Rebellion Returns, On Pole At Sebring

The 2017 Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring pole sitting Rebellion ORECA 07. [Photo by Jack Webster]

By Jack Webster & Eddie LePine

Rebellion Racing with their Gibson powered ORECA 07 put the car on the pole for the 65th running of the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring, the second round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Neel Jani piloted the car to the pole and will share the ride with co-drivers Sebastien Buemi and Nick Heidfeld during the race.

It is nice to see the Rebellion squad back in IMSA competition, as they had the distinction of winning the very last race in the old American Le Mans Series – Petit Le Mans in 2013. In addition to winning Petit in 2013, they won it in 2012 a well. Rebellion Racing seems to do quite well in front of an American audience.

Rebellion at speed. [Photo by Jack Webster]

Rebellion being prepped for the race. [Photo by Jack Webster]

Only at Sebring, Rebellion drivers sign a shark for a fan. [Photo by Jack Webster]

Pole sitting Rebellion ORECA 07. [Photo by Jack Webster]

Rebellion Racing has always been a fan favorite of American racing fans, and this year’s team is no exception. The car itself is beautiful with its very distinctive paint scheme, which even displays a very attractive American flag graphic on the side of the car.

Pole winning driver Neel Jani said: “It was a good qualifying session, we didn’t expect to be P1. We had a few issues in free practice and we had to play a lot of catch up. There is no ideal lap here at Sebring; you have to improvise, as it’s so bumpy, it’s always a nice and challenging track. For sure, we will try to stay at the front as long as possible.”

Rebellion team manager Bart Hayden said: “Nonetheless, the gap to the next cars is very small, so we know tomorrow’s race will be close. Congratulations to Neel for driving so well and many thanks to the engineers and mechanics for working so hard to get the setup and preparation right with the car. We are looking forward to tomorrow’s 12 Hours of Sebring and hope that it will be an exciting one for everyone.”

We are looking forward to it as well. The 65th running of the 12 Hours of Sebring is shaping up to be a classic one. We will be up bright and early on race day to take in all the action.

Eddie LePine & Jack Webster

Jack Webster has been shooting motorsports since the early 1970’s, covering Formula One, CanAm, F5000, TransAm, GrandAm and American Le Mans races, among others. In addition to his photography, he has also worked on racing teams, both in IMSA and IndyCar, so has a complete knowledge of the inner workings of motorsport. Both his photography and writing can be seen here on racingnation.com. Eddie LePine has been involved in motorsports for over 30 years as photographer, columnist, and driver. Eddie also is now a retired racer (well, retired unless a good ride pops up). You can usually find Eddie in the paddock area, deep in conversation with a driver.

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