Relive the 12 Hours of Sebring

IMSA has recently posted the full broadcast of the 2023 12 hours of Sebring endurance race that took place March 18 2023. You can review our coverage of the event at 2023 Super Sebring Weekend WEC/IMSA Part 2. You can check out the video broadcast for the event here:

Part 1

12 Hours of Sebring Part 1

Part 2

12 Hours of Sebring Part 2

The WeatherTech Sportscar Championship heads to Long Beach, California for the Long Beach Grand Prix April 15th 2023. Be sure to tune in to catch the live broadcast.

Late last week IMSA release a technical bulletin outlining balances of performance changes ahead of the Long Beach Grand Prix which kicks off next week. In the bulletin GTP, GTD and GTD Pro cars are affected. The changes are as follows:

GTP

All 4 manufacturers in the GTP class were given minimum weight reductions. The smallest reduction was applied to the BMW M V8 Hybrids where they will be able to reduce weight by 4kg. Cadillac V-Series.R cars may reduce weight by 7kg and the Acura ARX-006s will received a 9kg reduction. The biggest reduction is applied to the Porsche 963s on grid. Porsche are allotted an overall reduction of 12kg which could have a major impact on pace at the Long Beach Street circuit based on its topography.

Maximum power output has also been changed for the BMW M V8 Hybrids and the Porsche 963s on grid. The BMWs received a 2 kilowatt (+2.7 horsepower or hp) increase in maximum output and a 2 MJ (+0.75hp) increase in stint energy. The Porsches were penalized with a 2 kilowatt (-2.7hp) reduction in max power and a 7MJ (-2.6hp) reduction in maximum stint energy. All car but the BMWs will see a slightly lower stint energy recapture rate compared to Sebring. It is yet to be determined if these changes will have a lasting effect on performance. Our first indication will be first free practice 1 for the WeatherTech Championship set to start for 9:00am PST on April 14th 2023.

GTD and GTD Pro

In the GTD and GTD Pro class the biggest changes come for the Lamborghini Huracan GT3s. They stand to receive a 21hp gain in average power output. The McLaren 720s GTE EVOs will see an increase of just under a 16.5hp gain. The Acura NSX GT3s will receive an 8.3hp increase. Amongst those with average power restrictions are the Corvette C8.R GTDs and the Mercedes AMG GT3s. Both will lose around 13hp in average power.

The Long Beach Grand Prix is a 1.968 mile long street course that features 11 turns. The Long Beach grand prix serves as the only street circuit on the IMSA calendar in 2023.

Super Sebring weekend at Sebring International Raceway is an iconic event that motorsports fans from around the world flock to see. Sebring International Raceway has hosted the legendary IMSA 12 hours of Sebring for 70 years. Some of the most iconic cars and drivers have forged their legacy here. This past weekend the 71^st Annual Mobil 1 12 hours of Sebring coincided with the FIA WEC 1000 miles of Sebring event for Super Sebring Weekend. Here is the Speed Trap Recap for Super Sebring Weekend 2023 – IMSA). Check out part 1 here for our review of the WEC 1000 Miles of Sebring.

IMSA

The WeatherTech Sportscar Championship kicked off Round 2 of the season at Sebring international Raceway in Florida. After 12 hours of racing the results were as follows:

GTP

After controversy ensued at the Rolex 24 with Meyer Shank Racing dropping points and being penalized for tire pressure data manipulation all eyes were pointed towards Sebring to determine if Meyer Shank Racing could redeem themselves on the track. Unfortunately, for the team, Sebring was a weekend to forget after the No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing Acura contemplated retiring from the race after an issue with the left rear wheel nut saw them lose a wheel with 80 minutes left in the race. The team would eventually return to the race but were 21 laps down with 30 minutes to go and were not able to amount an offensive to secure a second podium on the season.

However, where there is misfortune for one team there is victory for another and that team was Whelen Engineering Racing. Whelen’s No. 31 Cadillac V Series R cross the finish line in first place after a dramatic ending to the 12 hours of Sebring. With less than 20 minutes until the end of the race the top 3 cars in GTP; two of Porsche’s factory-run Penske 963s and the No. 10 Acura ARX-06 of Wayne Taylor Racing were all involved in a racing incident. Disaster struck after the No. 10 Acura was nudged off track and tried to rejoin ending in a collision.

