IMSA Teams Set To Tackle 12 Hours Of Sebring

Column By: JOHN DOUGLAS / RPW – SEBRING, FL – SThe new era of IMSA racing kicked off in an impressive showing for the new DPi class at this year’s 24 hours of Daytona. IMSA looks to keep that momentum rolling as the series begins to focus on the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring. A 46 car field across four classes is slated to take on the retired World War II airbase. Known for its bumpy surface, many consider the task of completing 12 hours at Sebring harder than Daytona’s 24.

All four winning teams from the a fore mentioned Rolex 24 at Daytona, will make te trek to Sebring as well. However, not all the driver rosters will reain the same. For example Wayne Taylor’s Konica Minolta Racing Team will not see Jeff Gordon behind the wheel, or Max Angelelli for that matter. Instead, Ricky and Jordan Taylor will team with Alex Lynn.

The 23 year old native of England will make his Weather Tech Series debut in the event. Though Angelelli hung up the helmet after his final victorious run in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, Angelelli is still a part team owner with Wayne Taylor. So you probably won’t miss seeing him at the race track in 2017.

Last year’s defending overall winners, Team ESM Tequila Patron, will again take on the 12 hour task, but this year it will be in the Nissan DPi. A whole new chassis and engine combination may make a repeat of last year’s success a bit more difficult for what many consider a flagship team of the prototype class of IMSA. In the team’s first entry, drivers Scott Sharp and Ryan Dalziel will partner with ESM’s driver during their fore into WEC competition Luis “Pippo” Derani as the third pilot for the Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup races, which Include the Rolex 24, Sebring, Watkins Glen and Petite Le Mans.

The team’s second driver roster will be comprised of Patron Spirits President and CEO Ed Brown, along with Johannes Van Overbeek. Their partner for Sebring will be Bruno Senna, as both he and Brendan Hartley were added to the roster for Daytona. Senna will remain on as the team’s third driver for the other TPNAEC races in 2017.

Moving to the GTLM category, we will again see a robust field of road based machinery take to the brutal bumps of Sebring. Manufacturers including Ferrari, Ford, Chevrolet, Porsche and others will try to out do themselves coming off the heels of one of the greatest battles in GT racing history at this year’s 24 Hours of Daytona.

Chip Ganassi’s Ford GT program will try to back up their win at Daytona with a sweep of the Florida endurance events, as well as the first ever driving team to win Le Mans, Daytona and Sebring inside one calendar year. Drivers Joey Hand, Sebastien Bourdais and Dirk Mueller are heavy favorites, but the brutal beating of 12 hours could take its toll.

Ferrari only has one 488 GTE in the running fo the 12 hour title in GTLM, but the team from Risi Competitzione is stout and to be reckoned with. Drivers Giancarlo Fisichella, Tony Vilander and James Colado have many laps together in the prancing horse’s endurance machinery, and the always interesting battle between the Italian Sports Car maker and Ford will be something to take note of…

In the GT-D or GT Daytona class boasts the most entries in any class in this year’s Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring. 21 entries with eight different manufacturers will take the green flag along wt the other classes on Saturday. Audi, Porsche,Acura, Lexus and many more will be in what should equate to a ground based dog fight for 12 straight hours. This class, along with their GTLM counterpart, have put on stellar close racing in the past, and no one should expect anything else at this point.

The newest entries, both Acura and Lexus, have shown early speed, but the reliability factor may cause them problems as their fledgling teams cope with the unknowns of a track who’s reputation for breaking perfectly fine race cars has become the stuff of legend in the sports car world. Keep an eye on the NSX offering from Acura and the Lexus RC F GT3.

In the PC or Prototype Challenge division, only four cars will compete in 2017. That may sound like a very small field, but it only takes two cars to have a race, and these teams are looking to end this division’s history with exciting racing. The team of James French, Patricio Ward and Kyle Mason will try to back up their Rolex 24 victory with a strong run in Sebring.

The IMSA Weather Tech Series will be in action for the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring beginning March 15th. Mobil 1 12 Hour of Sebring coverage can be found on the Fox family of networks, beginning on March 18th, at 12:30 P.M. EST.