2009 12 Hours of Sebring
The2009Mobil 112 Hours of Sebringwas the 57th running of the12 Hours of Sebringand the opening round of the2009 American Le Mans Series season.It took place at theSebring International Raceway,Floridaon March 21, 2009. Three new cars made their debut at Sebring:Audi'sdieselR15 TDI,Acura's first LMP1 entry theARX-02a,and the return of theBMW M3to the GT2 category. It was also the last time GT1 category raced at the event.
Tom Kristensen,Allan McNish,andRinaldo Capellowon, Audi's ninth Sebring victory in eleven attempts, and set several event records in the process. Peugeot fell 22 seconds short of the winning Audi. While Acura's LMP1s failed to survive for twelve hours, their lone LMP2 entry was the sole finisher in the category and earnedFernández Racingtheir first ALMS victory. The GT1 category was fought amongst only the twoCorvette Racingcars, while GT2's battle of manufacturers was won byFerrariand theRisi Competizioneteam.
Entry[edit]
For the start of the American Le Mans Series season, 28 cars were officially entered, with the bulk of the entries in LMP1 and GT2. The 2008 race winners,Penske RacingPorsche,did not return to defend their title. Four manufacturers were represented in LMP1, including a duo ofR15 TDIs,Audi's latest diesel prototype, being entered byJoest Racing.Peugeotreturned once more with their908 HDi FAP,entering two cars compared to last year's single Sebring entry.Acuramade their LMP1 debut with the newARX-02abeing run byde FerranMotorsport andHighcroft Racing,while the remaining two entries wereLola-AERsentered byIntersport Racingand Autocon Motorsports. LMP2 consisted of two teams entering three cars, withFernández Racingonce again running an Acura andDyson Racingpartnering withMazdafor two Lola coupés.
GT1 was once again left to justCorvette Racingwith two cars, while GT2 dominated the entry list with 15 cars.Porschewas represented by two cars each fromFlying Lizard Motorsportsand VICI Racing, as well as a single entry for Farnbacher-Loles Racing. Ferrari once again aligned withRisi Competizionefor two cars, while the Italian-ArgentinianAdvanced EngineeringPeCom team also represents the brand. BMW made their return to the series with twoM3E92sforRahal Letterman Racing.The rest of the GT2 field was made of a mix of teams and automotive brands, including LG Motorsport'sChevrolet Corvette,PTG'sPanoz,Primetime'sDodge Viper,Robertson'sFord GT,andDrayson'sAston Martin.
Report[edit]
Qualifying[edit]
Held on Thursday, March 19, two 15-minute qualifying sessions were held to determine the starting grid. The two GT categories qualified in the first session, led by the two GT1 Corvettes. Only setting a few laps, the #4 Corvette ofOliver Gavinout qualified his teammate,Jan Magnussen.In GT2 Porsche locked in the first two spots on the grid, led byDirk Wernerof Farnbacher-Loles. Advanced Engineering PeCom led Ferrari with a third place spot, while Robertson Racing'sFord GTearned fifth. BMW's debut was hampered by mechanical problems for the #92 car, while the #90 ofBill Auberlenqualified seventh.[1]
In the LMP qualifying session, Acura was able to upset both Audi and Peugeot by earning pole position in their LMP1 debut. De Ferran Motorsports' driverScott DixonoutpacedTom Kristensen's Audi by less than a tenth of a second, whileChristian Klienled Peugeot to third. Acura earned a second pole position in the session as Fernández Racing led the LMP2 category, nearly two seconds ahead of the fastest Dyson Lola-Mazda.[1]
After qualifying the VICI team, who had one qualifier, withdrew from the event. This decreased the starting grid to 26 cars.[2]
Qualifying result[edit]
Pole position winners in each class are marked inbold.[3]
| Pos | Class | Team | Qualifying Driver | Lap Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LMP1 | #66de Ferran Motorsports | Scott Dixon | 1:45.278 |
| 2 | LMP1 | #2Audi Sport Team Joest | Tom Kristensen | 1:45.360 |
