The 65th Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring fueled by Fresh from Florida was an endurance sports car racing event held at Sebring International Raceway near Sebring, Florida from 16 to 18 March 2017. The race was the second round of the 2017 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, as well as the second round of the North American Endurance Cup.
The race was won by Wayne Taylor Racing's Cadillac DPi-V.R driven by Ricky Taylor, Jordan Taylor, and Alex Lynn, ahead of Mustang Sampling Racing's Cadillac DPi-V.R and Whelen Engineering Racing's Cadillac DPi-V.R. The PC class winners were Performance Tech Motorsports with drivers James French, Patricio O'Ward, and Kyle Masson driving an Oreca FLM09. Corvette Racing won the GTLM class for the third straight year with Antonio García, Jan Magnussen, and Mike Rockenfeller taking the win in their Chevrolet Corvette C7.R. The GTD category was won by Riley Motorsports - WeatherTech Racing's Ben Keating, Jeroen Bleekemolen, and Mario Farnbacher in a Mercedes-AMG GT3.[1][2]
Background
International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) president Scott Atherton confirmed that the race was part of the 2017 IMSA SportsCar Championship schedule in August 2016. It was the fourth year in a row that the race was part of the series calendar, and the 65th 12 Hours of Sebring. The race was the second of 2017's twelve scheduled IMSA automobile endurance races, and the second of four North American Endurance Cup (NAEC) events.[3] It was held at the 17-turn, 3.741-mile (6.021 km) Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Florida on March 18, 2017.
After the 24 Hours of Daytona 7 weeks earlier, Jordan Taylor, Ricky Taylor, Max Angelelli, and Jeff Gordon were leading the Prototype Drivers' Championship with 35 points.[4] With 36 points, James French, Patricio O'Ward, Kyle Masson, and Nicholas Boulle led the PC Drivers' Championship.[4] GTLM was led by Joey Hand, Dirk Müller, and Sébastien Bourdais with a three-point advantage over Frédéric Makowiecki, Patrick Pilet, and Dirk Werner.[4] In GTD, the Drivers' Championship was led by Michael Christensen, Carlos de Quesada, Michael de Quesada, Jesse Lazare, Daniel Morad with 35 points ahead of Connor De Phillippi, Jules Gounon, Christopher Mies, and Jeffrey Schmidt.[4] Cadillac, Ford, and Porsche were leading their respective Manufacturers' Championships, while Wayne Taylor Racing, Performance Tech Motorsport, Ford Chip Ganassi Racing, and Alegra Motorsports each led their own Teams' Championships.[4]
On March 8, 2017, IMSA issued the latest technical bulletin outlining the Balance of Performance for the event.[5] In P, the Cadillac DPi-V.R received a 20 kilogram weight increase and a 0.6 mm smaller air restrictor. In GTLM, the BMW M6 GTLM and Porsche 911 RSR were given fuel capacity increases of 4 and 3 liters, respectively. In GTD, the Acura NSX GT3 received a 20 kilogram weight increase as well an increase in turbo boost, and 1 extra liter of fuel capacity. The Audi R8 LMS received a 5 kilogram weight increase. The Mercedes-AMG GT3 received a 20 kilogram weight increase as well as a 1.5 mm larger air restrictor, and 2 extra liters of fuel capacity. The Porsche 911 GT3 R received a fuel capacity increase of 2 liters while the Lexus RC F GT3 lost 1 liter of fuel capacity.
