Some photos I took which I think capture the essence of the weekend. I will post more on The Pit Window facebook page over the next few days.
From earlier:
Sebring weekend wrap up
Sebring Weekend- Late Drama in a Caution -Filled Race
It’s always great to return to civilizationafter a weekend at the 12 Hours of Sebring. A usual, the race didn’t disappoint with late drama, problems for the strongest car, huge crowds, and warm weather.
I was fortunate to connect with my friend George Butz, who graciously allowed me to share hus campsite. George is a seasoned Sebring veteran. This was my sixth Sebrinbg, but first since 2019. I felt that this year I really learned the track with George’s guidance. I discovered several new vantage points.
When I return next year, I will have a better idea of how and from where to watch the race.
The drivers probably don’t want to see me at a corner, as I witnessed htree cautions, including the big obe at the end, and several other spins. The three car crash near the end of the race was probably the worst IMSA crash i have ever seen. It looked a lot worse than it turned out to be.
The race was very disjointed with the frequent yellows. In some ways it was like a longer version of Indycar at St. Pete. Like St. Pete, the race produced a dramatic ending.
The winning number 31 Cadillac won the pole, but the Ganassi Cadillac dominated the middle part of the race. Scott Dixon ran the 01 out to a big lead. Mis fortune struck just before the nine hour mark when an engine fire ended thier day.
The Indycar drivers running this weekend had a mix3d bag of reseults.
Scott McLaughlin was part of the winning tream in LMP2 with Tower Motorsports. The team also finished third overall. Indy NXT driver Kyffibn Simpson was also a co driver .
Kyle Kirkwood’s Vasser Sulivan Lexus team came home second in GTD Pro. Former Indycar driver Jack Hawksworth is a full time driver for the car.
The Meyer Shank entry which included Helio Castroneves ened the day 24th oiverall and sixth ib class. The car lost a wheel just after sunset and finished 21 laps behind.
As I mentioned, Scott Dixon and the Ganassi Cadillac was not running at the finish, They were credited with seventh in class, 47th overall.
Devlin Defrancesco, drivibng for Rick Ware in LMP2, was 7th in class, 41st overall.
Katherine Legge ended 12th in class in GTD, 36th overall.
Attendance had to be an all time high. I don’t think one more vehicle could have beemn shoehorned into the facility. I don’t recall seeing the track as crowded on Tursday as it was this weekend. My frieb=nd George, and one of his friends who attended his 25th coinsecutvee race, agreed with me.
The food court waqs greatly improved since 2019, boith in c=variety and quality of choices. Prices were not out of line with wha other tracks charge.
Sebring is IMSA’s Indianapolis 500. I will take no discussion on this. The Rolex is fun, but the atmosphere can’t compete with Sebring.
I enjoyed the WEC race. Between that and the 12 hour I got a preview of LeMans. I hope to go to France for that race next year. Sponsors welcome.
I will post some photos ina separate story ib a few minutes. If you’ve read this far, thanks.
I am preparing to head to Sebring in a bit. I have not been able to attend this race for three years due to COVID and some other circumstances so I am very excited to get back to the race that has fascinated me since I was in 5th grade.
Rain chances for Saturday have diminished significantly, although there is still a chance near the end of the race,
The fun thing about Sebring weekend is that with the WEC 1,000 mile race on Friday, we get a decent preview of LeMans. I am anxious to see the WEC hypercars and see how they compare to the GTP cars of IMSA.
I will provide updates when possible. here is the weekend schedule. The full race is on Peacock Saturday beginning at 10:05 am Eastern USA will have coverage from 4:30 pm Eastern until the end.
