| Gates Open 8 a.m. Wednesday Sebring International Raceway opens the gates at 8 a.m. on Wednesday for the 69th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Advance Auto Parts. The four days of racing action culminates with the Saturday’s 12-hour classic, starting at 10:10 a.m. Tickets are available at the gate, with children 12 and under admitted free with a paying adult. Highlands County Residents Rates If you are a resident of Highlands County, Fla., and have a valid ID, you can still purchase four-day tickets for just $70. In fact, that rate is lower than the $85 gate ticket for Saturday only. Present your valid photo ID at the gate to purchase your ticket. Highlands County tickets are available only for residents and only one per person will be offered. Bring Your Kids Your older kids that is. Children 12 and under are free when accompanied by a paying adult. Given the roar and whine of high-powered engines, we discourage parents from bringing infants and very young children. Like pets, they do not enjoy the sounds of cars as much as we think they do. Free Parking is Available Complimentary parking is available outside of Gate 3. All vehicles entering the raceway must have a parking pass – credentials and tickets are not valid for vehicle entry. Happy Hour(s) Daily Stop by Vendor Village near the big screen TV on the Midway each afternoon from 4-8 p.m. and enjoy $2 ice-cold cans of Yuengling. While Yuengling and Pepsi products are always low-priced at Sebring you must agree $2 Yuenglings for 16 hours during the week is a deal too good to pass up. Perfect Weather Forecast Beautiful weather is forecast for Sebring this week, with warm temperatures and only a slight chance of rain on Thursday night or early Friday. Meet the Bumps at the Track Walk Sebring fans will be able to walk the famed 3.74-mile Sebring circuit on Wednesday 1-2:45 p.m. The walk starts at Turn 17 near the Corvette Corral area. If you’ve ever wanted to “Meet the Bumps,” this is your opportunity. The raceway originated from a World War II B-17 combat crew training base known as Hendricks Field and its concrete runways that became an integral part of the racing circuit are what makes Sebring the challenge that it is.  IMSA Attracts 17 Different Manufacturers to Sebring If you want to see the world’s most diverse field of sports cars, Sebring International Raceway will be the place this weekend. A total of 17 different manufacturers will be on track. Chevrolet Corvette, Porsche, Acura, Mazda, Lexus, Lamborghini, Audi, Cadillac, Mercedes AMG, BMW, McLaren and Aston Martin compete in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The Michelin Pilot Challenge features several of those manufacturers plus Ford Mustang, Hyundai, Toyota, Alfa Romeo, Chevrolet Camaro and Honda. Seven-time NASCAR Champion Jimmie Johnson making first Sebring Start The No. 48 Cadillac prototype will feature a stellar international trio of drivers, including Indy 500 winner Simon Pagenaud (France), two-time Rolex 24 At Daytona winner Kamui Kobayashi (Japan) and Jimmie Johnson (USA), 2-time Daytona 500 winner and seven-time NASCAR champion.  FanFest Tuesday at Historic Downtown Sebring Before gates open at Sebring International Raceway for on-track activities leading to the 69th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Advance Auto Parts, dignitaries including this year’s grand marshal and several drivers will join a parade of transporters in the Third Annual IMSA Twelve-Hour Fan Fest in historic downtown Sebring on Tuesday from 5:30-8 p.m. Race car displays, question-and-answer sessions, music, food trucks, beer and merchandise sales will be part of this year’s event. At approximately 6 p.m., on their way to the raceway, more than 30 elaborately designed transporters and trucks which serve as both transportation for race cars and each team’s base of operation, will parade through Sebring and around the circle to say ‘thank you’ to residents for hosting the 12-Hour Classic for nearly 70 years. Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Advance Auto Parts grand marshal Thomas “Flash” Gordon, a three-time Major League Baseball All-Star and Highlands County native, will take part in a Q&A session on the stage inside the Sebring Circle at 6:20 p.m. IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship drivers Renger van der Zande of Cadillac Chip Ganassi Racing and teammates Kyle Tilley and Ryan Dalziel of the LMP2 Era Motorsport program will greet fans at 6:30 p.m. Owen Trinkler, Hugh Plumb and Matt Plumb of TeamTGM, a Grand Sport entry in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge’s Alan Jay Automotive Network 120, will answer fan questions at 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. Transporters will arrive on Circle Park Drive from N. Ridgewood Ave. and will exit on S. Commerce Ave. before returning to the raceway on Kenilworth Blvd. Fans are encouraged to bring lawn chairs, cameras and masks. A safety zone will be created for IMSA drivers as well as IMSA and CRA staff, and organizers request that spectators gather appropriately.  Exploring Sebring’s “Hidden History” The Sebring mystique may be difficult to understand for those who have never experienced the famed sports car race. The roar of the world’s best sports cars combined with the scent of orange blossoms from nearby groves makes Sebring an unforgettable experience. It is hard to imagine that from 1942 to 1945 a large USAAF B-17 combat crew training base military base known as Hendricks Field occupied the site we know today as Sebring International Raceway. Today, very little evidence remains of the raceway’s military past, but a closer look reveals some hidden artifacts from nearly 80 years ago. Like most military bases, Hendricks Field was a city within itself, with aircraft hangars, barracks, classrooms, churches, mess halls, and recreational facilities including two swimming pools, a bowling alley, baseball field and basketball court. The most obvious remnant of Hendricks Field is the flagpole located behind Turn 3 that proudly flies the Stars and Stripes. This marked the center of the base and all roads radiated from that point. A historic marker was placed at the flagpole recently and gives a brief history of Hendricks Field. Other artifacts from Hendricks Field are less obvious, but you may see some street curbing, old foundations and manhole covers that date back to the early 1940s. Portions of the current track still utilize original Hendricks Field concrete poured in 1941 for runways and taxiways. The section from Turn 17 (Sunset Bend) to Turn 1, including the front straight, races on the same concrete used by B-17s. Even the famed Memphis Belle landed at Hendricks Field during WWII as part of a war bond drive. Oddly enough, the transition from military base to raceway could have been short-lived. Following the first Sebring 12-hour race in 1952, the city of Sebring offered the facility back to the United States Air Force. The hope was the military would move back in (in part due to the Korean conflict) and maintain it as a permanent base. Fortunately for race fans, the military rejected the offer. After the war, Sebring became a boneyard for aviation salvage companies. From the 1960s through the early 1980s, dozens of retired aircraft were spread around the raceway and adjoining airport and industrial park. Among the most famously hidden artifacts at Sebring is the Ford GT40 that was buried near the circuit in 1966. What little that remained of the car after a tragic accident that cost the life of Canadian driver Bob McLean was discarded by the team, buried at the adjoining airport waste site. Another important aspect of the raceway site occurred in the 1970s. One of North America’s first modern electric car companies was established in 1974. Known as the Citicar, and later as the Commuta-Car, hundreds of all-electric cars and mail delivery trucks were constructed at the raceway. Although the business eventually failed during the turbulent economic conditions of that era, many of the cars survive and have become quite collectible. Even more hidden, yet in plain site, are hundreds of items at Sebring International Raceway obtained from defunct tracks all over the United States. Fencing, barriers, lights and other track items have come from events in Tampa, Baltimore, New Orleans, Tamiami Park (Miami), Houston and an oval track in nearby Lakeland. The raceway is indeed a fine example of recycling! Many famous people from all walks of life have attended and competed at Sebring. Entertainers such as Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, Jackie Cooper, Dick Smothers, Gene Hackman, Lorenzo Lamas, James Brolin and Bobby Carradine have raced in the 12-hour classic. Other notables who competed in the race include journalist Walter Cronkite, astronaut Pete Conrad, ZZ Top drummer Frank Beard and pro football quarterback Dan Pastorini. There have been famous spectators as well, including Apple founder Steve Jobs, Jim Morrison of 1960s group The Doors and former President Jimmy Carter, who traveled to Sebring many times long before entering politics. Of the famous racecar drivers, entertainers and athletes who have competed here, perhaps none are more important than the thousands of airmen and ground support crews who trained here is WWII. Over 12,000 combat crew members left Hendricks Field to serve in the European and Pacific theaters of war, and many never returned – a history we should never forget.  |
