Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring race day news and notes
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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.”
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