54 entries for Twelve Hours of Sebring

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emailBy Richard S. James | March 8, 2023 5:18 PM ET

A 54-car preliminary entry list has been released for next week’s Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. While most of the classes have shrunk from the Rolex 24 at Daytona opening round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship as is typical, the LMP3 field has grown from nine to 10 as the regular season championship for that class, as well as LMP2, begins.

GTP maintains its core eight entries (growing back to nine later in the season when JDC-Miller Motorsports takes delivery of its Porsche 963), losing the extra Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac V-LMDh, as the No. 2 moves to WEC, which begins its season with the 1000 Miles of Sebring the day before the Twelve Hour. LMP2 has also dropped by one.

More IMSA!

Rolling with changes nothing new for Pfaff Motorsports

IMSA GTP 101: Porsche's 963 Internal Combustion Engine

Garg gets a Sunday double in VP Challenge at Sebring

LMP3 loses FastMD Racing, but Ave Motorsports and Jr III Racing join the field. Ave is fielding the No. 4 Ligier for Seth Lucas, Tonis Kasemets and Trenton Estep, while Jr III brings the No. 30 Ligier for Ari Balogh, Garret Grist and Dakota Dickerson.

The GTD PRO ranks have dropped by one, the expected withdrawal of the MDK Motorsports 911 GT3 R due to the Porsche BoP issues. GTD is the largest class with 20 entries, down three from Daytona – the SunEnergy 1 Mercedes AMG, one Iron Lynx Lamborghini and the NTE Sport Lamborghini.

IMSA has also adjusted the Balance of Performance for GTD. While at Daytona, all four cars had the same weight, same per-stint energy usage and energy replenishment rate, each car has been assigned its own parameters in each of those categories. All the cars have gained weight from the 1030kg minimum used at Daytona, with the Acura ARX-06 gaining the most at 1054kg, and Cadillac the least at 1038kg. BMW is at 1040, while Porsche is at 1048. The Maximum Stint Energy ranges from 905MJ for BMW and Cadillac to 912 for the Porsche and 917 for the Acura. Replenishment rates have a range of 0.3MJ per second, 22.63 to 22.94MJ/sec. IMSA has not released the BoP tables for the GTD classes.

Practice for the 2023 Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring begins next Thursday, March 16, at 10:10 a.m. – the same time at which the race will start two days later on Saturday.

 

Porsche and Lamborghini get BoP help for Sebring

Jake Galstad/Motorsport Image
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emailBy Richard S. James | March 9, 2023 5:54 PM ET

IMSA has enlarged the intake restrictors for both the 992 Porsche 911 GT3 R and the Lamborghini Huracán Evo2 for the upcoming Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, the second round of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Both cars suffered for lack of pace at the Rolex 24 At Daytona in January, the Porsche especially so. One Porsche team had already withdrawn from Sebring over the Balance of Performance issue, and others have said they would alter their participation in the series if something wasn’t done before Sebring.

The 911 GT3R is now allowed 38mm restrictors — the 4.0-liter flat six uses two of them. That’s an increase of 4mm from last month’s IMSA-sanctioned test at Sebring (although reports are that restrictors up to 36mm were fitted during the test), and an increase of 5mm from the Daytona specification.

According to one team running the Porsche, the 992-generation 911 GT3 R relies more on aero grip than mechanical grip compared to its predecessor, which means more drag. Sucking air through the smaller restrictors severely hurt the car’s power and thus top-end performance.

Rolling with changes nothing new for Pfaff Motorsports

IMSA GTP 101: Porsche's 963 Internal Combustion Engine

Garg gets a Sunday double in VP Challenge at Sebring

The Lamborghini moves from a single 47mm restrictor to 49mm for Sebring, an increase of 1mm from the Sebring test. That car, along with the new Ferrari 296, also was off the pace at Daytona. The Ferrari received a slight bump in boost pressure for Sebring, but also 15kg more weight, while the Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 received similar adjustments.

Other changes include an increase of the Mercedes-AMG’s minimum weight by 15kg, and 15kg reductions for the Aston Martin Vantage, BMW M4, Corvette and Lexus RC F GT3s.

