SEBRING — The Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring is one of the most famous auto races in the world with a winner’s list that includes racing royalty from Mario Andretti, to Dan Gurney to AJ Foyt.
And as the sports car racing world descends upon tiny Sebring for this big racing weekend, the Central Florida town’s population grows exponentially. As does its fun factor and of course, its competitive vibe. It’s truly the best of both worlds.
Some of the 100,000-plus fans expected for Saturday’s 70th Annual 12 Hours of Sebring IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race (10 am) don’t even pay attention to the sport outside of this weekend. Instead, many prefer to relish full-on in the Spring Break-like atmosphere on the spectator mounds and throughout the crowded campgrounds among the 17-turn 3.74-mile road course located two hours inland from both Florida’s western and eastern coastlines.
“The vibes here are awesome because it’s sort of like this pop-up festival of speed out in the middle of Florida that you arrive to and as you come closer to the track you get this sense that something big is happening and you arrive and there’s campers and people and race cars,” said NBC Analyst and part-time NASCAR driver Parker Kligerman who is at the track as a spectator this weekend.
“There’s just this awesome group of people that love speed, love race cars and the history here is awesome.”
Sebastien Bourdais, a Frenchman who now lives in St. Petersburg, won the pole position for Saturday’s race, turning a Daytona Prototype (DPi) record-setting qualifying lap of 128.025 mph in the No. 01 Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac. He’ll lead a field of 51 cars to the green in his quest for a fourth 12 Hours of Sebring victory and second in a row.
Even Bourdais says – with a smile – that he had to grow into his affinity for the Sebring track which famously runs in part on an old World War II airfield. That’s one of the unique challenges this race features. The 12-hour length has essentially evolved into a full-on sprint to the trophy – testing drivers in a large field of cars with various top-speeds in both daytime and night-time conditions.
“It’s funny because the first time I came here in ’01, I just hated the place,” Bourdais said, adding, “But I just came to really enjoy it and relish that challenge.
“I think the complexion of the race track makes it so technical you have to know what you’re looking for. There are things you can fix and things that you just have to get on with.
“It’s got a flow to it that I really enjoy, just a mix of everything, really slow, hairpin tight then quick release corners like Turn 1 that is really a brave moment, or a stupid moment for some. It can go from one to the other very quickly. I’ve come to really enjoy this place. I’ve had a couple heartbreaks but I’ve come to enjoy it.
“I’m really looking forward to giving it a go.”
Five classes of cars – from the sleek, quick Daytona Prototype headline class to the GTD Pro and GTD classes that feature Porsches, Mercedes and Corvettes – are on the track together.
American Ben Keating will start from the pole position in the LMP2 prototype class – seventh overall. Among the competitors in that class are two-time Indianapolis 500 race winner and former Formula One driver Juan Pablo Montoya, who will team with his 16-year old son, Sebastien Montoya, for the first time.
American Gar Robinson qualified first in the LMP3 prototype class in the No. 74 Ligier JS P320 – just outqualifying Jarrett Andretti, John Andretti’s son and Mario Andretti’s great-nephew.
Brazilian Daniel Serra will start first In the GTD Pro class – 22nd overall – in the No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 488 GT3. And Canadian Zacharie Robichon – the defending GTD class race winner – won GTD pole position and will start 24th in the Wright Motorsports Porsche 91 GT3R.
The No. 5 JDC Miller MotorSports Mustang Sampling team – for whom Bourdais drove for last year – is the defending race winner. Tristan Vautier, Richard Westbrook and Loic Duval are driving the car this week and will start 10th – last among the DPi entries after a spin in qualifying.
As these drivers are quick to remind, it’s not where you start but where you end up that matters most. And at Sebring, it’s best to expect an adventure in between.
“Wow,” Bourdais said, when asked for a one-word description of Sebring’s grand race.
“I think that’s the best adjective for it. From the parties to the intricacies of the track and the race, it’s just like nothing else really
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George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism