Sebring Raceway is one of the oldest continuously operating race tracks in the U.S., its first race being run in 1950. Sebring is one of the classic race tracks in North American sports car racing,[3] and plays host to the 12 Hours of Sebring.
Sebring Raceway occupies the site of Hendricks Army Airfield (a training base for B-17 pilots in operation from 1941 to 1946), in the middle of southern Florida, 70 mi (110 km) south and southeast respectively of Orlando and Tampa, and 140 mi (230 km) northwest of Miami. After the war, Russian-American aeronautical engineer Alec Ulmann[4] was seeking sites for converting military aircraft to civilian use when he discovered potential in Hendricks' runways and service roads to stage a sports carendurance race similar to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, a race Ulmann was inspired to somewhat re-create in the United States. Sebring's first race was held on New Year's Eve of 1950, attracting thirty race cars from across North America.[5][6] The Sam Collier 6 Hour Memorial race was won by Frits Koster and Ralph Deshon in a Crosley Hot Shot that had been driven to the track by Victor Sharpe.
The first 12 Hours of Sebring was held on March 15, 1952, shortly growing into a major international race. In 1959, the track hosted the U.S.' first Formula One race (the successor to historic European Grand Prix motor racing), held as that year's installment of the historic United States Grand Prix competition. However poor attendance and high costs relocated the next U.S. Grand Prix to Riverside International Raceway in southernCalifornia.[7]
For much of Sebring's history, the track followed a 5.200 mi (8.369 km) layout. After a disastrous 1966 12 Hours with five fatalities, the track was widened in parts and also lengthened a total of 50 yd (46 m) for 1967 with the removal of the Webster Turn between the hairpin and the top of the track and replacement with the faster Green Park Chicane, further down the track. This was closer to the hairpin and allowed a flat-out run through a very fast corner to the top of the track and the runway. This was done to move the track off the dangerous Warehouse Straight and the warehouses, hangars and airplanes flanking it; a crash during that 1966 12 Hours involved a privately-entered Porsche that went into one of the warehouses (this area was off-limits to non-track personnel) and into a crowd, killing four spectators.
The circuit was changed and shortened in 1983 to allow simultaneous use of the track and one of the runways, and major changes in 1987 allowed use of another runway. Further changes in 1991 accommodated expansion of the airport's facilities, allowing the entire track to be used without interfering with normal airport operations and bringing it close to its current configuration. The hairpin was removed in 1997 due to a lack of run-off, and replaced with what became known as the "safety pin". Gendebien Bend was also re-profiled to slow the cars' entry to the Ullman straight.[8]
The track is currently owned by IMSA Holdings, LLC through its subsidiary Sebring International Raceway, LLC via its purchase of the Panoz MSG in September 2012.[9] It is currently leased by the Sebring International Raceway, LLC, which acquired the facility from Andy Evans in 1997.[10]
The track is often recognized for its famous, high-speed "Turn 17",[citation needed] a long, bumpy, fast right-hander that can make or break a car's speed down the front straight. The corner can fit up to three cars wide.
Skip Barber Racing School held numerous programs at the facility, including a scholarship opportunity for young racers.
On October 30, 2021, the first-ever 24-hour race at Sebring took place, hosted by the World Racing League, an amateur endurance championship series, with W2W Racing winning the overall race by four laps on the field in their #983 Porsche Motorsports type 981 Cayman GT4 Clubsport MR.[citation needed]
Track configuration
Sebring International Raceway consists of three tracks: the Full Circuit, the Short Circuit, and the Club Circuit. The course of the track itself is 3.741 mi (6.021 km) long. It is a seventeen-turn road course with long straights, several high-speed corners, and very technical slower corners. Many of the turns and points along the track are named for the early teams and drivers. Due to Florida's flat nature there is very little elevation change around the track and little camber on the surface, providing a challenging track for drivers, especially when it rains.
Sebring is renowned for its rough, bumpy and changing surfaces. The course still runs on old sections of World War II-era landing fields that were constructed of concrete sections with large seams. The transitions between sections are quite rough and often, sparks fly from the undercarriages of the cars as they traverse them. Much of the track has intentionally been left with its original concrete runway surface. The 12 Hours of Sebring is renowned as a race that is even harder on machinery and drivers than Le Mans, and is seen as an ideal preparation run for the famed French race.
The track surface has 3.04 mi (4.89 km) of asphalt and 0.7 mi (1.1 km) of concrete. Mario Andretti, a 3-time 12 Hours winner, said that one of the hardest parts about the original Sebring track was "finding the track to begin with." There had been many accounts of drivers retiring due to accidents at night, quite simply because they got lost on the runway sections and couldn't find the track again. Some drivers got lost even during the day, mostly because the track was poorly marked down with white lines and cones.[11]
Layout history
Sebring International Raceway Layout History
The track layout from 1952 to 1966 (1st variation)
The track layout from 1967 to 1982 (2nd variation)
The track layout from 1987 to 1990 (5th variation)
Each February, the racetrack hosts the Bike Sebring 12/24 Hours, an ultra-distance cycling race organized by the Highlands Pedalers Bicycle Club and the Rotary Club of Highlands County.[12]
IndyCar regularly holds tests at the top half of the facility to simulate street circuits on its calendar.
^ a bBoth drivers set the same lap time in this race independently.
References
^"Sebring - RacingCircuits.info". Retrieved March 17, 2023.
^"NASCAR Makes Big Purchase and Plans Merger: A Fan's Reaction". Archived from the original on March 22, 2014. Retrieved January 15, 2017.
^"Sebring, Florida: Avon Park, Sebring and Lake Placid". Visit Sebring. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
^"Alec Ulmann Is Dead at 82; Pioneer in Sports Car Racing". The New York Times. April 26, 1986. Archived from the original on August 21, 2017. Retrieved January 16, 2017.