Entries
A total of 46 cars took part in the event split across four classes. 10 cars were entered in P, 4 in PC, 10 in GTLM, and 21 in GTD.[6] In P, Alex Lynn replaced Max Angelelli in the #10 Wayne Taylor Racing entry after Angelelli retired from racing after Daytona.[7][8] DragonSpeed were absent. Marino Franchitti joined Tom Long and Joel Miller in the #70 Mazda Motorsports entry.[9] In PC, Starworks Motorsport scaled down to one entry.[6] Garett Grist, Max Hanratty, and Sean Rayhall shared the #8 Starworks Motorsport entry.[10] Gustavo Yacamán joined Marc Drumwright, Chapman Ducote, and Colin Thompson in the #26 BAR1 Motorsports entry.[11] In GTLM, Ford Chip Ganassi Team UK scaled down to one entry.[12] In GTD, Konrad Motorsport, Spirit of Race, Manthey Racing, Aston Martin Racing, and TRG were absent. GRT Grasser Racing Team scaled down to one entry. Spencer Pumpelly joined Daniel Morad, Michael Christensen, and Michael de Quesada in the #28 Alegra Motorsports entry.[6]
Practice
There were four practice sessions preceding the start of the race on Saturday, three on Thursday and one on Friday. The first two one-hour sessions were on Thursday morning and afternoon. The third held later that evening ran for 90 minutes; the fourth on Friday morning lasted an hour.[13]
Practice 1
The first practice session took place at 11:10 am ET on Thursday and ended with Stephen Simpson topping the charts for JDC-Miller MotorSports, with a lap time of 1:49.516.[14] The PC class was topped by the #38 Performance Tech Motorsports Oreca FLM09 of Patricio O'Ward with a time of 1:55.172.[15] Frédéric Makowiecki was fastest in GTLM while Bryan Sellers set the fastest time in GTD.[16][15]
| Pos. | Class | No. | Team | Driver | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | P | 85 | JDC-Miller MotorSports | Stephen Simpson | 1:49.516 | _ |
| 2 | P | 5 | Mustang Sampling Racing | Christian Fittipaldi | 1:49.557 | +0.041 |
| 3 | P | 31 | Whelen Engineering Racing | Mike Conway | 1:49.608 | +0.092 |
| Sources:[17][18] | ||||||
Practice 2
The second practice session took place at 3:15 pm ET on Thursday and ended with Jordan Taylor topping the charts for Wayne Taylor Racing, with a lap time of 1:49.888.[19] Colin Thompson set the fastest time in PC.[20] The GTLM class was topped by the #4 Corvette Racing Chevrolet Corvette C7.R of Tommy Milner with a lap time of 1:57.206. Sébastien Bourdais was second in the #66 Ford Chip Ganassi Racing car and Antonio García rounded out the top 3.[21] Andrew Davis was fastest in GTD.[21]
| Pos. | Class | No. | Team | Driver | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | P | 10 | Wayne Taylor Racing | Jordan Taylor | 1:49.888 | _ |
| 2 | P | 5 | Mustang Sampling Racing | João Barbosa | 1:50.103 | +0.215 |
| 3 | P | 31 | Whelen Engineering Racing | Mike Conway | 1:50.370 | +0.482 |
| Sources:[22][23] | ||||||
Night Practice
The night practice session took place at 7:30 pm ET on Thursday and ended with Mike Conway topping the charts for Whelen Engineering Racing, with a lap time of 1:49.815.[24] Gustavo Yacamán set the fastest time PC by 0.257 seconds ahead of Sean Rayhall in the #8 Starworks Motorsport entry.[24] Sébastien Bourdais set the fastest time in GTLM with a time of 1:57.166.[25] The GTD class was topped by the #57 Stevenson Motorsports Audi R8 LMS of Lawson Aschenbach with a lap time of 2:00.964.[26]
| Pos. | Class | No. | Team | Driver | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | P | 31 | Whelen Engineering Racing | Mike Conway | 1:49.815 | _ |
| 2 | P | 10 | Wayne Taylor Racing | Ricky Taylor | 1:50.072 | +0.257 |
| 3 | P | 5 | Mustang Sampling Racing | Filipe Albuquerque | 1:50.169 | +0.354 |
| Sources:[27][28] | ||||||
Final Practice
The fourth and final practice session took place at 9:20 am ET on Friday and ended with Christian Fittipaldi topping the charts for Mustang Sampling Racing, with a lap time of 1:49.211.[29] Gustavo Yacamán set the fastest time in PC.[29] Dirk Müller was fastest in GTLM while Michael Christensen set the fastest time in GTD.[30]
| Pos. | Class | No. | Team | Driver | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | P | 5 | Mustang Sampling Racing | Christian Fittipaldi | 1:49.211 | _ |
| 2 | P | 13 | Rebellion Racing | Neel Jani | 1:49.329 | +0.118 |
| 3 | P | 2 | Tequila Patrón ESM | Pipo Derani | 1:49.405 | +0.194 |
| Sources:[31][32] | ||||||
Qualifying
On Friday afternoon's 90-minute four-group qualifying, each category had separate 15-minute sessions. Regulations stipulated that teams nominate one qualifying driver, with the fastest laps determining each class' starting order. IMSA then arranged the grid to put Prototypes ahead of the PC, GTLM and GTD cars.[33][13]
The first was for cars in GTD class. Tristan Vautier qualified on pole for the class driving the #75 SunEnergy1 Racing car.[34]
The second session of qualifying was for cars in the GTLM class. Ryan Briscoe qualified on pole driving the #67 car for Ford Chip Ganassi Racing, besting Dirk Müller in the sister #66 entry.[34]
The third session of qualifying was for cars in the PC class. Gustavo Yacamán set the fastest time driving the #26 BAR1 Motorsports car.[35]
The final session of qualifying was for the P class. Neel Jani qualified on pole driving the #13 car for Rebellion Racing, beating Christian Fittipaldi in the #5 Mustang Sampling Racing by less than one tenth of a second.[36]
Qualifying results
Pole positions in each class are indicated in bold and by ‡.
