Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring: Early Race Report
Sebring, FL — The 74th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring kicked off under clear skies at Sebring International Raceway, with the #31 Cadillac Whelen V-Series.R taking the lead from the start. Pole-sitter Jack Aitken expertly maintained his position during the opening hour, despite a full-course yellow for debris at the 38-minute mark.
Aitken’s solid energy stop assisted by Action Express Racing allowed him to retain the lead as the race resumed. Renger van der Zande made significant progress, elevating the #93 Acura Meyer Shank Racing ARX-06 from ninth on the grid to second place following a fierce battle involving opponents Sheldon van der Linde and Felipe Nasr.
Currently, Kévin Estre holds third in the #6 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963, followed closely by Tom Blomqvist in the #60 MSR Acura and van der Linde in the #24 Team WRT BMW M Hybrid V8.
In LMP2, PJ Hyett surged to the front from fourth position, initially trading places with Misha Goikhberg’s #52 Bryan Herta Autosport with PR1/Mathiasen ORECA. After pit stops, Hyett’s #99 AO Racing ORECA 07-Gibson assumed the lead, while Jeremy Clarke in the #43 Inter Europol Competition car sits third, with Daniel Goldburg recovering to fourth in the #22 United Autosports USA entry.
Early incidents included a drive-through penalty for Naveen Rao of Era Motorsport and a spin for Tower Motorsports’ John Farano.
In the GTD category, the #14 Vasser Sullivan Racing Lexus RC F GT3 led initially until the full-course yellow. Following pit stops, the #911 Manthey Porsche 911 GT3 R, driven by Ricardo Feller, now leads, with Kyle Kirkwood in the second-place Lexus, and Dean McDonald in the #59 RLL Team McLaren GT3 EVO completing the top three.
Antonio Fuoco’s #21 AF Corse USA Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo initially established a lead in GTD, but lost ground due to the yellow flag. Currently, Simon Mann is behind the wheel of the leading Ferrari, followed by Eduardo Barrichello in the #27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3.
Notably, only 54 cars started the race, as the #79 JDC-Miller MotorSports ORECA LMP2 withdrew prior to the event for personal reasons.
As the race unfolds, teams will look to strategize effectively to gain the upper hand in this endurance challenge.
