The last Le Mans start at Sebring was in 1969.
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One of the most dominant team finishes
in Sebring history was in 2000 when Team
Oreca’s Dodge iper entries, which finished
1-2-3 in the GT1 class, 7-8-9 overall, and in
numerical order: 91-92-93.
The fastest qualifying car has only won once
in the past eight years, and only one of the
past five winners started on the front row.
This is a reversal of American Le Mans Series
era, when 13 out of 15 winning cars started
on the front row.
Weather has seldom been a factor at Sebring.
Only seven times in 66 years has rain affected the
12-hour race.
Prior to 1970, Sebring used the famous “Le Mans
start,” in which the drivers ran to their cars to start
the race. The cars were lined up according to qualifying
speeds from 1964-69. Prior to 1964, cars were
placed on the grid according to engine displacement.
Regular qualifying began in 1970 when the rolling
start replaced the Le Mans start.
Sebring is famous not only for hosting America’s
greatest sports car race Sebring was also the site of
America’s first Formula One race in 1959, and the first
SCCA Trans-Am race ever in 1966.
NASCAR stars Bill Elliott and Ricky Rudd finished just 9
seconds behind Olympic champion Bruce Jenner and
Scott Pruett for the GTO class win in 1986. The last
NASCAR regular to win at Sebring was Terry Labonte,
who won the GT class in 1984. The last Daytona 500 winner
to compete at Sebring was Michael Waltrip in 2012.
The Frazer Nash that won the first Sebring 12-hour
classic in 1952 made only three pit stops the entire
race. In recent years, the winning car typically has
made 12-15 pit stops.
In 1968 a Trans-Am race was incorporated within the
12 Hours of Sebring. Mark Donohue co-drove a Penske
Camaro to victory, finishing 3rd overall.
The 1966 winning Ford led just one lap, the only car in
Sebring history to win by taking the lead on the final
lap.
Only four drivers have recorded pole position, fastest
race lap and won the race in the same year: John
Surtees (1964), Jim Hall (1965), Hans Stuck (1975), and
Allan McNish (2006).
The first woman to drive at the 12 Hours of Sebring was
Isabelle Haskell in 1955.
The first husband-wife team at Sebring was Peggy and
M.J.R. Wyllie in 1956.
Jim and Will Pace became the first brothers to each
win at Sebring in the same year (1996) in different cars
(Jim won overall, Will won in GT2).
The father and son team of John Paul Jr. and
Sr. won the 1982 Sebring race.
Former President Jimmy Carter attended
Sebring several times as a spectator. His family
would travel from Georgia every March to
attend the races. Other famous spectators
include Apple co-founder Steve Jobs and Jim
Morrison of the Doors.
Bruce McLaren had a remarkable career at
Sebring. He won three times at Sebring in three
Steve McQueen drove this Porsche to second place overall in 1970,
co-driving with Peter Revson.