The 12 Hours of Sebring
The 12 Hours of Sebring was held yesterday (March 16th, 2024). The race started at 9:40 in the morning, and twelve hours later, ended the same time in the p.m. A dominant car looked promising, until circumstances led to major race implications and a heated debate within the last few minutes and laps on who the winner would be.
Starting off the race, several cars struggled and fell off from the speed they had shown earlier in the week. Quickly though, the two (2) Cadillac prototypes, #01 and #31, in GTP gathered the lead and held it. Throughout the race, the drivers had to overcome a lot. Endurance racing tends to ask of that, however, the struggles of Sebring brought forth more action and troubles.
While the GTP class looked fine, the others were struggling. Both Grand Touring classes and the LMP2 class saw their cars handle and drive differently than what they had done previously in the week during practices and qualifying.
While spinning and carnage between the other classes took place, the GTP class kept a close eye of each other. The Cadillac’s swapped positions back and forth. Cars started locking up tires driving down into the corners, because that’s how they had to make passes. Sebring brought the dive bombs yesterday.
The #14 Lexus early in the race was penalized for “running over” a crew member. In the pits, the #14 Lexus began moving the car after the pit stop was completed, while a crew member was still clearing debris off the nose of the car. The crew member jumped out of the way and no harm was done to the car, or the crew member. However, the team was still penalized for it.
Moving through the 12 hours race, the GTP Acura’s, #10 and #40, started to show some the speed that they had from earlier in the week. Adjustments on the car and adjustments from the race track led to these two cars, becoming more there normal selves and showing the speed they had.
Both the #31 and #01 Cadillac GTP cars were absolutely dominant in the first half of this race. Leading almost every lap and pulling away while doing so. They were unbeatable.
While a tough race, a good one as well. A good race for learning. The 12 Hours of Sebring saw Lamborghini, who has cars in the GT classes, bring another car to the race track. The Lamborghini Prototype GTP Class racecar was in the mix. While not as competitive as the other GTP cars, it was most definitely a very good learning opportunity for the new team.
Several cars couldn’t keep their tires on the track, running off the racing surface on the tight jumping corners as well as spinning the cars out because they drove them in the corner too hard. Sebring is a tough track that brings the mistakes out in drivers, no matter the experience level.
Strategy came into play to get some cars back in the running with some of the Full Course Cautions that had come out. But others, like the #31 Cadillac did not. They had went into a closed pit road, then went in again to make an emergency stop for fuel, but since the pits were closed and they had went in twice, the #31 was penalized for it. This hurt the dominant car of the day and sent them into a race to the front. While on pit road though, getting the penalty, the team decided to replace the nose of the car since they were in trouble anyway. So they went ahead and fixed the issues the car had before sending it back out onto the racetrack.
LMP2 started having some amazing battles all throughout its field. Splitting cars, dicing the running order up and making moves no one would have thought to make just to grab another position. Track position was key in this race.
Lap traffic started becoming an issue for all drivers. The cars were spread wide open on a tight racing surface and leaders were looking for ways through. After the penalty and making his way back up and through the field the #31 was moving through traffic. Some of the cars the Cadillac caught got out of the way and some stayed in the way, falling off the pavement.
As the leader (#31 Cadillac) approached the #22 Ferrari in the GTD class, the Ferrari got into the door of the #31 (Driver: Pipo Derani). Through the grass, the #31 had no control over the GTP Prototype and into the tire barrier it went. Sending tires flying through the air, along with the Cadillac. The Cadillac landed on its roof on top of the tire barrier. The leader had crashed in a very big way. The dominant car of the race was out of it.
Pipo Derani, the driver of the #31 Cadillac at the time, suffered no serious injuries. The driver took a while to climb out of the car due to the lengthy process of getting the car moved in the air enough where the AMR Safety team could get the door open enough for Derani to climb out.
After cleanup and pit stops, the heat cranked up. The dominant car was out, and GTP was hungry. A huge battle for the lead on the restart, the BMW Prototype was sent off the track. No harm was done to the car, and the race stayed green.
4 Hours left in the 12 Hours of Sebring and the field was shaken. BMW had taken over the GTP lead. The bright green Porsche #77 (Rexy) had taken the lead in GTD Pro as well.
While a learning experience, and a good one at that, the Lamborghini had it’s own fair share of problems besides just speed. For a little bit, the door of the Lamborghini was open while racing around the track. Grojean, the driver at the time, had his door open and opening further when changing corners.
Another bug crash in the Grand Touring class. Car slammed the outside wall and spread parts and pieces of the racecar all over the race track.
The Lamborghini with its struggles, wasn’t done with them. The new GTP leader, the Porsche Penske Motorsport #7, had reached its back bumper getting ready to put the Lambo a lap down.
LMP2 heats up. The two leaders, split Grand Touring cars all over the race track and then the #11 dives underneath a lapped car and the leader to take the lead in LMP2. The #2 lost the lead on the outside of a three (3) wide situation after the #11 took a huge leap diving to the inside to take it from them.
The race started to darken. The night started to fall, lights came on and it was time to get dirty. The last of the race was underway and the action never let up. The #01 Cadillac got the lead back after some struggles. The Cadillac looked dominant just like his teammate from earlier in the race.
Starting the last hour and a half of the race, it got ugly, no give and only take came from all drivers in all classes. Keeping the racing clean was a tall order to ask, however, for the most part besides debris and some dirt getting kicked up, the race was clean.
Caution after caution, led to more restarts and more action. More opportunities for drivers to make mistakes and make big moves. The 12 Hours of Sebring was coming to an end and the driver still needed more to get.
After a little bit, the Cadillac took the lead in GTP and pulled away. The #40 Acura had slowly closed the gap to him though. For several laps the Acura was right on the back bumper of the #01 Cadillac. Acura vs Cadlliac in the closing minutes and laps of the race. A huge move to the inside and outside of the leader but the #01 kept the lead.
The Acura had to wait for traffic to come to them as they were approaching it. The Acura made its move on the outside and took the lead after the #01 got held up by a lap car. The #01 came over the radio and said that he used up his tires. The Acura had moved the Cadillac for the lead around a lap car, and the Cadillac couldn’t do anything about it.
The #40 Acura took home the victory in the 12 Hours of Sebring for the GTP Class. The #18 took it in LMP2. #14 Lexus, after the penalty earlier in the race, fought back to take the win the in GTD Pro class. The #57 Mercedes took the victory home after 12 Hours for the GTD Class.
Congratulations to all the winners from this past weekend at Sebring!
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