This crash left the door wide open for the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V Series R and the No. 25 RLL Racing BMW M Hybrid to claim P1 and P2. P3 was awarded to the Porsche Penske No. 06 car as they were not able to continue and were leading the pack of the 3 crashed cars on the prior lap. It was a heart breaker for the Team Penske where were looking set to finish with a double podium had they been able to avoid this incident. Due to the fact that the other three cars in GTP had already previously retired there was no other movement in the field standings as the No. 31 time Whelen Engineering Cadillac crossed the line.

LMP2

The top spot in LMP2 was claimed by the No. 8 Tower Motorsports ORECA LMP2 07. After an earlier seemingly race ending incident which saw the No. 8 car crash into the tire wall and destroy the front wing. The car was able to limp to the pits, replace the wing and work its way all the way to P1. The glory of endurance racing is that the race isn’t over until the checkered flag flies and Tower Motorsports took this to heart winning the LMP2 class by just 0.834s over TDS Racing. A margin that could have changed at any point on the final lap of the race. Tower Motorsports will look to continue to build off of this momentum to make a bid at consecutive LMP2 championships having won the title in 2022. LMP2 finished with 5 out of the 8 cars on the lead lap.

LMP3

LMP3 was a comfortable finish 1.601s with the No. 74 Riley Ligier JS P320 taking first place logging 309 laps and finishing one lap ahead of the LMP3 second and third place runners; AWA and JDC motorsports respectively. The No. 30 car JR III Ligier of had a previous commanding lead but was taken out of the race after making contact with a loose wheel that had came off of the No. 51 Rick Ware Racing LMP2 car and that ended their race. It was a very unlucky situation and in endurance racing you need a little luck to make it to the end. This was the first race of the season where LMP3 cars are awarded points so the JR III Racing team will sit atop the LMP3 class with 380 points.

Sean Creech Motorsports also had a frustrating day with a lap one crash and an electrical issue related to a short in the wiring harness loom that prevented any 1st gear shifts. “Tough day all around,” said team principal Sean Creech. “We were able to recover from the lap one incident well, but then had the electrical issue. We’ve had it before, so we tried what worked before, and it didn’t work. When you plug into the car, there’s a list of items to check and it turned out to be something not even on that list – just a bad wiring harness. After that, it was about getting as many points as possible. I thought Billy (Glavin, Jr lll team owner) and the 30 car was going to win but they got taken out and we got past them on that last lap, the hard way. But this crew, they’re the best. They work tirelessly, every one of them.”

GTD Pro

The GTD Pro race was fill with mishaps, runoff, mechanical failures and traffic woes on track. For winner Pfaff Motorsports their weekend seemingly had come to an end after vicious crash in qualifying left the car mangled and unable to rejoin the session. It is a testament to the crew at Pfaff that the car was able to be rebuilt over night and back out on grid to come away with the No. 9 Pfaff motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) finishing in first place at the end of 12 hours of grueling racing.

Driver Patrick Pilet managed to stretch one tank of fuel for one hour, 51 minutes to keep the No. 9 out of the pits and atop the leaderboard. The team benefited from multiple cautions that helped them implement a fuel-saving strategies while also making up for lost positions in qualifying. The No. 9 car was able to successfully avoid the carnage from the GTP crash with just under 20 minutes remaining in the race and the team cruised to victory with a 2.706s lead over the Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3. The team released this video with displays of team triumph after the race weekend .

GTD

Lastly the Rolex 24 GTD The Heart of Racing Team had hoped to build on the momentum they had from the Rolex 24 win in Sebring for the 12, but things just did not go their way. Drivers Roman De Angelis, Marco Sorensen, and Ian James teamed in the No. 27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage GTD and started off in 7th James drove through the first three hours of the race and turned the car over to  Sorensen and then De Angelis before turning the Aston Martin back to Sorensen, who drove the car into the lead on lap 185. The car was hit from behind and was later forced off track which ended the race for the Heart of Racing Team. The driver had a few comments regarding the events on the day.