Thursday, March 16
9:15-9:55 a.m. — Race No. 1 – Porsche Carrera Cup
10:10-11:40 a.m. — Practice No. 1 – WeatherTech SportsCar Championship
11-11:30 a.m. — Autograph Session – Michelin Pilot Challenge – Michelin Village on the Midway
11:55 Am-12:55 p.m. — Free Practice No. 3 – FIA WEC
1:20-3:20 p.m. — Alan Jay Automotive Network 120 for the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge
3:25-3:45 p.m. — Corvette Car Corral Parade Laps – First 100 Cars
3:50-5:05 p.m. — Practice No. 2 – WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (GTD/LMP2/LMP3)
4:05-5:20 p.m. — Practice No. 2 – WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (GTP/GTD Pro)
5:35-6:15 p.m. — Race No. 2 – Porsche Carrera Cup
6:30-6:45 p.m. — Qualifying – FIA WEC (GTE Am)
6:55-7:10 p.m. — Qualifying – FIA WEC (LMP2)
7:20-7:35 p.m. — Qualifying – FIA WEC (Hypercar)
7:45-9:15 p.m. — Practice No. 3 – WeatherTech SportsCar Championship
Friday, March 17
8:55-9:05 a.m. — Practice No. 4 – WeatherTech SportsCar Championship
9:15-9:30 a.m. — Qualifying – WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (GTD/GTD Pro)
9:30-10 a.m. — Autograph Session – FIA WEC – FIA WEC Paddock
9:40-9:55 a.m. — Qualifying – WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (LMP2/LMP3)
10:05-10:25 a.m. — Qualifying – WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (GTP)
10:30-10:55 a.m. — Lexus Car Corral Parade Laps
10:45-11:45 a.m. — Autograph Session – WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – IMSA Paddock
11:10-11:30 a.m. — Grid Walk Opening – FIA WEC VIP By Invitation Only
12-8 p.m. — 1000 Miles of Sebring (or 8 Hours) for the FIA World Endurance Championship
Saturday, March 18
8-8:20 a.m. — Warm Up – WeatherTech SporsCar Championship
8:25-8:45 a.m. — Porscheplatz Car Corral Parade Laps – First 100 Cars
9-9:50 a.m. — Grid Walk and Driver Introductions – WeatherTech SportsCar Championship
10:10 a.m.-10:10 p.m. — 71st Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship
I have a dream that one day in an IMSA race the entire DPi class will fall out and the overall winner will be an LMP2 or GTLM car. Last night my dream nearly came true. The DPi cars seem to have a way of making things difficult for themselves, whether it’s squeezing each other into barriers, penalties for excessive drive time, pit mistakes, or on track collisions, the top class always entertains.
The result was unlikely winner, the number 5 Mustang sampling DPi Cadillac driven by Sebastien BGourdais, Loic Duval, and Tristan Vautier. Bourdais drove the anchor leg and led the final hour and 10 minutes. The car finished the race with a broken rear wing to edge out the Mazda of Harry Tincknell.
It was an improbable win for a team that had struggled to find speed all weekend, but the car and the race came to them, with an assist from the rest of the class.
Porsche swept the GT categories with victories in GTLM and GTD. The GTLm win by the 79 resembled the follies of DPi, with a late collision of the BMW and Corvette allowing Matheiu Jaminet to grab the lead from what appeared to be a third place finish.
The GTLM winner Pfaff Motorsports benefitted from the expertise of Laurens Vanthoor, who piloted the Canadian team to the win.
A good run by Simon Pagenaud in the 48 DPi topped a difficult day for the team. Jimmie Johnson spun and made contact with another car in the foirst hour of the race. The team climbed back into contention later in the day, Pagenaud stayed in the cat 50 seconds too long, disqualifying the car, which was third on the track at the end. I don’t understand why IMSA allows a car to keep running after it is known that car will be disqualified.
Katherine Legge had a great run in the 88 Hardpoint car. She was in line for a podium until a penalty for contact dropped her to 5th in class. The team, co-driven by Christina Neilsen and Bia Figuerado, still had a good run in just their second outing.
I understand IMSA’s desire to have as many cars in a race as possible, but when GTLM cars are faster than LMP3’s, it’s a bit concerning.
I hope but I doubt that NBC is over their Jimmie Johnson love fest. I admire him that after his success in NASCAR that he is trying a completely different motorsports discipline, but NBC’s coverage of him is overkill. The nice thing about Indycar is that he will be in the car the entire race and unavailable for interviews during the races.