 

Embrace the bumps: Drivers’ love-hate relationship with Sebring

Jake Galstad/Motorsport Images
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emailBy Richard S. James | March 9, 2023 4:39 PM ET

We’ve all been in a love-hate relationship with something or someone. Sometimes that comes from hating part of it, but loving another aspect. Other times it’s something that makes you so miserable that you can’t help but love it. Sebring? Yeah, for many drivers, it’s like that.

Sebring International Raceway is legendary for its bumps and its surface that alternates between concrete and asphalt. During next week’s Twelve Hours of Sebring for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, as well as the WEC 100 Miles of Sebring the day before, there will be a time when the position of the sun entering a couple of the critical turns is almost unbearable. Then there is the darkness — darkness unlike most endurance racers encounter at any other circuit.

“It is the most unique track that we go to on the schedule at least,” explains Andy Lally, fresh off a GTD podium finish in the No. 44 Magnus Racing Aston Martin Vantage at Daytona (and pictured above at Sebring last year). “There aren’t too many places where we combine asphalt and concrete racing surfaces. In fact, I think it’s probably the only one with the exception of some places with small patches. The fact that we know there’s problems with the track and we don’t want to fix it, we know that there’s some treacherous corners and we know that there’s bumps and and cliffs and holes and stuff … that is all part of the historical value of Sebring and what it brings. As it is fairly grueling on a driver and it’s barely ever really nice weather there, that’s what makes it satisfying if you do well.”



There’s also the way the circuit changes over the course of the race — set the car up to be fast for the finish, and in the middle of the day it will be an absolute handful.

“Understanding the unique challenge of that is that the track gets good and bad at different points in the day, so and then even some of the asphalt corners get good and bad in different points in the day. So Sebring, in particular, you know your morning goodness is worn off and you’re going to the afternoon sliminess as soon as you get a little too sideways coming out of (Turn) 5, and you know, pretty much on that lap, that Turn 16 is going to start to be horrible,” says Lally, who ran his first race at Sebring in 1996. “And every bit of feedback and everything that you do for the rest of the day until about 4:30 or 5:30 p.m. is useless to make 5 and 16 good. And then gradually some of the other corners drop off; you get some corners like 11 that stays shaded with the trees there but you get a lot of different corners that progress from good to bad differently.

“The challenge is not being fooled by the temperature change during the day,” he explains. “You know, there’s other tracks around the U.S. that do this. But as far as what’s on the IMSA calendar, nothing changes like Sebring. If you drove out at 9am and threw down a lap and then left the car alone, put another set of stickers on it and drove out at noon, just three hours later, your time difference would put you from qualifying first on the grid to last on the grid. It’s such a change throughout the day. That afternoon part is just so potentially treacherous. And you can also chase something that sets you down the wrong path for the night.”

Sebring’s sunsets can be spectacular, and the photographers carefully plan their location to be in the right place at the right time to capture that beauty as a stunning backdrop to the cars. But there’s half an hour during the race until the sun goes below the horizon that is treacherous for the drivers. Unlike the photographers, they’re hoping the sun goes down behind some clouds.

“Sunset … definitely going into (Turns) 17 and 7, you’re hoping to get any clouds,” says Corvette Racing’s Antonio Garcia. “If it’s a full bright sky, you know it’s going to be really, really tough. That also goes into the point that, at times, I got into the car with three-hours-and-something to go. So that means that you get the sunset, and then you go full into the dark. So you need also to pick the right visor, everything needs to be perfect.

“I have had every single condition there and every single moment of different weather. But, yeah, for sure the sunset, if it’s full bright, is tricky. That’s something you don’t want to be fighting too much with somebody, or traffic gets very, very tricky in those conditions because somebody might not see you. It’s only 20, 25 minutes; but it’s it’s very tricky.



Garcia, though, confesses he loves the track in darkness, while also admitting that that can depend on one’s position in the field: “I love the racetrack, the whole lap at night. So when it’s full dark, and you know it’s coming to the end of the race, that’s the more joyful time of the of the race. No matter how tired you are, if you’re up in contention for the race, especially, that’s when the whole magic of Sebring comes.” Garcia has been there, most recently last year when the No. 3 Corvette team won the Twelve Hours of Sebring, its only victory of the season, but also three GTLM wins before that.

There’s no passion for the track when Sebring brings an end to a team’s race before the 12 hours is up. But make it to the finish, make it to the podium, and the torture is worth it.