| Pos. | Class | No. | Team | Driver | Time | Gap | Grid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | P | 13 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Rebellion Racing |
Neel Jani |
1:48.178 | _ | 1 ‡ |
| 2 | P | 5 |  Mustang Sampling Racing |
 Christian Fittipaldi |
1:48.273 | +0.095 | 2 |
| 3 | P | 31 | Whelen Engineering Racing |
Dane Cameron |
1:48.314 | +0.136 | 3 |
| 4 | P | 52 | PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports |
 José Gutiérrez |
1:49.056 | +0.878 | 4 |
| 5 | P | 22 | Tequila Patrón ESM |
 Brendon Hartley |
1:149.103 | +0.925 | 5 |
| 6 | P | 10 | Wayne Taylor Racing |
Ricky Taylor |
1:49.541 | +1.363 | 6 |
| 7 | P | 85 | JDC-Miller MotorSports |
 Stephen Simpson |
1:49.587 | +1.409 | 7 |
| 8 | P | 55 |  Mazda Motorsports |
Jonathan Bomarito |
1:49.907 | +1.729 | 8 |
| 9 | P | 90 | VisitFlorida Racing |
 Renger van der Zande |
1:49.919 | +1.741 | 9 |
| 10 | P | 70 | Mazda Motorsports |
Joel Miller |
1:50.284 | +2.106 | 10 |
| 11 | PC | 26 | BAR1 Motorsports |
 Gustavo Yacamán |
1:53.506 | +5.328 | 11‡ |
| 12 | PC | 38 | Performance Tech Motorsports |
James French |
1:53.575 | +5.397 | 12 |
| 13 | PC | 20 | BAR1 Motorsports |
Buddy Rice |
1:55.846 | +7.668 | 13 |
| 14 | GTLM | 67 | Ford Chip Ganassi Racing |
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Ryan Briscoe |
1:55.939 | +7.761 | 16‡ |
| 15 | GTLM | 66 | Ford Chip Ganassi Racing |
 Dirk Müller |
1:56.175 | +7.997 | 17 |
| 16 | GTLM | 4 | Corvette Racing |
Tommy Milner |
1:56.252 | +8.074 | 451 |
| 17 | GTLM | 912 | Porsche GT Team |
 Kévin Estre |
1:56.319 | +8.141 | 18 |
| 18 | GTLM | 3 | Corvette Racing |
 Antonio García |
1:56.368 | +8.190 | 19 |
| 19 | PC | 8 | Starworks Motorsport |
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Garett Grist |
1:56.433 | +8.255 | 14 |
| 20 | GTLM | 68 | Ford Chip Ganassi Team UK |
Stefan Mücke |
1:56.441 | +8.263 | 20 |
| 21 | GTLM | 911 | Porsche GT Team |
Dirk Werner |
1:56.487 | +8.309 | 21 |
| 22 | GTLM | 24 | BMW Team RLL |
Nick Catsburg |
1:56.617 | +8.439 | 22 |
| 23 | GTLM | 25 | BMW Team RLL |
 Alexander Sims |
1:56.660 | +8.482 | 23 |
| 24 | GTLM | 62 | Risi Competizione |
 Giancarlo Fisichella |
1:57.475 | +9.297 | 24 |
| 25 | GTD | 75 | SunEnergy1 Racing |
Tristan Vautier |
1:59.738 | +11.560 | 25‡ |
| 26 | GTD | 29 | Montaplast by Land-Motorsport |
Connor De Phillippi |
2:00.490 | +12.312 | 26 |
| 27 | GTD | 16 | Change Racing |
Corey Lewis |
2:00.967 | +12.789 | 27 |
| 28 | GTD | 15 | 3GT Racing |
Robert Alon |
2:00.998 | +12.820 | 28 |
| 29 | GTD | 14 | 3GT Racing |
Scott Pruett |
2:01.158 | +12.980 | 29 |
| 30 | GTD | 57 | Stevenson Motorsports |
Andrew Davis |
2:01.222 | +13.044 | 30 |
| 31 | GTD | 33 | Riley Motorsports - Team AMG |
Ben Keating |
2:01.284 | +13.106 | 31 |
| 32 | GTD | 50 | Riley Motorsports - WeatherTech Racing |
Cooper MacNeil |
2:01.358 | +13.180 | 32 |