| 3 | LMP1 | #07Team PeugeotTotal | Christian Klien | 1:45.462 |
| 4 | LMP1 | #1Audi Sport North America | Mike Rockenfeller | 1:45.551 |
| 5 | LMP1 | #08Team PeugeotTotal | Sébastien Bourdais | 1:45.559 |
| 6 | LMP1 | #9PatrónHighcroft Racing | David Brabham | 1:46.504 |
| 7 | LMP2 | #15Lowe'sFernández Racing | Adrian Fernández | 1:49.686 |
| 8 | LMP2 | #16Dyson Racing Team | Chris Dyson | 1:51.534 |
| 9 | LMP1 | #12 Autocon Motorsports | Chris McMurry | 1:51.598 |
| 10 | LMP2 | #20Dyson Racing Team | Butch Leitzinger | 1:51.840 |
| 11 | GT1 | #4Corvette Racing | Oliver Gavin | 1:57.882 |
| 12 | GT1 | #3Corvette Racing | Jan Magnussen | 1:58.203 |
| 13 | GT2 | #87 Farnbacher-Loles Racing | Dirk Werner | 2:03.051 |
| 14 | GT2 | #45Flying Lizard Motorsports | Jörg Bergmeister | 2:03.433 |
| 15 | GT2 | #95Advanced EngineeringPeCom | Gianmaria Bruni | 2:03.487 |
| 16 | GT2 | #62Risi Competizione | Mika Salo | 2:03.829 |
| 17 | GT2 | #40 Robertson Racing | David Murry | 2:04.333 |
| 18 | GT2 | #21PanozTeam PTG | Dominik Farnbacher | 2:04.437 |
| 19 | GT2 | #90BMWRahal Letterman Racing | Bill Auberlen | 2:04.566 |
| 20 | GT2 | #11 Primetime Race Group | Chris Hall | 2:05.619 |
| 21 | GT2 | #007Drayson Racing | Jonny Cocker | 2:05.692 |
| 22 | GT2 | #18 VICI Racing | Nicky Pastorelli | 2:05.805 |
| 23 | GT2 | #28 LG Motorsports | Lou Giglotti | 2:06.678 |
| 24 | GT2 | #61Risi Competizione/Krohn | Tracy Krohn | 2:08.386 |
| 25 | GT2 | #44Flying Lizard Motorsports | Darren Law | 2:10.912 |
| 26 | LMP1 | #37Intersport Racing | Did Not Participate | |
| 27 | GT2 | #92BMWRahal Letterman Racing | Did Not Participate | |
Race[edit]
The field crossed the starting line to begin the 12 Hours of Sebring at 10:30 amEST.Although the de Ferran Acura led frompole position,the lead of the race was quickly taken by Audi before the first turn, followed by Peugeot. The #08 Peugeot started at the tail of the field due topower steeringproblems forcing it to begin frompit lane.One of the two Rahal Letterman BMW's also suffered problems on the grid and had to be taken to the garage, finally starting the race nearly an hour late. An early on track incident was a collision between the #40 Robertson Ford and the #45 Flying Lizard Porsche, with the Porsche requiring extensive repairs.[4]
During pit stops in the first few hours of the race, Audi changed theirMichelintires at every opportunity while Peugeot opted to change tires at every other pit stop.[4]This allowed Peugeot to take the lead. The Highcroft Acura suffered a spin in the hands of David Brabham, forcing the Robertson Ford to evade the Acura and hit the wall outside Sunset Bend, bringing out the first full-course caution.[5]A second caution was required an hour later to retrieve the Intersport Lola-AER after its engine failed while on the circuit.[6]
WhileSébastien Bourdaisled the race in Peugeot #08, he suffered a spin on Sunset Bend while diminished his lead by 20 seconds, but he was able to continue. The #07 Peugeot however came to the pits for a lengthy stop to repair anair conditioningfan in the cockpit, dropping it from contention.[7]Meanwhile, theDyson Racing Teamretired their two cars from the event, as did the remaining Rahal Letterman BMW, all due to engine failures.[8]
A third caution period came out when David Brabham once again spun his Highcroft Acura, this time making light contact with a wall.[9]While Peugeot still led in the eighth hour of the race, Audi began to double stint their tires for the first time whenLucas Luhrbrought the third place Audi in for a scheduled stop but did not change tires. This aided Audi in retaking the lead from Peugeot during the race's ninth hour.[10]Peugeot #08 then suffered a small leak in a rear tire, requiring the team to make an unscheduled pit stop to replace it.[11]The two LMP1 Acuras meanwhile suffered mechanical problems, eventually leading to the retirement of both de Ferran and Highcroft.
