Photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt
This year our European Photographer traveled to Florida for the Sebring 12 hours, and the officials at Sebring including Ken Breslauer made sure he had press credentials. Our thanks to the staff for making his journey from Belgium to Florida worthwhile.
Sebring offers a few benefits not normally seen in Europe. Vanhoolandt says that it’s a great experience for a European for several reasons. “First, the proximity of the spectator to the track; for the fan wanting to take pictures, there are a lot of places not obstructed by fences. Then, Sebring is a hard, tough track, like in the past…difficult, bumpy, far from the European standards. At the same time, the atmosphere is very cool, one sees drivers or team directors walking in the paddock among the spectators…not like the European circuits where they are inaccessible, hidden in their motorhomes.”
Sebring was celebrating its 60th year of racing and on hand were many cars and stars from the past, displayed in the recently added Gallery of Legends building.
For the first time since 2009 Audi came home with a convincing victory in the Twelve Hours of Sebring. Dindo Capello, Tom Kristensen and Allan McNish completed 301 laps in their Audi R18 to win by four laps in the opening round of the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón and the FIA World Endurance Championship.
Joey Hand won GT for BMW Team RLL after a wild last two laps of racing. Hand battled the last three laps with AF Corse’s Olivier Beretta, and almost lost the lead on the final lap when he was forced off course by Gimmi Bruni in an AF Corse Ferrari F458 Italia. Beretta in the Ferrari 458 finished third in GT. Below, how your favorite Ferrari faired at Sebring this year.
Click here for full results and more information
Maserati 450 S, s/n 4503, now owned by Bruce McCaw, is the 1957 winner, driven by Jean Behra and Juan Manuel Fangio.
Ferrari 333 SP won the 12 Hours in 1995, 1997 and 1998, wearing Momo colours that latter year like the car pictured here. But this one is s/n 011, and the car that won Daytona 24 Hours and Sebring 12 Hours in 1998 was s/n 019.
Ferrari F458 Italia – s/n 2816 – Extreme Speed Motorsports (USA) – Scott Sharp/Johannes van Overbeek/Guy Cosmo – 46th overall, 12th in GT class
Ferrari F458 Italia – s/n 2818 – Extreme Speed Motorsports (USA) – Ed Brown/Jeff Segal/Anthony Lazzaro – 27th overall, 9th in GT class
Ferrari 458 Italia – s/n 2846 – AF Corse (I) – Giancarlo Fisichella/Gianmaria Bruni/Toni Vilander – excluded due to unsporting driving.
Ferrari 458 Italia – s/n 2844 – Krohn Racing (USA) – Tracy Krohn/Niclas Jönsson/Michele Rugolo – 50th overall, 5th in GTE-AM class.
Ferrari 458 Italia – s/n 2834 – Luxury Racing (F) – Pierre Ehret/Dominik Farnbacher/François Jakubowski – DNS, contact with a Porsche in the warm up lap.
Ferrari 458 Italia – s/n 2832 – Luxury Racing (F) – Frédéric Makowiecki/Jaime Melo/ Jean-Karl Vernay – DNF, left the track because of oil on track.
Ferrari 458 Italia – s/n 2826 – AF Corse-Waltrip (I/USA) – Robert Kaufman/Michael Waltrip/Rui Aguas – 41st overall, 4th in GTE-AM class.
Ferrari 458 Italia – s/n 2848 – AF Corse (I) – Andrea Bertolini/Olivier Beretta/Marco Cioci – 20th overall, 3rd in GT class.
Dusk provides an opportunity for dramatic photography at Sebring.
Well, not quite the 60 th anniversary of Sebring. I will admit to it being the 60th 12 Hour. How ever in a bit of the ever clever world of marketing they just seemed to totally ignor their first race. What a shame for those who were in that inaugral event, even though it was only 6 hours, to be left out of Sebrings history, like that. Especially that little Crosley Hot Shot, “the little car that could”, and did WIN.
Terrific coverage. What about the 35th.annv. of the Ray Sanders KENDALL OIL Historic Races. Ninety four mostly interesting cars started. Why no pictures ?
Thanks…and insofar as the other coverage, we just can’t do it all..time and space being what it is (limited!).
@bob graham.that was a great addition to this.was that 6hr. race 1 yr. before the first 12 hr.?