| 33 | GTD | 11 |  GRT Grasser Racing Team |
Mirko Bortolotti |
2:01.385 | +13.207 | 33 |
| 34 | GTD | 63 | Scuderia Corsa |
 Christina Nielsen |
2:01.628 | +13.450 | 34 |
| 35 | GTD | 93 | Michael Shank Racing with Curb Agajanian |
Mark Wilkins |
2:01.687 | +13.509 | 35 |
| 36 | GTD | 28 | Alegra Motorsports |
Daniel Morad |
2:01.752 | +13.574 | 36 |
| 37 | GTD | 73 | Park Place Motorsports |
Patrick Lindsey |
2:01.966 | +13.788 | 37 |
| 38 | GTD | 86 | Michael Shank Racing with Curb Agajanian |
Oswaldo Negri Jr. |
2:02.096 | +13.918 | 38 |
| 39 | GTD | 23 | Alex Job Racing |
Townsend Bell |
2:02.234 | +14.056 | 39 |
| 40 | GTD | 96 | Turner Motorsport |
Justin Marks |
2:02.256 | +14.078 | 40 |
| 41 | GTD | 48 | Paul Miller Racing |
Madison Snow |
2:02.345 | +14.167 | 41 |
| 42 | GTD | 46 | EBIMOTORS |
Emmanuel Collard |
2:03.201 | +15.023 | 42 |
| 43 | GTD | 54 | CORE Autosport |
Jon Bennett |
2:03.672 | +15.494 | 462 |
| 44 | GTD | 18 | DAC Motorsports |
Brandon Gdovic |
2:04.154 | +15.976 | 43 |
| 45 | GTD | 27 | Dream Racing Motorsport |
Lawrence DeGeorge |
2:08.569 | +20.291 | 44 |
| 46 | P | 2 | Tequila Patrón ESM |
Disqualified | 15 | ||
| Sources:[37][38] | |||||||
Race
Start and early hours
Afternoon
Sunset to finish
Post-race
With a total of 70 points, Jordan Taylor and Ricky Taylor's victory allowed them to increase their advantage over Fittipaldi, Barbosa, and Albuquerque in the Prototype Drivers' Championship to 5 points. Cameron, Curran, and Conway advanced from sixth to third. [41] In the PC Drivers' Championship, Rayhall advanced from fourth to second while Boulle dropped from first to fifth.[41] The result kept Hand, Müller, and Bourdais atop the GTLM Drivers' Championship. García, Magnussen, and Rockenfeller advanced from fourth to second.[41] As a result of winning the race, Bleekemolen, Keating, and Farnbacher advanced from third to first in the GTD Drivers' Championship.[41] Cadillac, and Ford continued to top their respective Manufacturers' Championships while Mercedes-AMG took the lead of the GTD Manufacturers' Championship. Wayne Taylor Racing, Performance Tech Motorsports, and Ford Chip Ganassi Racing kept their respective advantages in their of Teams' Championships. Riley Motorsports Team AMG took the lead of the GTD Teams' Championship with ten rounds remaining.[41]
Race Results
Class winners are denoted in bold.[42]
.svg.png.webp){kind=small}
Statistics
- Fastest Lap - #31 Mike Conway - 1:49.629 on lap 100
Standings after the race
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- Note: Only the top five positions are included for all sets of standings.
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- Note: Only the top five positions are included for all sets of standings.
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- Note: Only the top five positions are included for all sets of standings.