 

Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring race day news and notes

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emailBy Richard S. James | March 18, 2023 9:41 AM ET

Busy warmup
In the 20-minute warmup for the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, all but seven cars turned laps to get ready for the 10:10am start of the race, most of them well below race pace. Mathieu Jaminet led GTP in the No. 6 Porsche Penske Motorsports 963. Other quickest laps were Mikkel Jensen in LMP2 (No. 11 TDS Racing ORECA); Dan Goldburg in LMP3 (No. 85 JDC-Miller Motorsports Duqueine); Jordan Taylor in GTD PRO (No. 3 Corvette Racing); and Antonio Fuoco in GTD (No. 47 Cetilar Racing Ferrari 296).

Qualification penalties
Two Mercedes-AMG entries failed to meet the ride-height requirements in post-qualifying technical inspection. The GTD PRO-class No. 79 WeatherTech Racing entry and the GTD-class No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG will be moved to the back of the GTD PRO/GTD category.

LMP2 set through 2025
IMSA released a memo confirming that the LMP2 class in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship will continue with current-generation cars through the end of the 2025 season. The series did not announce its plans for future LMP3 eligibility, indicating that a decision will be reached by June 1.

Auberlen to make 100th start since merge
Bill Auberlen continues to rack up the milestones. When he takes the green in the No. 95 Turner Motorsports BMW M4 GT3, Auberlen will have made his 100th IMSA start since reunification in 2014.

Tire allocation
For the GTP cars, IMSA has allowed 11 sets of tires for qualifying and race, which should be more than enough for a 12-hour race. Both Acura teams, though — Wayne Taylor Racing and Meyer Shank Racing — used two sets in qualifying, reducing their sets of stickers for the race. It’s likely not something that will make a big difference, but something to pay attention to. Neither team was able to really use the second set due to the red flag brought out by Campbell’s crash in the No. 7 Porsche 963.

Sebring? “It’s mega!”
Glenn van Berlo is racing at Sebring International Raceway for the first time, but managed to set a new LMP3 record in the No. 36 Andretti Autosport Ligier and take the pole by a big margin. So what does he think of the track?
“It’s different than every other racetrack and especially with low fuel and qualifying, it’s mega! I would like to do this 24/7, like qually laps on low fuel. It’s unbelievable. It’s really nice.”

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LMP2 traffic issues
Traffic is always an issue, and often the key to victory, in the Twelve Hours of Sebring, but there’s some concern that with the new 35mm restrictors on the LMP2 cars implemented this year to provide more speed differential between GTP and LMP2 could create more problems than it solves as it makes it harder for LMP2s to pass LMP3 and GTD cars. Ryan Dalziel, driver of the No. 18 Era Motorsports ORECA, has voiced the concerns that many drivers have about the new LMP2 BoP and the issues it can cause in traffic.

“I said it at Daytona — I was pretty vocal about it — and it’s going to be 10 times worse at Sebring,” he said. “The potential of a P2 car ruining somebody’s day is quite high, and that could go for the pro or the bronze drivers. It’s just we have zero power in the infield. And it’s going to be extremely tough with the amount of cars we’re going to have. Two-thirds of the grid is cars slower than us. I think that’s where the problem for all the cars in P2 is going to come, trying to navigate traffic without losing a whole lap stuck behind a GT car and risk over reward.
But since IMSA collects the entry fees, they want to make as much money as they can, and they make the rules, so they can have us start bumper to bumper for the length of the whole track to maximize their money.and obviously the, you know, least experienced guys have a tougher time with that.” But if you keep your mouth shut and sandbag out of first place you might do well since IMSA usually goes after the winners to screw them over the next day.

You know like the team that won Daytona had their winnings taken away, got fined and all manner of crap when IMSA said you didn't have the approved AMOUNT OF TIRE PRESSURE!

Saluting Terry Jackson
The Jackson Motorsports team, the distributor for the Michelin Tires used in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, will be wearing black armbands for this weekend’s 12 Hours of Sebring in tribute to the founder and chairman Larry Jackson who passed away earlier this week.

There are 38 Jackson associates on site handling tire inventory, mounting, balancing, release to the IMSA teams, and communications for the largest event in Michelin Motorsport’s history

 

INSIGHT: How Toyota fine-tuned for a bigger and badder Hypercar class

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emailBy Stephen Kilbey | March 17, 2023 11:56 AM ET

Confidence is high at Toyota Gazoo Racing ahead of the 1000 Miles of Sebring. While much of the competition in Hypercar have been busy getting up to speed with new machinery over the off-season and throughout the past week in Florida, Toyota has been working on perfecting the proven package that is the GR010 HYBRID.