Roman De Angelis — “The race was pretty chaotic, we went from the front to the back a couple of times. I thought we had a really good change at the end leading the last few hours, but some pretty stupid driving from somebody else put us in a bad position and the car couldn’t finish due to a broken suspension. That was not the way we wanted to end, at least we could have grabbed some good points at the end with the way our strategy turned out, but that’s racing. Hopefully we can come back and get some points in Long Beach.”

Marco Sorensen — “To end the weekend like we did just now was definitely not the plan. There isn’t a whole lot that I could have done differently when a car just cuts across the track. It shows a little bit of lack of perspective in general in the paddock, but it is what it is now. We can’t change it. We just have to come back at Long Beach. The team did a really really good job and the car was actually better than what we expected to have here at Sebring. It’s been a pleasure all weekend and we have a good car, it was just unfortunate.”  

Ian James — “I think the team performed really well, it was a pleasure to drive with Roman and Marco here at Sebring. I had three pretty good stints to start there and I really thought we were on for a good result, but unfortunately somebody else’s stupidity took us out. That is all part of racing, you have the highs and the lows. Our high was Daytona and now we are seeing a low. The most frustrating part is we had a car that could have won, but that’s okay because we will bounce back.” 

The No. 1 BMW M4 GT3 from Paul Miller Racing ended up finishing in first with the No. 96 BMW M4 GT3 from Turner Motorsports finishing in second. All in all it was a good day for BMW as a manufacturer securing two cars on podium in GTD and one in the GTP class with RLL Racing.

Pre-testing for the 1000 miles of Sebring is underway in Florida. In its 11^th season the World Endurance Championship (WEC) heads to Sebring International Raceway this weekend for The Prologue pre season test. The race will showcase nine different car manufacturers. The WEC entry list can be found here. The IMSA entry can be found here.

In addition, IMSA will also be hosting the 12 hours of Sebring next week. The full event week schedule is below.

2023 Super Sebring Event Schedule

Wednesday, March 15

8:55-9:25 a.m. — Practice No. 1 – Porsche Carrera Cup
9:40-10:40 a.m. — Practice No. 1 – Michelin Pilot Challenge
10:55-11:55 a.m. — Free Practice No. 1 – FIA WEC
12:10-12:50 p.m. — Practice No. 2 – Porsche Carrera Cup
1:05-2:05 p.m. — Practice No. 2 – Michelin Pilot Challenge
3:05-3:35 p.m. — Qualifying – Porsche Carrera Cup
3:50-4:05 p.m. — Qualifying – Michelin Pilot Challenge TCR
4:10-4:25 p.m. — Qualifying – Michelin Pilot Challenge GS
4:35-5:35 p.m. — Free Practice No. 2 – FIA WEC

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

After the No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing Acura crossed the finish line for the final time at the Rolex 24 the team garage was full of celebration and excitement. Unfortunately 5 weeks later that celebration was accompanied by a dark cloud. On March 8^th 2023, IMSA revealed that the Meyer Shank Racing team had run their tire below the minimum threshold set by Michelin and the team was actively manipulating tire pressure data during the race that is reported to IMSA. The tire pressure data manipulation was reported by Honda Performance Development themselves which may have impacted the punishment that followed.

The penalties were as follows:

-Loss of 200 team and driver points in the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship
-Loss of all team and driver IMA Michelin Endurance Cup points
-Loss of Rolex 24 prize money coupled with a $50,000 fine
-Mike Shank placed on probation through June 30 2023
-Team Engineer Ryan McCarthy had his IMSA annual credentials revoked and IMSA membership suspended indefinitely

Meyer Shank Racing has accepted full responsibility for the issue and is looking forward to the 12 hours of Sebring to put this incident behind them. Fortunately for Meyer Shank Racing the win was not stripped and the drivers will get to keep their Daytona Rolex timepieces. Rival Acura team Wayne Taylor Racing assumes first place in the GTP championship standings and all other teams move up one place leaving Meyer Shank Racing in last place with 0 points.

