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[h=2]REAR VIEW: Carpentier beats out the best[/h] Thursday, 02 February 2017


Robin Miller / Images by LAT

Patrick Carpentier, seen here in 2000.

WHAT: Patrick Carpentier earns a drive with Tony Bettenhausen Jr.
WHERE: Sebring International Raceway
WHEN: December, 1996
It was December of 1996, and Tony Bettenhausen Jr. was trying to find a full-time driver for the 1997 CART season. So he and engineer Tom Brown decided to host an audition.
But it's doubtful they could have envisioned the talent they'd invited to this shootout in Sebring, Florida.
Canada's Patrick Carpentier, Denmark's Tom Kristensen, Scotland's Allan McNish and Germany's Jorg Muller were up-and-coming open wheelers trying to win a ride that only required they bring a helmet because Bettenhausen didn't need any help with Alumax as his sponsor.
At 25, Carpentier was coming off an impressive run in the Toyota Atlantic series (pictured below) that saw him win nine out of 12 races (including eight in a row) on his way to the championship.

The 30-year-old Kristensen captured the German and Japanese Formula 3 titles in the early '90s before moving to Formula 3000 in 1995 and 1996.
McNish, 27, already had an impressive résumé as 1988 Formula Vauxhall champ, 1989 runner-up to David Brabham in British Formula 3 and running up front in Formula 3000 while also testing F1 cars for McLaren and Benetton.
Born in the Netherlands before heading for Germany, Muller was also an accomplished 27-year-old with titles in Formula Opel, European Formula Ford, German Formula 3 and Formula 3000 in 1996.
Carpentier was the youngest and least prepared, to hear him tell it almost 20 years later.
"Oh man, I got off to a bad start because I overslept and got to the track late and Tony's team wasn't real happy about that," the good-natured Quebec native said with a chuckle. "So then I got started, and there was so much more power compared to an Atlantic car and I wasn't ready for that.
"The car was shaking so bad going down the back straightaway I couldn't see and it was tough. Near the end of the day they told me that I wasn't going fast enough and I simply had to get quicker.
"So I went out and drove as hard as I could, but fortunately kept it on the track."
Then he went back to his hotel room and tried to sleep.
"My neck hurt so bad it was unbelievable, and they told me to stick around for a couple days and they would let me know who got the ride."
As it turned out, Kristensen had gearbox trouble and was given a second day, when he posted the quickest lap – just a fraction faster than Carpentier. McNish was third quick and Muller crashed.
"I'll never forget, it was 10 p.m. and Tony called and said it was going to be my ride," Carpentier continued. "I was so happy and I called my dad and then I couldn't go to sleep because I was so excited."
His rookie season with Bettenhausen had a few highs (he nearly won Gateway before being passed late by Paul Tracy) and more lows ("we got lost and I couldn't help them and they couldn't help me") so he was one and done with Tony B. But Pat was immediately picked up by the Players team – where he scored five CART wins in six years with the team and finished third in the 2002 points race.
And what happened to those other three guys?
Kristensen got a late invite by Porsche to run Le Mans in 1997 and promptly went to the top step of the podium to begin his unparalleled career in endurance racing. He won Le Mans a record nine times (including six in a row, five of which were with Audi) and added an unmatched six victories at the 12 Hours of Sebring before retiring in 2014.
McNish scored a test job with Benetton in F1 and a sports car ride with Porsche – where he won Le Mans in 1998. He was the 2000 American Le Mans champ before finally getting his F1 chance with Toyota in 2002, but it was an uncompetitive slug.
But from 2004-2013, he notched five wins in the 12 Hours of Sebring, teamed with Kristensen twice to win Le Mans (2008 and 2013) and added two more ALMS series crowns (2006-2007) before retiring.
Muller was an F1 test driver for Arrows, Sauber and Williams but never got to start an F1 race. He won the ALMS title in 2001 and was a front-runner in European and World Touring Car and continues to compete in Super GT for BMW.
"It's pretty cool to think about that test and those guys and what happened in their careers," said Carpentier. "But I think it all turned out pretty good for everyone."

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ZF Race Reporter USA 2016 - 12 Hours of Sebring 2/3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpRv6eZHyBw

Published on Mar 19, 2016
Take a white knuckle ride around the track at Sebring International Raceway with driver Tom Kristensen and ZF Race Reporter John Hindhaugh.

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ZF Race Reporter USA 2016 - 12 Hours of Sebring 3/3


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_XAJjO_n2Q

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ZF Race Reporter USA 2016 - 12 Hours of Sebring 1/3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xK_xJX3i-zU

ZF Race Reporter John Hindhaugh and IMSA Radio’s Shea Adam demystify car classes competing in the IMSA WeatherTech Championship with a quick course in racing 101.

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Hurley Haywood Named Grand Marshal For 65th Twelve Hours of Sebring

Tuesday, February 14, 2017


Hurley Haywood has been named Grand Marshal for the 65th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida. Haywood is a two-time overall winner of America’s oldest sports car endurance race, and has 28 career starts at Sebring, more than any other driver. Haywood also has two class wins at Sebring and a total of ten podium finishes.
Sebring’s 12-hour classic takes the green flag at 10:40 am on Saturday, March 18th. The second round of the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) WeatherTech SportsCar Championship will feature the largest manufacturer participation ever at the legendary race held on a circuit that originated from a World War II B-17 training base.
Haywood is considered among the greatest drivers in endurance racing history. In addition to his two Sebring victories, he has also won the 24 Hours of Le Mans three times and Daytona’s Rolex24 five times. A member of the Sebring Hall of Fame, Haywood earned five major season championships, with virtually all of his success while driving Porsches.
“Like Sebring, the name Hurley Haywood is synonymous with sports car endurance racing,” stated Sebring Raceway President and General Manager Wayne Estes. “We are honored to have Hurley serve as Grand Marshal. He is a true living legend of our sport and a key part of Sebring’s incredible history.”
Haywood will be at Sebring’s Gallery of Legends building in the paddock on Friday of race week (March 17) to meet fans and sign autographs.
A resident of St. Augustine, Florida, Haywood is an Ambassador of Porsche Jacksonville, formerly known as Brumos Porsche. He serves as a Chief Driving Instructor for the Porsche Sport Driving School. In 2017, the Hurley Haywood Scholarship was announced to help provide a young IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge driver partial funding to compete in the prestigious one-make series.

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Married to the Machine 2017 Sebring
Preparation, focus, instinct and team. This is what it takes for both man and machine to endure in the grueling world of endurance racing.

Please support this very talented film maker
Married to the Machine 2017 Sebring by Adrian Bonvento
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yy0b...ature=youtu.be

Filmed at the 12 Hours of Sebring, 2017. Featuring Stevenson Motorsports and voiceover from Jonathan Lamb, Matt Bell, Andrew Davis and Lawson Aschenbach. Music by Jack the Giant Killer.

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Some historic Sebring 12 hour footage 1969?
Pistons and Props
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L47bIr-0qP8

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Pistons and Props 2016...cars have changed
Published on Dec 5, 2016
The Sebring 12 Hour Classic Pistons and Props. This is the Saturday 3:00 pm Classic 12 Group E Race 2 and shot from the end of the back straight.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clTeCud5ILE

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Sounds and Images at the Historic Sportcars Racing Sebring Historic & Classic 12 Hour Pistons & Props in Sebring International Raceway on December 3rd, 2016.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RChNk-XQNGU
by Carlos Marquez

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Sebring 1965 Jim Hall Chapparal
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLHcvU9QyUg