The12 Hours of Sebringis an annualmotorsportendurance raceforsports carsheld atSebring International Raceway,on the site of the formerHendricks Army AirfieldWorld War IIair base inSebring, Florida,US. In the past, this race has been a round of the now defunctWorld Sportscar Championship,IMSA GT ChampionshipandAmerican Le Mans Series.In 2012, the race was the opening event of theFIA World Endurance Championshipin a one off race before being returned back to the American Le Mans Series for 2013. Starting in 2014, the event became the second round of theWeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
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| IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship | |
|---|---|
| Venue | Sebring International Raceway |
| Corporatesponsor | Mobil 1 |
| First race | 1950 |
| Duration | 12 hours |
| Most wins (driver) | Tom Kristensen(6) |
| Most wins (team) | Scuderia Ferrari/SpA Ferrari(8) |
| Most wins (manufacturer) | Porsche(18) |
The race is considered to be one of the three legs of the informalTriple Crown of endurance racingalong with the24 Hours of Le Mansand24 Hours of Daytona.[1][2][3][4][5]
History
editThe track opened in1950on an airfield and is aroad racingcourse styled after those used inEuropeanGrand Prix motor racing.The first race was a six-hour race on New Year's Eve 1950. The winning car is currently on display at the Edge Motor Museum in Memphis, Tennessee. The next race was held 14 months later as the first 12 Hours of Sebring.[6]The race is famous for its "once around the clock" action, starting during the day and finishing at night.[7]From 1953 to 1972 the 12 Hour was a round of the FIA's premier sports car series which was contested under various names including theWorld Sportscar Championshipand the International Championship for Makes. In the 1950s, in addition to Le Mans, Sebring was on the calendar at the same time now-legendary races such as theMille Miglia,Targa Florio,Carrera Panamericanaand theRAC Tourist Trophywere on the World Sportscar Championship calendar, such was the prestige of the Sebring race. It was also the most important American race for the European teams and drivers and was the center of European racing activity in the United States; it was the only time during the 1950s that the big European manufacturer teams and drivers came to the United States in force, bringing with them considerable international media attention—the United States Formula One Grand Prix was not run until 1959. Top drivers who competed on the European circuit in the 1950s such asJuan Manuel Fangio,Alberto Ascari,Nino Farina,Stirling MossandMike Hawthornall raced at Sebring, and the 1957 Sebring 12 Hours was the only American race the 5-time world champion Fangio ever won.
In its early years, the Sebring circuit combined former airport runways with narrow two-lane service roads.[8]The 1966 event was a turning point in Sebring history, as the facilities and the safety of the circuit were heavily criticized. Five people were killed during the race, more than in the race's prior 15-year history combined.[8]Bob McLeancrashed while approaching thehairpin;his car rolled several times, struck a utility pole and then exploded, landing in a ditch and killing McLean.[8]In another incidentMario Andrettiin hisFerrari 365 P2tangled with Don Wester'sPorsche 906on the Warehouse Straight near the Webster Turns, killing four spectators and then crashing into a warehouse next to the track. Subsequent to these events, the facilities were upgraded and the circuit layout was changed, including eliminating the Webster Turns and creating the Green Park Chicane further down the track to move the straight further away from the airport warehouses.[8]The circuit was made safer, and there have only been 4 fatalities since then—a remarkable record for a circuit of Sebring's age.
The race is known as preparation for the24 Hours of Le Mans,[9]as the track's technical layout and extremely bumpy surface, combined with south-central Florida's perennial hot weather, is a major test of a car's reliability. Teams planning to compete at Le Mans regard Sebring as an ideal preparation run for the prestigious French race.[10]
In recent years, six overall victories have been achieved by theAudi R8,one fewer than the record seven wins of thePorsche 935.[11]Tom Kristensenhas won the race more times than anyone else, with six victories—in1999–2000,2005–2006,2009and in2012.[12]
2020 saw the race be rescheduled to mid-November due to delays caused by thepandemic.It was the only season where Sebring was run twice in a season. In July, as part of restarting the season, a three-hour race was held in July with spectators. IMSA allowed spectators for this race.
Races up until 1969 began with the traditionalLe Mans startprocedure, which was abolished at the end of the 1969 season followingJacky Ickxprotesting at Le Mans 1969; 1970 was the first 12 Hours of Sebring started with a rolling start.
Race results
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The1966 racehadDan Gurneyleading at the last lap, when his engine of hisShelby American Ford GT40 Mk IIseized near the end. Gurney pushed his car over the finish line, beaten only byKen MilesandLloyd Ruby.However, his actions were ultimately determined to be against the rules and he did not receive credit for his finish.[13]
In 2005, theChevrolet Corvette C6.RandAston Martin DBR9made their race debut in the hotly contested GT1 class,[14][15]with Aston Martin winning its class for the first time in 49 years at Sebring ahead of the two Corvettes. Corvette had dominated the class the past three years with its previous generation C5R.
The all-newAudi R10 TDIwon the 2006 edition of the race, the car's first ever run in competition.[16]The much-hypedPorsche RS Spydercampaigned byPenske Racingdropped to take 2nd place in its LMP2 class, behind the Intersport Lola car. The GT1 Corvette C6R team got their revenge against the Aston Martin, although the second Corvette came within 1/3 of a second of the podium in the closing laps of the race.
