Tom Dyer | 2:00.069 | +12.637 | 33 |
34 | GTD | 64 | Scuderia Corsa | Frankie Montecalvo | 2:00.080 | +12.648 | 34 |
35 | GTD | 86 | Michael Shank RacingwithCurb Agajanian | Katherine Legge | 2:00.198 | +12.766 | 35 |
36 | GTD | 58 | Wright Motorsports | Christina Nielsen | 2:00.378 | +12.946 | 36 |
37 | GTD | 36 | CJ Wilson Racing | Marc Miller | 2:00.686 | +13.254 | 37 |
38 | GTD | 71 | P1 Motorsports | Kenton Koch | 2:00.717 | +13.285 | 38 |
39 | GTD | 33 | Mercedes-AMG Team Riley Motorsport | Ben Keating | 2:00.743 | +13.311 | 39 |
40 | GTD | 44 | Magnus Racing | John Potter | 2:02.151 | +14.719 | 40 |
41 | GTD | 96 | Turner Motorsport | Dillon Machavern | 2:03.227 | +15.795 | 41 |
42 | GTD | 73 | Park Place Motorsports | Tim Pappas | 2:04.650 | +17.218 | 42 |
43 | GTD | 93 | Michael Shank RacingwithCurb Agajanian | did not participate | 434 | ||
Sources:[26][27] |
- 1The No. 77 Mazda Team Joest entry was moved to the back of the P field after failing post qualifying technical inspection.[28][29]
- 2The No. 55 Mazda Team Joest entry was moved to the back of the P field failing post qualifying technical inspection.[30][31]
- 3The No. 32 United Autosports entry initially qualified sixteenth for the P class. However, the team changed engines after qualifying. By IMSA rules, the entry was moved to the rear of the P field on the starting grid.[32]
- 4The No. 93 Michael Shank Racing with Curb Agajanian entry was moved to the back of the GTD field for starting the race with a different driver than who qualified.
Race
editThis sectionneeds expansion.You can help byadding to it.(January 2024) |
Start and early hours
editAt the start of the race at turn 1, Vautier and Pla had a collision that led to Pla needing to pit during the next lap of the race. In addition to this, both Milner and Serra both got tire punctures and also needed to pit. Around twenty minutes into the race, Saavedra spun around the final corner and was hit by Montecalvo who was flipped over following a hit to the tirewall.[33]Just before the four hour mark, an awning blew onto the track bringing out the yellow flag. Almost immediately after the caution ended however, Brundle spun during the final turn.[34]
Afternoon
editAt the beginning of the afternoon, a Lexus hit a wall which caused debris to spread onto the track. This led to a caution period which caused Derani to lose his seventeen second lead. Just after the restart, an Acura retired due to an oil pressure problem. Towards the six hour mark, Fittipaldi and Nasr were involved in a collision that sprung from Nasr diving towards Fittipaldi. The collision led to Fittipaldi being spun around but rejoining the track shortly after.[35]Around the halfway mark, Vautier was given a drive through penalty after hitting Montoya which led to his retirement. Later, there was another collision between van der Zande and Curran which lead to tire debris being torn off and causing another yellow flag. Before the end of the afternoon, Barbosa and French had a collision that led to the two falling multiple laps behind the leader.[36]
Sunset to finish
editAt the beginning of the afternoon, Bruni hit a curb which led to his diffuser landing on the track. This brought out another yellow flag however after the flag the Porsche managed to maintain third place.[37]Just before the end of the race, while in second, Pigot had attempted to drive between Vautier and the wall which led to him hitting debris and lose multiple places. The Mazda of Tincknell also would not engage it's clutch for a full two minutes which led to it losing a full lap to the leader. At the end of the race, the number 22 Nissan took first in the prototype class, the number 911 Porsche took first in the GTLM class, and number 48 Lamborghini took first in the GTD class.[38]
Post-race
editIn Prototype, Curran, Nasr, and Conway moved to first after being second coming into Sebring. Albuquerque, Barbosa, and Fittipaldi dropped from first to third.[39]The result kept Briscoe, Westbrook, and Dixon atop the GTLM Drivers' Championship with 63 points. Pilet, Tandy, and Makowiecki advanced from eighth to second while Hand, Müller, and Bourdais dropped from second to fourth. De Phillippi, Sims, and Auberlen moved to fifth after being ninth coming into Sebring.[39]As a result of winning the race, Sellers and Snow took the lead of the GTD Drivers' Championship. Bleekemolen, Keating, and Stolz advanced from fourth to second while Legge, Parente, and Hindman dropped from second to third. MacNeil, Jeannette, and Balzan advanced from tenth to fourth.[39]Cadillac, Ford, and Lamborghini continued to top their respective Manufacturers' Championships while Ford Chip Ganassi Racing kept their respective advantage in the GTLM Teams' Championship. Whelen Engineering Racing and Paul Miller Racing took the lead in their respective Teams' Championships with ten rounds left in the season.[39]
Race Results
editClass winners are denoted inbold.
- ^The No. 71 P1 Motorsports entry originally finished 30th overall and 14th in the GTD class but was demoted to last in class after the race had finished for exceeding the maximum stint for a single driver.
Standings after the race
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References
edit- ^abcdGoodwin, Graham (August 6, 2017)."IMSA Announce 2018 Calendar".DailySportsCar.Archivedfrom the original on June 12, 2018.RetrievedJuly 25,2023.
- ^Dagys, John (March 1, 2018)."IMSA Establishes Minimum Refueling Times".sportscar365.com.RetrievedMay 2,2023.
- ^Dagys, John (February 6, 2018)."Land Explains Daytona Refueling BoP Penalty".sportscar365.com.RetrievedMay 2,2023.
- ^abcd"00_Championship Points - Official.pdf"(PDF).results.imsa.com.January 30, 2018. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 14 November 2023.RetrievedJuly 25,2023.
- ^Dagys, John (March 7, 2018)."DPis Slowed in Pre-Sebring BoP Adjustments".sportscar365.com.RetrievedMay 2,2023.
- ^Dagys, John (March 7, 2018)."43 Entries for Sebring".sportscar365.com.RetrievedMay 2,2023.
- ^Kilshaw, Jake (February 15, 2018)."Di Resta Set for Sebring, Watkins Glen with United Autosports".sportscar365.com.RetrievedMay 2,2023.
- ^Dagys, John (March 8, 2018)."Senna Ruled Out of 12H Sebring".sportscar365.com.RetrievedMay 2,2023.
- ^Lopez, David (February 21, 2018)."CJ Wilson Racing to enter Sebring with Acura NSX".us.motorsport.com.RetrievedMay 2,2023.
- ^Dagys, John (February 19, 2018)."Rayhall Joins 3GT for Sebring, Petit Le Mans".sportscar365.com.RetrievedMay 2,2023.
- ^Dagys, John (January 16, 2018)."Lewis Confirmed at Paul Miller for Sebring".sportscar365.com.RetrievedMay 2,2023.
- ^Dagys, John (February 14, 2018)."Dyer Joins HART for Sebring".sportscar365.com.RetrievedMay 2,2023.
- ^ab"Continental Tire Keys to the Race: 12H Sebring".sportscar365.com.March 14, 2018.RetrievedJuly 24,2023.
- ^Dagys, John (March 15, 2018)."Castroneves Tops Opening Practice at Sebring".sportscar365.com.RetrievedMay 4,2023.
- ^"03_Results.PDF"(PDF).results.imsa.com.March 15, 2018.RetrievedMay 4,2023.
- ^Dagys, John (March 15, 2018)."Penske Acura Quickest Again; Marks Crash Ends Session Early".sportscar365.com.John Dagys Media.RetrievedMay 4,2023.
- ^"03_Results.PDF"(PDF).results.imsa.com.March 15, 2018.RetrievedMay 4,2023.
- ^Myrehn, Ryan (March 15, 2018)."Rast Leads Mazda 1-2 in Sebring Night Practice".sportscar365.com.RetrievedMay 4,2023.
- ^"03_Results.PDF"(PDF).results.imsa.com.March 15, 2018.RetrievedMay 4,2023.
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- ^"Pre-Race Notes, Mazdas To The Back Of Proto Grid".dailysportscar.com.March 17, 2018.RetrievedApril 29,2023.
- ^"2007 ENTRANT CREDENTIAL AND"(PDF).results.imsa.com.16 March 2018. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 14 November 2023.RetrievedApril 29,2023.
- ^"Pre-Race Notes, Mazdas To The Back Of Proto Grid".dailysportscar.com.March 17, 2018.RetrievedApril 29,2023.
- ^Dagys, John (March 16, 2018)."Sebring Friday Notebook".sportscar365.com.RetrievedApril 29,2023.
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- ^Malsher-Lopez, David (March 17, 2018)."SEBRING 12 HOURS: HOUR 6 – NISSAN LEADS MAZDA AT HALF-DISTANCE".motorsport.com.RetrievedMay 25,2024.
- ^Malsher-Lopez, David (March 17, 2018)."SEBRING 12 HOURS: HOUR 8 – ESM NISSAN LEADS AXR CADILLAC".motorsport.com.RetrievedMay 25,2024.
- ^Malsher-Lopez, David (March 17, 2018)."SEBRING 12 HOURS: HOUR 10 – NISSAN LEADS CADILLAC AND MAZDA".motorsport.com.RetrievedMay 25,2024.
- ^Malsher-Lopez, David (March 17, 2018)."SEBRING 12 HOURS: ESM NISSAN, PORSCHE, PMR LAMBORGHINI WIN".motorsport.com.RetrievedMay 25,2024.
- ^abcdefghijklm"00_Championship Points - Official.pdf"(PDF).results.imsa.com.March 20, 2018. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 14 November 2023.RetrievedJuly 25,2023.
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