References
- ↑ Wayne Taylor Racing wins 2017 Sebring 12 Hours
- ↑ 2017 12 Hours of Sebring: Dominance by Cadillac Continues
- ↑ "IMSA: 2017 WeatherTech series calendar set". Racer. August 5, 2016. Archived from the original on August 24, 2022. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "00_Championship Points - Revised Official.pdf" (PDF). results.imsa.com. February 2, 2017. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
- ↑ Dagys, John (March 8, 2017). "Cadillacs Slowed Again in Pre-Sebring BoP". sportscar365.com. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
- 1 2 3 Dagys, John (March 8, 2017). "46 Entries for 12H Sebring". sportscar365.com. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
- ↑ Pruett, Marshall (February 9, 2017). "WTR signs Lynn for Sebring, Petit Le Mans". racer.com. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
- ↑ Dagys, John (January 6, 2017). "Angelelli to Retire After Rolex 24". sportscar365.com. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
- ↑ Pruett, Marshall (February 20, 2017). "M. Franchitti joins Mazda for Sebring 12 Hours". racer.com. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
- ↑ Dagys, John (March 16, 2017). "Sebring Thursday Notebook". sportscar365.com. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
- ↑ Dagys, John (March 15, 2017). "Sebring Wednesday Notebook". sportscar365.com. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
- ↑ "Ford Chip Ganassi Racing to field three GTs at Sebring". racer.com. March 2, 2017. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
- 1 2 3 "Continental Tire Keys to the Race: 12H Sebring". sportscar365.com. March 15, 2017. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
- ↑ Myrehn, Ryan (March 16, 2017). "Simpson Paces Opening Practice at Sebring". sportscar365.com. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
- 1 2 Malsher-Lopez, David (March 16, 2017). "Sebring 12h: JDC-Miller Oreca tops first practice". motorsport.com. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
- ↑ Pruett, Marshall (March 16, 2017). "JDC-Miller ORECA leads Sebring IMSA FP1". racer.com. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
- ↑ "03_Results.PDF" (PDF). results.imsa.com. March 16, 2017. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
- ↑ "07_ Driver Fastest Lap.PDF" (PDF). results.imsa.com. March 16, 2017. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
- ↑ Myrehn, Ryan (March 16, 2017). "Cadillac Goes 1-2-3 In Sebring Practice 2". sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
- ↑ Pruett, Marshall (March 16, 2017). "Taylor team leads Cadillac 1-2-3 in Sebring FP2". racer.com. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
- 1 2 Malsher-Lopez, David (March 16, 2017). "Sebring 12h: Cadillac 1-2-3 in second practice". motorsport.com. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
- ↑ "03_Results.PDF" (PDF). results.imsa.com. March 16, 2017. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
- ↑ "07_ Driver Fastest Lap.PDF" (PDF). results.imsa.com. March 16, 2017. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
- 1 2 Malsher-Lopez, David (March 16, 2017). "Sebring 12h: Conway sends Action Express Cadillac to the top". motorsport.com. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
- ↑ "Cadillac domination continues in Sebring FP3". racer.com. March 16, 2017. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
- ↑ Dagys, John (March 16, 2017). "Conway Tops Night Practice in Cadillac Sweep". sportscar365.com. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
- ↑ "03_Results.PDF" (PDF). results.imsa.com. March 16, 2017. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
- ↑ "07_ Driver Fastest Lap.PDF" (PDF). results.imsa.com. March 16, 2017. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
- 1 2 Malsher-Lopez, David (March 17, 2017). "Sebring 12h: Cadillac dominance under threat in fourth practice". motorsport.com. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
- ↑ O'Malley, J.J (March 17, 2017). "Cadillac fastest in final Sebring practice". racer.com. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
- ↑ "03_Results.PDF" (PDF). results.imsa.com. March 17, 2017. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
- ↑ "07_ Driver Fastest Lap.PDF" (PDF). results.imsa.com. March 17, 2017. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
- ↑ "2017 IMSA Sporting Regulations & Series Supplementary Regulations of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship sanctioned by IMSA" (PDF). IMSA. April 10, 2017. pp. 39, 81–83, 125. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 6, 2022. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
- 1 2 Bradley, Charles (March 17, 2017). "Briscoe "nailed" pole lap, as Sebring GT qualifying records tumble". motorsport.com. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
- ↑ Dagys, John (March 17, 2017). "Jani Puts Rebellion on 12H Sebring Pole". sportscar365.com. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
- ↑ Malsher-Lopez, David (March 17, 2017). "Sebring 12h: Jani's Rebellion Oreca beats Cadillacs to pole". motorsport.com. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
- ↑ "03_Results.PDF" (PDF). results.imsa.com. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
- ↑ "01_Starting_Grid.PDF" (PDF). results.imsa.com. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
- ↑ Dagys, John (March 17, 2017). "Sebring Friday Notebook". sportscar365.com. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
- ↑ Dagys, John (March 18, 2017). "Sebring Pre-Race Notebook". sportscar365.com. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 "00_Championship Points - Official REVISED.pdf" (PDF). results.imsa.com. March 29, 2017. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
- ↑ 2017 12 Hours of Sebring scoring
- ↑ "Race Official Results" (PDF). Retrieved 30 November 2020.
- ↑ "03/18/2017 race: Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring (WSCC) - Racing-Reference.info". www.racing-reference.info. Retrieved 2020-11-29.