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Sebring Preview

All roads lead to Sebring. [Jack Webster Photo]

All roads lead to Sebring. [Jack Webster Photo]

By Jack Webster & Eddie LePine

It is a rite of spring and happens every year on the third Saturday of March. The cars have been tested, they have already raced at Daytona and now they are ready for the 64th Annual Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh From Florida. It is time for Round 2 in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

Sebring is also Round 2 of the Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup, which consists of the 4 top endurance races in the US: The Rolex 24 at Daytona, The Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring, the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen and finally Petit Le Mans.

If Daytona was any indication, the competition at Sebring will be fast and furious, with close racing and an unpredictable finish. In pre-race testing at Sebring, Olivier Pla was quickest overall in the Michael Shank Racing Honda Ligier JS P2, with the Nissan powered Oreca 05 with Nicolas Lapierre at the wheel a close second. The Corvette Daytona prototypes were not far behind, so the race for the overall win is going to be close, very close.

Of course, in GTLM all eyes are going to be on the Ford GT entries from Chip Ganassi Racing as those brand new cars go head to head with the formidable cars of BMW, Corvette, Porsche and Ferrari. Ford has certainly been working around the clock since a disappointing debut at Daytona and are certain to be running up front at Sebring. GTD promises to be quite the battle as well – 17 different cars in this class showed up for testing at Sebring. Audi took the first round at Daytona and is looking forward to a good race at Sebring.

Sebring is a wild event. To win Sebring you not only have to be fast, very fast, you have to survive 12 hours of racing around the very demanding 3.74 mile historic circuit. If you haven’t already made your plans to go to Sebring, do so. It is going to be a fantastic race and likely one of the most competitive in years. And in case you didn’t already know it, in a poll conducted by USA Today, the 12 Hours of Sebring was voted one of the world’s 10 best races. It is not to be missed.

The fans are already lined up at the gates, waiting for 6am on Wednesday, March 16 when the track opens to spectators. Once open, the gates are open 24 hours a day and fans will be pouring in from all over the world and picking their favorite viewing spots around the track.

Speaking of viewing, Sebring is a very fan friendly track, with numerous great vantage points all around the circuit. Famous spots include Gurney Bend, Fangio Chicane, Cunningham Corner, Tower Turn, Bishop Bend, Flying Fortress Straight and Le Mans curve, among others.

On the third Saturday of March, all those assembled are going to see a terrific race.

Be there.

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