Two trips around the clock, 5 racing classes and a weekend full of thrilling racing is now over. This past weekend IMSA hosted the 61^st Annual Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway and the experience was nothing short of epic. This past weekend marked the rebirth of the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class with IMSA and the cars certainly did not disappoint. IMSA also saw a record breaking crowd for the Rolex 24 which is a testament to the growth of motorsport racing in the US.

2023 Rolex 24 Race Results (Unofficial)

GTP
The reborn GTP class came into the 2023 Rolex 24 with many question marks. With new sleek designs and mostly untested power units the GTP class created a lot of uncertainty regarding expectations for  car performance in a 24 hour endurance race. However, all doubts were cast aside when the No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-06 finished P1 logging 783 laps in what was a battle that came down to the wire. In the last 26 minutes of the 24 a late caution saw Tom Blomqvist just 0.233 seconds ahead of rival Filipe Albuquerque in the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 from Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport. However,  Blomqvist was on a mission and by the end of the race he extended this gap to 4.190 seconds leaving his competition in the dust and skyrocketing Meyer Shank Racing to their second consecutive Rolex 24 win.

The Cadillac Racing Cadillac V-LMDh cars from Chip Ganassi Racing finished third with driver Renger van der Zande in the No. 01 and fourth with driver Earl Bamber in the No. 02. The top four cars were separated by 11.176 seconds after 24 hours of racing at Daytona International Speedway road course. Despite leading mostly through the night the Cadillacs started to fall off pace in the final 30 minutes of the race. This left the door wide open for Meyer Shank Racing and they seized the moment.

LMP2
After 24 hours of racing the LMP2 class had the most dramatic finish of the weekend. The gap between P1 and P2 was just 0.016 seconds. 26 year old driver James Allen found grip where not one else could on the final lap of the race. Coming into the final turn Allen launched his Proton Competition ORECA LMP2 07 to first place with a powerful double draft and dramatic photo finish after 761 laps. This was an eye opening finish and proves that every fraction of a second matters in endurance racing.

Ben Hanley who was leading the final lap was the victim of what seemed to be late drafting and possibly a loss of grip due to tire fall off. It was a heartbreaker for Crowdstrike Racing with the win slipping from their grasp in the final seconds of the race.

LMP3
Competition was not as close in the LMP3 class. This was mostly due to some early failures, lost time due to track traffic and cautions the pack split up substantially. AWA Racing didn’t see a big threat in the final 25% of the race. This win surprised many but this is the spirit of racing. Teams show up and put down everything they have and at the end of the day where you qualify doesn’t matter. Its all about where you finish. The AWA racing driver lineup of Nico Varrone, Thomas Merrill, Anthony Mantella and Wayne Boyd finished 15th overall in the Rolex 24 and 12 laps ahead of the second-place LMP3 car.

GTD Pro
In its second year of competition the GTD Pro class has been one of the more level playing field classes in IMSA. This year the WeatherTech Racing No. 79 Mercedes-AMG GT3 demonstrated their grit on the track and fought through a variety of early paint trading and a couple of time penalties to claim their spot and add one of the most coveted awards in motorsport racings; the Rolex Daytona watch to their trophy cases. Drivers Cooper MacNeil (Hinsdale, Ill.), Jules Gounon (France), Daniel Juncadella (Spain), and Maro Engel (Germany) drove the No. 79 WeatherTech Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 with Mercedes-Benz of Billings, Montana support to a near perfect win.

“Wow! Just wow,” MacNeil said in a press release by WeatherTech. “Before this race, my greatest accomplishment in racing was finishing second at Le Mans last year. To finish my career in IMSA with a win at Daytona, you can’t ask for more. I couldn’t have done it without my dad (David MacNeil), WeatherTech and Christian Ried and his Proton team. Mercedes gave us three of their best drivers. They build a great car that was fast and fair today. It was us, Corvette, and Lexus for the last fourth of the race. You have to have all of the elements to win here, car, drivers, support, teamwork and fast drivers. We had all of that today.””To win for David and Cooper and WeatherTech is a privilege,” Gounon said. “I think it was Cooper’s last race in IMSA, so this is a proper send off. You need to be the best on the track and in the pits to win this race and we were over the 24 hours. Cooper, Maro, and Dani all drove great, and I had a good day myself. I think tonight we can celebrate with something nice on our wrist.”