Throughout practice and qualifying at Sebring the GR010 HYBRID has looked like the car to beat, despite AF Corse’s No. 50 499P snatching the headlines, and losing pole position last night came as a surprise to the Japanese-flagged team. Toyota remains the favorite for the race though, and while that may seem unsurprising, to those directly involved, it validates their efforts in recent seasons.

Toyota has been an almost unstoppable force for years now in the FIA WEC, but true, world-class competition hasn’t been there since Porsche departed after 2017. The opportunity has finally arrived for the Cologne-based team to show everyone just how strong its WEC effort really is, after years spent waiting for the cavalry to arrive.

For this season, Toyota decided not to bring a brand-new car to the WEC. Instead, it opted to improve its existing challenger, which has delivered a pair of world championships and Le Mans wins.

At a glance, the GR010 HYBRID, with its new aero package that features new dive planes, a smaller rear wing end plate and a new set of lights that improve visibility at night, simply looks more aggressive. But the Toyota team’s aim isn’t wasn’t to improve the car’s looks…

The new package has improved brake cooling and allows quick changes to cooling options during a race, achieved through new vents at the front and rear. It’s now a lighter car too, its weight down to the minimum 1040kg (2293 lbs) allowed by technical regulations. Principally, Toyota has been working to adapt the car to the ever-evolving regulations, which have been chopped and changed since Toyota began developing the car back when the new Hypercar formula was first revealed.

With plenty of mileage completed with the new-look GR010 the drivers are all up to speed and comfortable with the new package. The feedback has been positive.

“We’ve worked on the weak areas, they were not easy to overcome. With the rule changes since our initial design, we’ve had to work to get the car into a better window. We’ve done a decent job, and come with a more driveable car,” No. 7 driver Mike Conway told RACER.

Behind the wheel, Conway says he feels the new GR010 is more nimble, making it easier to navigate the LMP2 and GTE traffic.

“You can definitely see the difference in lap time — we are quicker and it’s easier to drive. We were lacking last year to the Alpine. The car is now more responsive and agile; you can place it easier. The traffic is different too this year because we have new competition, so we have to look at where they are strong and weak too.”

Ryo Hirakawa, who drives the No. 8, echoes this, explaining that the improvements made to the car are particularly noticeable on an aggressive track like Sebring.

“Compared to last year, there is a big difference,” he explained. “It’s just an easier car to manage as a driver. Under braking and over the bumps here it’s far easier to handle, last year it moved around a lot more at Sebring.”

The Hypercar class has a new look though — it’s bigger and deeper, with fierce competition expected from Ferrari, Cadillac and Porsche’s new programs and hopefully, the returning Peugeot effort, which for the moment is lagging behind.

Ahead of what has the potential to be the most competitive top-class title battle in WEC history, Conway says the team is energised by the new arrivals in Hypercar.

“When we first exited the pit lane on Day 1 of the Prologue I was like, ‘Wow, 2023 really has started.’ This is what we’ve wanted for so long, and it’s finally here. There are so many unknowns — we will have to take more risks and push harder in traffic, I’m excited.”

Toyota is ready to get down to business. It’s going to be fascinating to see if the new competition can challenge the champions from the start. If qualifying is anything to go by, then we could be in for a titanic battle for the win.

 

VIDEO: Sebring Day 3 report with Marshall Pruett & Sebastien Bourdais

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emailBy Marshall Pruett | March 17, 2023 4:37 PM ET Marshall Pruett holds up a package of G-nassty's chewing tobacco.
Presented by: Piloti The field is set after qualifying for the 12 Hours of Sebring and our French Fry, Sebastien Bourdais, tells RACER’s Marshall Pruett about helping Cadillac to secure the front row and more from Day 3 of the event.

 

Catching up with: Scott McLaughlin, shown here with chrome plated frisbys

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emailBy Marshall Pruett | March 24, 2023 1:27 PM ET

Team Penske IndyCar driver and new 12 Hours of Sebring LMP2 class winner Scott McLaughlin joins us for the latest episode of Catching Up With

Catching up with: Scott McLaughlin, shown here with chrome plated frisbys