The 67th Annual Sports Car Racing Classic Runs March 13-16, this Year with a Major Addition
Sebring, Fla. (February 26) – Harry Truman was president, there were 48 states and the average price of a home was $9,100. That was in March 1952, the year of the first 12 Hours of Sebring sports car endurance race on a former WWII B-17 combat crew training base called Hendricks Field.
The tradition of sports car racing at Sebring continues on March 13-16 with the 67th Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Advance Auto Parts. America’s oldest sports car endurance race is a harbinger of spring in the motorsports world, but this year the event has been dubbed “SuperSebring” for a good reason.
For the first time ever, the 12-hour classic on Saturday, March 16 will be preceded on Friday by the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) 1000 Miles of Sebring. The WEC event brings the cars and drivers that compete annually at the famed 24 Hours of Le Mans in France.
The International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is North America’s premier road racing series, and the addition of the WEC event brings together two internally renown championships at the famed Sebring track. The doubleheader will make this year’s edition of Sebring the biggest sports car racing event ever held in North America.
Since 1952, the 792 hours of racing at Sebring have seen notable drivers like Mario Andretti, A.J. Foyt, Stirling Moss, Bobby Rahal and Juan Manuel Fangio record wins. And it has produced incredible drama, like 49 years ago when actor Steve McQueen came within 22 seconds of winning.
Gates at Sebring open at 6 am on Wednesday, March 16. Thousands of fans, many waiting over two weeks outside the Sebring track entrance, will converge around the 3.74-mile road course. Often called the “Woodstock of Auto Racing,” Sebring attracts an eclectic mix of racing fans from around the world, college students on spring break, plus a large contingent of international media and a worldwide television broadcast. Nestled among the orange groves and cattle ranches of central Florida, Sebring International Raceway’s population swells during race week, making it the one of the biggest cities in Florida.
About Sebring International Raceway
Sebring International Raceway is North America’s oldest permanent road racing facility, established in 1950. The circuit originated from a WWII B-17 combat crew training base known as Hendricks Field. Nestled among the orange groves and cattle ranches of Central Florida, Sebring International Raceway has hosted the legendary 12-hour endurance classic since 1952, now part of the prestigious IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Sebring was the site of the first ever FIA World Championship Sports Car Race in 1953, and in 2012 hosted the inaugural race of the FIA WEC, which returns in 2019 to run the day before the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Advance Auto Parts. Sebring is also known as one of the most versatile testing facilities in the motorsports industry, offering a variety of circuit configurations for club and corporate events, private testing, and racing schools.
For more information on Sebring, visit www.sebringraceway.com.
