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Sebring Preview

The Daytona winner looks for success at Sebring. [Photo by Jack Webster]

The Daytona winner looks for success at Sebring. [Photo by Jack Webster]

By Jack Webster & Eddie LePine

The 66th Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring is next up on the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship schedule, and following an extremely competitive opening round at the Rolex 24 at Daytona in January, there is no reason to think that Sebring is going to offer anything less exciting.

Daytona winners Filipe Albuquerque, Joao Barbosa and Christian Fittipaldi are still united for the Sebring run in their Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi and are looking to continue their winning ways against what will be stiff competition from the field of 16 prototype entries for Sebring. Acura Team Penske looks to improve after a 9th and 10th place finish at Daytona, Mazda Team Joest looks for acquittal for its disappointing performance in the Rolex 24 and everyone else has surely taken the lessons learned in the first race of the year to heart and all look for improved results at Sebring.

Strong GTLM and GTD fields head to Sebring as well, with Ford looking for another win in GTLM to follow their Daytona triumph, while Corvette looks for a repeat win at Sebring after having taken top class honors last year.

In GTD, Lamborghini looks to continue their winning ways, having taken the marque’s very first endurance win at Daytona in January. However, with a strong 18 car field for GTD entered for Sebring, as usual in this class it is anybody’s race to win (or lose).

The weather forecast for the week looks fantastic, with virtually no chance of rain and warm (but not too warm) temperatures.

A personal note from us. A couple of years ago we were discussing who should be next into the Sebring Hall of Fame and decided that since Tom Kristensen got in with his 6 victories, that Dindo Capello should be inducted with his 5 wins, second only to Tom. We prepared a petition and asked a lot of drivers from IMSA and the FIA sign it – and they gladly did. Dindo has a lot of friends in racing and he is one of the nicest guys we have ever met.

So, we were very pleased to learn that Dindo has been inducted into this year’s Hall of Fame class and we are looking forward to seeing him this week when he flies into Sebring from Italy for this well deserved honor.

Dindo – see you soon.

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