^"Forgotten History: The First Sebring Race 12/31/1950". Archived from the original on October 11, 2004. Retrieved November 8, 2004.
^"Sebring, Florida: Avon Park, Sebring and Lake Placid". Visit Sebring. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
^"History of Formula 1 - The United States Grand Prix (USGP)". ddavid.com. Archived from the original on July 16, 2012. Retrieved January 16, 2017.
^12 Hours of Sebring Archived March 10, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
^"NASCAR Makes Big Purchase and Plans Merger: A Fan's Reaction". Archived from the original on March 22, 2014. Retrieved January 15, 2017.
^"The TACH Report: USRRC Announces '98 Sched, Panoz Buys Sebring From Andy Evans, GM Has New Longer Range Battery For EVs". theautochannel.com. Archived from the original on October 18, 2016. Retrieved January 16, 2017.
^About Sebring Raceway Archived March 3, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
^"Sebring International Raceway, Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring, March 20 Mars 2009 - IMSA Atlantic Championship powered by Mazda - Round 1". March 20, 2009. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
^"Sebring 12 Hours 2006". Retrieved April 29, 2022.
^"Sebring International Raceway - Mar. 24, 2023 / Sebring, FL - USF Pro 2000 Race 1 Results Official" (PDF). March 24, 2023. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
^"2023 Sebring International Raceway FANATEC GT World Challenge America powered by aws Race 1 Classification". September 23, 2023. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
^"Trans Am Championship Presented by Pirelli Sebring International Raceway Feb 23rd-25th TA XGT SGT GT Round 1 Official Race Results" (PDF). February 25, 2024. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
^"2019 F3 Americas Championship Sebring - Round 14 Official Race Result" (PDF). September 14, 2019. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
^"2020 68th Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring - Lamborghini Super Trofeo Race 2 Official Results (50 Minutes)" (PDF). International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). November 17, 2020. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
^"61st Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring - Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda - Official Race Report - Round 2" (PDF). March 15, 2013. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
^"Sebring 12 Hours 2004". Retrieved January 14, 2023.
^"2020 Ferrari Challenge North America Trofeo Pirelli Sebring Race 1 Official Results (30 Minutes)" (PDF). October 12, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
^"2021 Sebring International Raceway GT America powered by aws Race 2 - Classification - Final" (PDF). October 3, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
^"Trans Am Championship Presented by Pirelli CUBE 3 Architecture TA2® Series, presented by Pirelli Sebring International Raceway Feb 22nd-24th Round 1 Official Race Results" (PDF). February 24, 2024. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
^"2020 F4 United States Championship Sebring Int'l Raceway - Round 11 Official Race Result" (PDF). September 27, 2020. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
^"72nd Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Cadillac Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented By Michelin at Sebring International Raceway Race 1 Official Results (45 Minutes)" (PDF). International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). March 20, 2024. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
^"Sebring 12 Hours 1997". Retrieved April 27, 2022.
^ a b"Sebring 3 Hours 1998". Retrieved April 27, 2022.
^"XXXVI Sebring 3 hours". Retrieved December 6, 2022.
^ a b"Sebring 12 Hours 1992". Retrieved April 29, 2022.
^ a b"Sebring 12 Hours 1991". Retrieved April 29, 2022.
^ a b"Sebring 12 Hours 1994". Retrieved October 16, 2022.
^"IMSA Supercar Sebring 12 Hours 1995". Retrieved October 16, 2022.
^ a b c d"Sebring 12 Hours 1990". Retrieved April 27, 2022.
^ a b c d"Sebring 12 Hours 1986". Retrieved April 28, 2022.
^ a b c"Sebring 12 Hours 1983". Retrieved October 19, 2022.
^ a b c"Sebring 12 Hours 1981". Retrieved April 29, 2022.
^"Sebring 12 Hours 1971". Retrieved April 29, 2022.
^"Sebring 12 Hours 1977". Retrieved April 29, 2022.
^"Sebring 12 Hours 1975". Retrieved April 29, 2022.
^"Sebring 12 Hours 1978". Retrieved April 29, 2022.
^"Sebring 12 Hours 1965". Retrieved March 17, 2023.
^"Sebring 12 Hours 1964". Retrieved March 17, 2023.
^"Sebring 4 Hours 1966". Retrieved March 17, 2023.
^"Sebring - Motorsport Magazine". Retrieved May 7, 2022.
^"1969 Sebring F5000". Retrieved May 7, 2022.
^"Sebring International Raceway Release". July 27, 2018.
^"Sebring International Raceway - iRacing.com Motorsport Simulations". iracing.com. Archived from the original on December 23, 2016. Retrieved January 16, 2017.
^"Forza Motorsport 4 - Tracks - Sebring International Raceway". Forza. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
^"Forza Motorsport 5 - Tracks - Sebring International Raceway". forzamotorsport.net. Archived from the original on October 21, 2016. Retrieved January 16, 2017.
^"Forza Motorsport 6 - Tracks - Sebring International Raceway". forzamotorsport.net. Archived from the original on October 20, 2016. Retrieved January 16, 2017.
^"Sebring". Le Mans Ultimate. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
^Strohm, Axel (May 17, 2006). "Total Immersion Racing update". GameSpot. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
^"Sports Car GT". Archived from the original on September 20, 2014. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
^"Sebring". Archived from the original on March 19, 2018. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sebring International Raceway.
Official website
Map and circuit history at RacingCircuits.info Archived January 21, 2021, at the Wayback Machine
A drivers description of the various track configurations
Trackpedia guide to Sebring Archived October 23, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
Audio walk-through of the track, for use with games