Sebring Double Header 2019. Twice the racing action in Florida.

One track, two racing series, 4 Porsche 911 RSR cars and thousands of fans. The race weekend in the heart of Florida is ready to dish out true excitement. The award-winning 12-hour race on the old Sebring airfield is the oldest endurance race of North America, and one of the toughest races worldwide. The Double Header of both, the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IWSC), is one of the highlights of the year.

Results

The Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring has been a permanent fixture in the IMSA race calendar. 2019 features the first edition of a truly historic weekend: Both the WEC and the IWSC endurance championships take place on the same weekend – and on the same track! This marks the first return of the WEC to Sebring since 2012 – to the place where endurance racing has been a tradition since 1952.

The 911 RSR designs of the works teams differ clearly: As previously seen at Daytona, and as a homage to the 50th anniversary of IMSA, the IWSC works team will wear the legendary Brumos design. The two factory 911 vehicles participating in the WEC will be decked out in traditional Porsche Crest livery.

2 911 RSR cars in Porsche livery will be starting in the 1,000 miles of the WEC GTE Pro class. Vehicle number 91 will be manned by Richard Lietz (Austria) and Gianmaria Bruni (Italy), the 2nd vehicle with the number 92 will be piloted by Michael Christensen (Denmark) and Kevin Estre (France). This race is the 6th event of the Super Season, which will reach its culmination with the 24h of Le Mans. Moreover, 3 customer teams will be participating in the GTE Am class with support from works drivers. So, for Porsche fans, there will be plenty excitement to follow.

We will be joining the start line of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring with 2 factory vehicles: The 911 RSR with the number 911 will be piloted by Nick Tandy (Great Britain), Patrick Pilet and Fred Makowiecki (both French). The other vehicle with the number 912 will be driven by Earl Bamber (New Zealand), Laurens Vanthoor (Belgium) and Mathieu Jaminet (France). This line-up of the 912 scored the 3rd position in Daytona – now they’re aiming for more in the 2nd race of the season. In addition, 3 other customer teams in the GTD class will receive reinforcements from Porsche works drivers.

Strenuous race on the former runway.What is there left to say about the oldest endurance track in America? To put it in the words of the promoter, “Our race only lasts half as long as Daytona, but it hurts twice as much.”

What makes the Sebring International Raceway a tough test for drivers and race cars alike, are the extreme bumps: The 6.02-kilometer-long track consists not only of asphalt, but partly of concrete slabs. These date back to World War II, when the US Army operated an airfield in Sebring. At the end of the 1940s, the airfield was converted into a race track and the 2 runways were quickly integrated into the track layout – with the same harsh edges that are now characteristic of the ruthless raceway.

It’s the combination of the uneven track, Florida’s hot climate and the high-speed straights that gives Sebring, among many racing teams, the reputation of being the litmus test Le Mans. While notorious among drivers for its bumpy surface, fans consider Sebring to be one of the most fan-friendly circuits: The spectators benefit from an excellent view of the race, and direct access to the paddocks.