The final results from the IMSA website:
| POS | ST POS | CAR NO | CLASS | CLASS POS | DRIVERS | TEAM/CAR/SPONSOR | NO LAPS | FASTEST LAP | STATUS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | 5 | 1 | Loic DuvalSebastien BourdaisTristan Vautier | Mustang Sampling / JDC-Miller MotorSports Cadillac DPi | 349 | 01:46.679 | Running | |
| 2 | 4 | 55 | 2 | Oliver JarvisHarry TincknellJonathan Bomarito | Mazda Motorsports Mazda DPi | 349 | 01:46.841 | Running | |
| 3 | 5 | 60 | 3 | Olivier PlaJuanPablo MontoyaDane Cameron | Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb-Agajanian Acura DPi | 349 | 01:46.641 | Running | |
| 4 | 2 | 10 | 4 | Alexander RossiRicky TaylorFilipe Albuquerque | Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 Acura DPi | 349 | 01:46.654 | Running | |
| 5 | 3 | 01 | 5 | Rengervander ZandeKevin MagnussenScott Dixon | Cadillac DPi | 347 | 01:46.151 | Running | |
| 6 | 9 | 52 | 1 | Scott HuffakerBen KeatingMikkel Jensen | PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports ORECA LMP2 07 | 344 | 01:48.474 | Running | |
| 7 | 10 | 18 | 2 | Ryan DalzielDwight MerrimanKyle Tilley | Era Motorsport ORECA LMP2 07 | 344 | 01:48.944 | Running | |
| 8 | 24 | 79 | 1 | Matt CampbellCooper MacNeilMathieu Jaminet | WeatherTech Racing Porsche 911 RSR – 19 | 334 | 01:55.732 | Running | |
| 9 | 22 | 25 | 2 | ConnorDe PhillippiPhilipp EngBruno Spengler | BMW Team RLL BMW M8 GTE | 333 | 01:55.727 | Running | |
| 10 | 23 | 24 | 3 | Augusto FarfusJohn EdwardsJesse Krohn | BMW Team RLL BMW M8 GTE | 333 | 01:55.861 | Running | |
| 11 | 20 | 3 | 4 | Antonio GarciaJordan TaylorNicky Catsburg | Corvette Racing Chevrolet Corvette C8.R | 333 | 01:55.642 | Running | |
| 12 | 21 | 4 | 5 | Tommy MilnerNick TandyAlexander Sims | Corvette Racing Chevrolet Corvette C8.R | 330 | 01:57.236 | Running | |
| 13 | 16 | 54 | 1 | Colin BraunJonathan BennettGeorge Kurtz | Core Autosport Ligier JS P320 | 329 | 01:56.166 | Running | |
| 14 | 17 | 91 | 2 | Dylan MurryJeroen BleekemolenJim Cox | Riley Motorsports Ligier JS P320 | 329 | 01:56.281 | Running | |
| 15 | 15 | 74 | 3 | Scott AndrewsGar RobinsonSpencer Pigot | Riley Motorsports Ligier JS P320 | 329 | 01:56.183 | Running | |
| 16 | 14 | 7 | 4 | Oliver AskewAustin McCuskerStevan McAleer | Forty7 Motorsports Duqueine D08 | 328 | 01:56.589 | Running | |
| 17 | 18 | 33 | 5 | Joao BarbosaYann ClairayLance Willsey | Sean Creech Motorsport Ligier JS P320 | 328 | 01:56.340 | Running | |
| 18 | 36 | 9 | 1 | Laurens VanthoorLars KernZacharie Robichon | Pfaff Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3R | 320 | 02:00.835 | Running | |
| 19 | 25 | 16 | 2 | Patrick LongTrent HindmanJan Heylen | Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3R | 320 | 02:00.808 | Running | |
| 20 | 32 | 23 | 3 | Ross GunnIan JamesRomanDe Angelis | Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3 | 320 | 02:01.402 | Running | |
| 21 | 35 | 44 | 4 | Spencer PumpellyJohn PotterAndy Lally | Acura NSX GT3 | 320 | 02:01.923 | Running | |
| 22 | 33 | 88 | 5 | Katherine LeggeBia FigueiredoChristina Nielsen | Porsche 911 GT3R | 320 | 02:01.484 | Running | |
| 23 | 28 | 12 | 6 | Zach VeachRobert MegennisFrankie Montecalvo | VasserSullivan Lexus RC F GT3 | 319 | 02:01.450 | Running | |
| 24 | 27 | 14 | 7 | Jack HawksworthKyle KirkwoodAaron Telitz | VasserSullivan Lexus RC F GT3 | 313 | 02:01.000 | Running | |
| 25 | 29 | 96 | 8 | Bill AuberlenRobby FoleyAidan Read | Turner Motorsport BMW M6 GT3 | 313 | 02:01.298 | Running | |
| 26 | 31 | 75 | 9 | Maro EngelMikael GrenierKenny Habul | SunEnergy1 Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 | 304 | 02:01.125 | Running | |
| 27 | 1 | 31 | 6 | Felipe NasrMike ConwayPipo Derani | Whelen Engineering Racing Cadillac DPi | 292 | 01:46.151 | Running | |
| 28 | 7 | 48 | 7 | Kamui KobayashiSimon PagenaudJimmie Johnson | Cadillac DPi | 349 | 01:46.424 | Running | |
| 29 | 34 | 99 | 10 | Earl BamberTrenton EstepRob Ferriol | Porsche 911 GT3R | 280 | 02:01.325 | Running | |
| 30 | 12 | 8 | 3 | Gabriel AubryTim BuretJohn Farano | ORECA LMP2 07 | 266 | 01:49.084 | Running | |
| 31 | 19 | 6 | Matthew BellRodrigo SalesNiklas Kruetten | WIN Autosport Duqueine D08 | 265 | 01:57.106 | Running | ||