This marks the second win for the WeatherTech team in the last 10 years and they will savor every second of it as it kicks things off in the best fashion to the 2023 IMSA season.

GTD
The Heart of Racing Team and Aston Martin secured their first victory at the Rolex 24 at Daytona. Defending GTD champion Roman De Angelis returned to the No. 27 Aston Martin Vantage GT3, joining Marco Sorenson, Darren Turner and Ian James. The team led 176 laps in the class. HOR provides some driver statements on the race in their post-race press release.

Ian James: “There is so much luck involved in winning here. Marco just finished the race and it’s a lot to sink in really. It’s an honor to be the first win for Aston Martin here at Daytona. It was an awesome job done by The Heart of Racing crew. I’m really proud of everyone here on the team. It’s been a real pleasure to share a car this weekend with Darren, Roman, and Marco. That was a wild last hour or so of the race, but now we can sit back and enjoy it. It was fantastic to watch the way Marco handled the pressure, he did it perfectly.”

Roman De Angelis: “I’m just so happy to be here with this team in victory lane. The whole Heart of Racing family is great, they executed pit stops perfectly. The 24 hour race in Daytona is the one I have always wanted to win since I was a kid so this feels pretty unreal. I first raced at Daytona with Ian five years ago so that winning this alongside him makes this even more special. I’m just going to embrace it. Every year we climb the success ladder a little more, Sebring is next so we will see what we can do there.”

Darren Turner: “It is absolutely incredible to win here in Daytona! The performance of the team has been absolutely amazing and honestly the Aston Martins have been the fastest thing out there on the track. I have been here a few times now, but this is the most fun I have ever had. Marco took the pressure at the end of the race, but he really kept it together. ” Marco Sorensen: “Being the winner of all GTD and GTD PRO cars feels very special. Obviously we went for the victory in our class, but when you win it all it is pretty surreal. It really is a testament to how hard the team worked throughout the race. We kept it clean for the entire 24 hours and I am so proud of everyone. The race was hard on us, but we kept it together and it paid off”

All in all the 2023 Rolex 24 was filled with some triumphs and some heartbreaks but in the spirit of motorsport this is what keeps the racing alive. In March the teams travel to Sebring international Raceway for the MOBIL 1 12 hours of Sebring. The Rolex 24 winners they will all be looking to solidify their place at the top of the table. Stay tuned for our upcoming prerace report.

It’s finally that time of year where roaring engines, screeching tires and the smell of race fuel for 24 hours is upon us. Of course, we are talking about nothing other than the start of the 2023 IMSA season at Daytona International Speedway for the Rolex 24. This year marks the 61^st anniversary of this amazing race weekend and with the return of the GTP class we are all in for a special treat. The iconic GTP class features new hybrid prototype cars from a variety of manufacturers.

In a press release from Daytona International Speedway President Frank Kelleher stated, “The 2023 Rolex 24 At DAYTONA will be a continuation of the rich legacy here at The World Center of Racing,” said Daytona International Speedway President Frank Kelleher. “It begins a new tradition, with the state-of-the-art new prototype race cars, and brings back an old one with the GTP class. Along with the ’up-close’ access and the fan interactives, it’s a weekend that fans spanning the globe will not want to miss.”

Also debuting at the 2023 Rolex 24 is the VP Racing Sportscar Challenge. In a recent IMSA press release IMSA president stated, “The IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge offers great new opportunities for aspiring IMSA drivers and teams. It’s an excellent new rung on the ladder of IMSA series. By putting prototypes and GT cars on the track together, we’re allowing competitors to gain valuable experience in multiclass racing. By using a single driver in each car, it permits driver growth in providing important feedback in helping set up the car to their preferences and needs.

The pre-event entry list includes 24 drivers for the series so it will be an exciting opportunity for these new drivers to showcase their skills at one of the most famous tracks in the USA.

We hope to see you all out at the race. For more information on the IMSA season schedule visit IMSA