Gates Open Wednesday, November 11
Gates open at 6 a.m. Wednesday (Nov. 11) for the 68th running of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Advance Auto Parts. The race begins at 10:10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 14. Tickets can be purchased online at sebringraceway.com or at the gate.
Sebring in the Fall
Only once in 67 previous years has the Sebring 12-hour race not been held in March (April 1 in 1967). Rescheduled from its traditional March date, this is the first time the legendary sports car endurance race will be run in the Fall. This year Sebring has the added significance of being the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) season finale.
Mario Andretti Grand Marshal
Motorsports legend Mario Andretti will serve as Grand Marshal of the 68th running of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. The three-time winner of Sebring‘s 12-Hour classic (1967, 1970, 1972) has a motor sports resume second to none. Andretti has won the Indy 500, Daytona 500, and Formula One World Championship, in addition to numerous IndyCar and sprint car victories.
Andretti and Bruce McLaren were the first drivers to average over 100 mph for the 12-hour classic when they won in 1967 driving a Ford. However, Andretti‘s 1970 Sebring win is considered the greatest of his career. After the Ferrari he started the race in retired with mechanical problems while leading, the Ferrari team put Andretti in another entry to chase down the leading Porsche driven by actor Steve McQueen and teammate Peter Revson, heir to the Revlon cosmetics fortune. In a dramatic final hour Andretti pulled off an incredible driving stint to win by a margin of 22 seconds, the closest finish ever at Sebring at that time.
Indy 500 Winners at Sebring
Six winners of the Indy 500 will be competing in the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Advance Auto Parts. Helio Castroneves (2001, 2002, 2009), Ryan Hunter-Reay (2014), Alexander Rossi (2016), Simon Pagenaud (2019), Juan Pablo Montoya (2000, 2015) and Scott Dixon (2008).
Wednesday Track Walk a First at Sebring
For the first time in the 68-year history of America‘s oldest endurance race, fans will be able to walk the historic circuit during race week for the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Advance Auto Parts. The track walk takes place on Wednesday, Nov. 11, beginning at 12:30 p.m. Former drivers Justin Bell and Tommy Kendall, co-hosts of The Torque Show, will provide commentary at various turns during the walk.
Championships on the Line
Sebring will determine several IMSA season championships. Perhaps the most hotly contested is the Daytona Prototypes International (DPi) class. Ryan Briscoe and Renger van der Zande are only two points behind in the driver‘s championship to Ricky Taylor and three-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves in the No. 7 Team Penske Acura. Three-time Sebring 12-hour winner Pipo Derani is only nine points behind in the title chase. He will co-drive the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac with Felipe Nasr and Gabby Chaves.
Bill Auberlen Making 27th Sebring Start
Bill Auberlen, who drives the No. 96 Turner Motorsports BMW in the GTD class, will be making his 27th career start at Sebring, second only to Hurley Haywood (28). That translates to about 108 hours of driving, covering approximately 11,000 miles on the famous circuit.
Live Broadcast Coverage Includes NBC
The Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring boasts 12.5 hours of live broadcast coverage on both television and radio. Race coverage will begin on NBSCN at 10 a.m. and then shift to NBC network coverage from 3-6 p.m. At 6 p.m. coverage will move back to NBCSN until its conclusion at 10:30 p.m.
The Woodstock of Auto Racing
Sebring is known for its party atmosphere in addition to being North America‘s oldest sports car endurance race. Often called the “Woodstock of Auto Racing,” Sebring fans have made a pilgrimage to Sebring every year since 1952. In the one year the race was not held (1974), several thousand fans showed up anyway. The Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring has been voted North America‘s No. 1 Motorsports Race for two consecutive years in a poll conducted by USA Today.
Where B-17s Roamed
Sebring International Raceway evolved from a World War II B-17 combat crew training base known as Hendricks Field (1942-1945). The front straight and Turns 1 and 17 of the track are the original airbase concrete surfaces on which B-17s once taxied and landed. Over 10,000 combat crews and support personnel were trained at Hendricks Field.
Sebring the Ultimate Bragging Rights for Automotive Manufacturers
Winning at Sebring has been a prestigious accomplishment over the past seven decades for automotive manufacturers. The legendary track known for its grueling 12-hour race has been the ultimate test in American endurance racing. Bragging rights for winning at Sebring are coveted by manufacturers due to the tough nature of the Sebring circuit
In the headline Daytona Prototype International (DPi) class, Cadillac and Acura will battle for the title at Sebring, with Mazda trailing in third place. Of these manufacturers, only Cadillac has managed to win at Sebring (2017, 2019).
In the GT Le Mans (GTLM) category, the new Chevrolet C8.R has already clinched the title. Corvette Racing has won five races this season, highlighted by a streak of four straight victories earlier this year that included a win in the July Sebring race. In the GT Daytona (GTD) class, Lexus and Acura are the favorites heading into the 12-hour finale, with Porsche and BMW holding the next two positions. Although Lamborghini is no longer in contention for the GTD season championship, the Italian manufacturer has clinched the Michelin Endurance Cup thanks to success in endurance races at Daytona and Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
Five Supporting Events on Friday
Three other series will be racing at Sebring to determine their championships — the Alan Jay 120 Michelin Pilot Challenge, Porsche GT3 Cup and Lamborghini Super Trofeo.