| 32 | 30 | 1 | 11 | Bryan SellersMadison SnowCorey Lewis | Paul Miller Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3 | 255 | 02:01.353 | Running | |
| 33 | 13 | 38 | 7 | Rasmus LindhDan GoldburgMateo LLarena | Performance Tech Motorsports Ligier JS P320 | 177 | 01:56.981 | Running | |
| 34 | 26 | 28 | 12 | Michaelde QuesadaBilly JohnsonDaniel Morad | Alegra Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3 | 91 | 02:01.960 | Running | |
| 35 | 37 | 19 | 13 | Tim ZimmermannStephen SimpsonFranck Perera | GRT Grasser Racing Team Lamborghini Huracan GT3 | 91 | 02:01.501 | Running | |
| 36 | 8 | 11 | 4 | Thomas MerrillSteven ThomasTristan Nunez | WIN Autosport ORECA LMP2 07 | 90 | 01:49.619 | Running | |
| 37 | 11 | 22 | 5 | Guy SmithJames McGuireWayne Boyd | ORECA LMP2 07 | 333 | 01:48.673 | Running |
Photo: Michael levitt/Motorsport Images
Pipo Derani will start on pole for the 69th running of the Sebring 12 hour race tomorrow morning. His number 31 Cadillac edged the Acura of Ricky Taylor 0.09 seconds. in LMP1 qualifying. Jimmie Johnson spun in turn 16 coming to the checkered flag of the session. Johnson was not hurt, but the car suffered damage.
In GTLM Antonio Garcia put the number 3 Corvette on the pole. The Corvettes sport shades of silver this weekend. It will be strange not seeing a yellow Corvette in an endurance race.
The race will feature a smattering of Indycar drivers. The shrinking IMSA fields mean fewer Indycar drivers than in past years. Ryan Hunter-Reay, who was with the number 55 Mazda last season, does not have a ride since the team cut back to one car for 2021.
Indycar drivers participating are mainly in the DPi class. They are:
01 Cadillac- Scott Dixon
5 Cadillac- Sebastien Bourdais
10 Acura- Alexander Rossi
48 Cadillac- Simon Pagenaud; Jimmie Johnson
60 Acura- Juan Pablo Montoya
The 01 is Chip Ganassi’s entry and the 60 is a Meyer Shank entry.
Former Indycar drivers Oliver Askew and Spencer Pigot are running cars in the LMP3 class.
Indy Lights driver Kyle Kirkwood will drive the number 14 Vasser-Sullivan Lexus in GTD.
While the race begins and ends on NBCSN the middle seven hours are on NBC Track Pass. You can also watch on IMSA TV and I highly recommend listening to Radio LeMans. The broadcast time, all Eastern:
.I hope that unlike the Rolex 24 Hour coverage we don’t have to sit through a Jimmie Johnson interview every 10 minutes. I’d rather watch the racing.
Photo from Portland International Raceway website
Portland International Raceway announced a fan limit of 25% for all their events this season. This is great news. It means that the Indycar race scheduled for September 12 is a go. Fans who had tickets for the cancelled 2020 race had the option to defer tickets to 2021. Portland is the third track to announce a track spectator limit.
Barber Motorsports Park didn’t set a specific limit, but will only admit fans who park inside the facility. St. Pete has a 20,000 fan limit per day. Mid Ohio is limited by the state of Ohio to 30% of capacity. That should be around 20,000 or so fans.
Still waiting for a figure from Indianapolis Motor Speedway about the fan limit for the Indianapolis 500.
All announced limits are subject to change as the COVID situation changes. Let’s hope all changes point in the direction of more fans allowed.
The first of three Indycar iracing events takes place tonight at 6:30 pm Eastern time. Tonight’s track is Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal. this should be a fun track for Indycar. The live stream is on Indycar.com/iRacing.
Broadcast times and channels for the 12 Hours of Sebring Saturday:
I’m disappointed at the small amount of over the air television time, but that is less time to hear about Jimmie Johnson. At least the final three hours is on. After sunset is when this race gets crazy. More on Sebring tomorrow.
It appeared to be over almost before it had begun. Helio Castroneves watched helplessly from the pit stand as Ricky Taylor had trouble leaving the pits after the Penske Acura’s first pit stop 45 minutes into the 12 Hours of Sebring. A boost issue forced the car back to the garage and cost them 11 laps on track. They would need help to win the IMSA Weather Tech championship. The help came from an unlikely source.