2007 sawAudiagain winning in the R10 TDI despite requiring more frequent refueling due to changes in American Le Mans series rules intended to even the field between gasoline and diesel-powered engines.[17]
Statistics
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Wins by manufacturer
edit| Rank | Manufacturer | Wins | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Porsche |
18 | 1960,1968,1971,1973,1976–1988,2008 |
| 2 |  Ferrari |
12 | 1956,1958–1959,1961–1964,1970,1972,1995,1997–1998 |
| 3 | Audi |
11 | 2000–2007,2009,2012–2013 |
| 4 |  Nissan
|
5 | 1989–1991,1994,2018 |
 Cadillac |
2017,2019,2021–2023 | ||
| 5 | Ford |
4 | 1966–1967,1969,2014 |
| 7 | Toyota |
2 | 1992–1993 |
| BMW |
1975,1999 | ||
 Peugeot |
2010–2011 | ||
| 10 | Crosly |
1 | 1950 |
 Frazer-Nash |
1952 | ||
| Cunningham |
1953 | ||
| O.S.C.A. |
1954 | ||
| Jaguar |
1955 | ||
| Maserati |
1957 | ||
| Chaparral |
1965 | ||
| Oldsmobile |
1996 | ||
| Corvette |
2015 | ||
| Honda |
2016 | ||
| Mazda |
2020 | ||
| Acura |
2024 | ||
| Source:[18] | |||
Wins by driver
edit| Rank | Driver | Wins | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Tom Kristensen |
6 | 1999,2000,2005,2006,2009,2012 |
| 2 | Rinaldo Capello |
5 | 2001,2002,2006,2009,2012 |
| 3 | Frank Biela |
4 | 2000,2003,2004,2007 |
| Allan McNish |
2004,2006,2009,2012 | ||
 Pipo Derani |
2016,2018,2019,2023 | ||
| 4 | Phil Hill |
3 | 1958,1959,1961 |
 Olivier Gendebien |
1959,1960,1961 | ||
| Mario Andretti |
1967,1970,1972 | ||
| Hans-Joachim Stuck |
1975,1986,1988 | ||
| Marco Werner |
2003,2005,2007 |
Overall winners
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- ^AThe car was in fact, a Porsche 935 K3 that has been modified with a single plug cylinder head and a front nose to resemble a Porsche 934 to comply toIMSA GTOspecification.[20]
- ^BThese races were stopped for a period of time due to heavy rain and/or accidents. The race clock was not stopped for these periods and counted towards the 12 Hours.
- ^CRace record for most distance covered.
- ^DTechnically the race "winner" in 1950 was the Crosley Hot Shot of Fritz Koster / Ralph Deshon, entered by Victor Sharpe Jr. of Tampa. While the Wacker / Burrell Allard did cover more distance, the race was run under the "Index of Performance" handicapping rules and the Crosley, with a much smaller engine than the Cadillac-powered Allard, is listed in the Official Sebring Record Book as the winner.
References
edit- ^Posey, Sam(February 2012)."24 Hours of Daytona: A short history of a long race".Road & Track.63(6): 73–77. Archived fromthe originalon March 9, 2012.RetrievedJune 20,2012.
- ^"Are the days of motorsport's triple crown gone?".NZ Herald.March 22, 2024.RetrievedMarch 22,2024.
- ^Hub, Porsche Motorsport."IMSA season opener at Daytona Beach | Porsche Motorsport Hub".motorsports.porsche.com.RetrievedMarch 22,2024.
- ^"RETURN TO SEBRING".www.ferrari.com.RetrievedMarch 22,2024.
- ^Sass, Rob (March 2, 2015)."Benjafield's 24: Endurance event features pre-war classics".Hagerty UK.RetrievedMarch 22,2024.
- ^McCluggage, Denise(February 20, 2012). "Racing Through History".Autoweek.62(4): 66–67.
- ^ONCE AROUND THE CLOCK SWIFTLY ROLLING
- ^abcdSebring,archived fromthe originalon March 9, 2019,retrievedApril 7,2019
- ^LE MANS USA. MAJOR ENDURANCE TEST FOR PORSCHE AT SEBRING.,archived fromthe originalon April 7, 2019,retrievedApril 7,2019
- ^Nobody Tells You How Punishing the 12 Hours of Sebring Really Is
- ^Porsche Celebrates 12 Hours of Sebring Winners,March 19, 2009
- ^Sebring 12 hours statistics
- ^"Sebring countdown: The 20 greatest battles countdown, Nos. 8 through 5 | Autoweek".April 6, 2016. Archived fromthe originalon April 6, 2016.RetrievedMarch 17,2018.
- ^Corvette C6-R Race Car Launches For 2005
- ^2005 Aston-Martin DBR9,December 12, 2005
- ^Audi V12 TDI is "Race Engine of the Year"
- ^IMSA cuts back diesel advantage,archived fromthe originalon May 30, 2019,retrievedJanuary 31,2021
- ^"Sebring wall of winners".
- ^Sam Collier Memorial Sebring Grand Prix of Endurance Six Hours, www.racingsportscars.comRetrieved on 31 July 2012
- ^Starkey, John (December 1998).930 to 935: The Turbo Porsches.Renwick & Starkey Ltd.ISBN0-9665094-1-2.
External links
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