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cars were Ferrari, Aston Martin, Jaguar, Allard, MG and Fiat entries.
Almost all were still oddities in the United States.
Vic Sharpe of Tampa, whose family owned the Cadillac dealership
in Tampa, drove his little Crosley Hot Shot to Sebring to watch
the race and bring some spare parts for Tommy Cole, who was
co-driving an Allard Cadillac with Erwin Goldschmidt.
It was Cole who approached Sharpe about borrowing the Crosley
for a lap around the circuit. He timed himself with his wristwatch,
then used a slide rule to calculate how the 724cc Crosley
could do on the complicated handicapping system. He
concluded it would have an excellent chance of winning.
Since Sharpe was not an eligible SCCA driver, Ralph
(Bob) Deshon and Fritz Koster were chosen to drive the
Crosley. Sharpe agreed to have the bumpers and windshield
removed to reduce weight.
The field of 28 cars lined up for the Le Mans start. Grid
positions were determined by engine displacement — the
cars with the largest engines were placed at the front
of the field. The crude Sebring circuit was marked with
hay bales and a few signs. The pits were merely wooden
tables. It was certainly a modest beginning.
The Sam Collier Memorial Grand Prix started at 3 p.m.
on December 31, 1950. While the Crosley was certainly
one of the slowest cars on the track, it settled into a consistent
lap speed and quickly took the lead on the handicapping
index. Deshon and Koster held off Allard and Ferrari entries to win
the race. The lone American car had done the impossible and
recorded the first of many Sebring upsets.
The first Sebring race received international coverage and was
rated as a huge success. It would return in March 1952 as a 12-
hour race. Sebring had truly become the birthplace of American
Endurance Racing. Over the next six decades Sebring would
annually host America’s biggest endurance race. The 66th edition
runs March 14-17.
ALL-TIME SEBRING WINNERS
OVERALL WINS — DRIVERS
Tom Kristensen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Rinaldo Capello . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Frank Biela, Allan McNish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Mario Andretti, Phil Hill, Olivier Gendebien, Hans Stuck, Marco Werner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Al Holbert, Hurley Haywood, Phil Walters, Jacky Ickx, Juan Manuel Fangio,
Hans Herrmann, Stefan Johansson, Brian Redman, Bob Akin, Geoff Brabham,
Andy Wallace, Andy Evans, Juan Fangio II, Fermin Velez, Eric Van de Poele,
Derek Daly, J.J. Lehto, Emanuele Pirro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
MANUFACTURER OVERALL WINS
Porsche . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Ferrari . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Audi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Nissan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Ford . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
BMW, Toyota, Peugeot. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Riley & Scott, Chaparral, Maserati, OSCA, Cadillac, Cunningham,
Frazer Nash, Corvette DP, Honda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
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