Wayne Taylor Racing, starting the day two points behind the Team Penske duo, looked to be in a solid position to overtake the season leaders. A collision between Scott Dixon, in the Taylor Cadillac and Oliver Jarvis in one of the Mazdas, forced dixon to pit. The team needed to replace the radiator, putting them five laps behind. While still ahead of the Penske car, the Taylor entry couldn’t make up enough positions to gain the three points they needed for the lead.
With the focus on the two cars, the Action Express entry was now in a position to jump into the series championship. hey were well underway until the 10th hour, when Pipo Derani tangled with Juan Pablo Montoya in the other Team Penske car. Derani received a drive through penalty, ending the title hopes for Action Express.
Thus Helio Castroneves, in his final race for team Penske, finally won a title for the Captain. Castroneves had finished second seven times in Indycar for Penske despite three Indianapolis 500 victories and 30 race wins overall. Castroneves begins a new Indycar chapter in 2021 when he drives in six races for Meyer Shank Racing.
Helio’s perseverance in pursuing a championship is admirable. he put in a lot of hard work. It took a little longer than he hoped to finally realize one of his goals.
Indycar drivers and team owners had a good day and night at Sebring. In addition to Castroneves winning the season championship for team Penske, Ryan Hunter-Reay drove for the winning Mazda entry, and Simon Pagenaud was a part of the Team Penske Acura entry which finished second. Two time Indianapolis 500 winner Juan Pablo Montoya also drove the runner-up car.
Meyer Shank Racing won the season championship in the GTD class with drivers Mario Farnbacher and Matt McMurry, edging Wright Motorsports by two points. meyer Shank will move to the DPi class next season, taking over one of the Acura entries. Will Castroneves be a part of this venture too?
Other Indycar drivers- Sebastien Bourdais finished fifth overall in his final full time ride. Bourdais will pilot the number14 for A. J. Foyt racing in Indycar in 2021.
Colton Herta ended the night fourth in class driving for RLL.
Team Penske could end their time in IMSA with a championship
The Mobil 12 Hours of Sebring, delayed from March, is on for Saturday. Normally the second race of the IMSA Weather Tech Championship, the oddities of 2020 have conspired to make it the last race of the season. Thirty-one cars in four classes will take the green just after 10 am Saturday morning.
This race might play out differently than the race would have at its normal spot in the schedule. In the spring, the race occurs just after the return of Daylight Savings Time. The race is run in just a bit more than two hours in darkness. This weekend, teams and drivers will contend with slightly less than half the race run after sunset, which is around 5:32 pm Saturday. Strange things happen at Sebring after dark, which will make the second half of the race interesting.
Sebring will be the final race for the Team Penske Acuras in the DPi class and the Porsche 911s in the GTLM class. The Porsche team has been a popular mainstay in the IMSA series for a long time.
This weekend also sees some drivers leaving the series. Oliver Gavin is running his final race as a full time drive with the GTLM Corvette. Renger van der Zende and Ryan Briscoe take their final stints in Wayne Taylor Racing’s Cadillac. Taylor will switch to one of the Acura cars next year.
Helio Castroneves could win his first major series title. He and teammate Ricky Taylor lead the Wayne Taylor team of Briscoe and van der Zende by just two points heading into this weekend’s finale.
Castroneves, who finished second four times in his Indycar career, will have to fend off a familiar nemesis to secure his championship. Six time Indycar champion Scott Dixon is the third driver for Wayne Taylor Racing. Dixon edged Castroneves for the Indycar title in 2008 and 2013.
Castroneves signed with Meyer Shank Racing to run six races in Indycar in 2021, and he is likley to be the extra driver in the endurance races for Shank next season. Shank assumes control of the second Acura prototype in 2021.
Should Castroneves take the championship, at certain Indycar races the grid could feature an IMSA champion, a seven time NASCAR champion(jimmkie Johnson), a three time Australian Supercar Champion (Scott McLaughlin), a four time Indycar champion(Sebastien Bourdais), and Dixon, the newly crowned six time Indycar titlist.
Several Indycar drivers, current and former, will be driving this weekend, most of them in the Prototype class. By car number-
5- Bourdais
6- Juan Pablo Montoya, Simon Pagenaud
7- Helio Castroneves, Alexander Rossi
10- Briscoe
55- Ryan Hunter- Reay
25- Colton Herta (GTLM BMW for Rahal)
Coverage begins on NBCSN at 10 am, switches to NBC from 3-6, then ends on NBCSN at 6.
The Pit Window by Mike Silver 