Corvette Racing will be going for its fourth straight Sebring win in 2018
G T L M Nine entries representing fi ve manufacturers, all with outstanding
racing pedigrees, make the IMSA GT Le Mans category
one of the most competitive in all of motorsports.
Corvette, Ford, BMW, Porsche and Ferrari are synonymous
with racing, and all boast a strong Sebring heritage. All
fi ve manufacturers have won overall at Sebring, and combined
they have an incredible 124 class wins here at The
Birthplace of American Endurance Racing.
Corvette Racing is entering its 20th season as the factory
team for the legendary American sports car (see page
32). Of course, Corvettes have been racing at Sebring since
1956, and with an incredible record of success. Corvette
Racing will be going for a four-peat this weekend. It would
be Corvette’s second four-peat, having accomplished that
previously 2006-2009.
Leading the Corvette effort this weekend (No. 3 and 4) are
drivers Oliver Gavin, Jan Magnussen, Mike Rockenfeller,
Antonio Garcia, Tommy Milner and Marcel Fassler.
Ford’s two-car entry (No. 66 and 67) from Chip Ganassi
Racing is looking for its fi rst win at Sebring. Drivers for the
Ford squad include Joey Hand, Richard Westbrook, Sebastien
Bourdais, Ryan Briscoe, Dirk Mueller and Scott Dixon.
Ford started the season with a dominating 1-2 fi nish at
Daytona. They have won Sebring four times overall and
also have six class wins.
If you are looking for an endurance racing pedigree, look
no further than Porsche. With 18 overall wins and 70 class
victories at Sebring, Porsche is the undisputed King of Sebring.
The pair of Porsche 911 RSR entries will be driven
by Patrick Pilet, Frederic Makowiecki, Earl Bamber, Laurens
Vanthoor, Gianmaria Bruni and Nick Tandy.
Porsche is known for its endurance racing expertise. To see
how they adjust car setup from the banking at Daytona to
the bumps at Sebring, see the article on pages 105-106.
BMW Team RLL brings their new M8 GT3 entry here this
week with a driver lineup that is expected to include Alexander
Sims, Connor De Phillippi, Bill Auberlen, John Edwards,
and Jesse Krohn. Auberlen leads all active Sebring
drivers with 24 prior starts, second only to Hurley Haywood
all-time.
Ferrari is the only team in the GTLM class that fi elds a single
entry. The red No. 62 Risi Competizione 488 GTE will
likely be driven by Toni Vilander, James Calado and Alessandro
Pier Guidi. The Risi team has a remarkable record
in endurance racing, with several Sebring podium fi nishes
to their credit.
Expect the GTLM category to provide some of the most
heated competition here this weekend at the Mobil 1
Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Advance Auto Parts.
24 M o b i l 1 T w e l v e H o u r s o f S e b r i n g p r e s e n t e d b y A d v a n c e A u t o P a r t s