In the closing hours, the #45 Porsche, having rebounded from its incident early in the race, was attempting to pass the PTG Panoz for third place in GT2 when the two came into contact at the exit of Sunset Bend. The Porsche, driven byMarc Lieb,was spun into the concrete wall and required extensive repairs while the Panoz continued on.[12]In the closing hours, Peugeot and Audi traded the lead as each team made their respective pit stops. Peugeot #08 led as it came to the pits for its final stop, but Audi needed only a short refuel on their final stop several laps later. This allowed Audi driverAllan McNishto exit the pits after his final stop ahead of Peugeot with only fifteen minutes remaining. By the race finish the margin of victory between the #2 Audi and #08 Peugeot was 22 seconds.[13]
Tom Kristensenearned his record fifth overall win. The #2 Audi covered a distance of 1,417 mi (2,280 km) at an average speed of 117.986 mph (189.880 km/h), both of which were new event records. The Lowe's Fernández Racing Acura was the sole survivor in LMP2, finishing in fourth overall, whileCorvette Racing#3 outperformed its teammate in GT1. The GT2 class was won by the Ferrari of Risi Competizione, while the EuropeanAdvanced EngineeringPeCom Ferrari was second. Panoz completed the GT2 class podium. In the Michelin Green X Challenge, the race winning #2 Audi was the most efficient LMP, while the #3 Corvette lead GTs.[13]
Race result[edit]
Class winners inbold.Cars failing to complete 70% of winner's distance marked as Not Classified (NC).[14]
References[edit]
- ^ab"Sebring Shocker: Dixon claims Pole for Acura".American Le Mans Series.2009-03-19. Archived fromthe originalon March 20, 2009.Retrieved2009-03-19.
- ^Marcel ten Caat (2009-03-21)."Sebring 12 Hours – Warm-Up Report".PlanetLeMans.com.Archivedfrom the original on 24 March 2009.Retrieved2009-03-22.
- ^"ALMS Qualifying"(PDF).International Motor Sports Association.2009-03-19. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 26 March 2009.Retrieved2009-03-19.
- ^abMarcel ten Caat (2009-03-21)."Sebring 12 Hours – Hour 1 Update".PlanetLeMans.com.Archivedfrom the original on 24 March 2009.Retrieved2009-03-23.
- ^Marcel ten Caat (2009-03-21)."Sebring 12 Hours – Hour 2 Update".PlanetLeMans.com.Retrieved2009-03-23.
- ^"Peugeots sit 1–2 after three hours of racing".American Le Mans Series.2009-03-21. Archived fromthe originalon March 24, 2009.Retrieved2009-03-23.
- ^Marcel ten Caat (2009-03-21)."Sebring 12 Hours – Hour 5 Update".PlanetLeMans.com.Retrieved2009-03-23.
- ^Marcel ten Caat (2009-03-21)."Sebring 12 Hours – Hour 6 Update".PlanetLeMans.com.Archivedfrom the original on 24 March 2009.Retrieved2009-03-23.
- ^Marcel ten Caat (2009-03-21)."Sebring 12 Hours – Hour 7 Update".PlanetLeMans.com.Retrieved2009-03-23.
- ^Marcel ten Caat (2009-03-21)."Sebring 12 Hours – Hour 9 Update".PlanetLeMans.com.Archivedfrom the original on 25 March 2009.Retrieved2009-03-23.
- ^"A slow puncture deprives Peugeot of victory".Endurance-Info.com. 2009-03-22. Archived fromthe originalon 2009-07-31.Retrieved2009-03-23.
- ^Marcel ten Caat (2009-03-21)."Sebring 12 Hours – Hour 10 Update".PlanetLeMans.com.Retrieved2009-03-23.
- ^ab"Another Debut, Another Audi Victory at Sebring".American Le Mans Series.2009-03-21. Archived fromthe originalon March 23, 2009.Retrieved2009-03-22.
- ^"ALMS Final Race Report"(PDF).International Motor Sports Association.2009-03-22. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 26 March 2009.Retrieved2009-03-21.
External links[edit]