IMSA has released a 58-car entry list – an increase of five from 2023 – for the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, taking place March 14-16. Included in the driver roster are 54 former winners of the race, led by defending overall winner Pipo Derani at four. Derani will be going for number five with Jack Aitken and Tom Blomqvist in the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac Racing V-Series.R.
The Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) list grows by one with the debut of the Lamborghini Iron Lynx SC63, to be driven by Matteo Cairoli, Andrea Caldarelli and Romain Grosjean. Other items of note in the GTP category include Renger van der Zande making his 100th IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship start; Van der Zande is joined by Sebastien Bourdais and Scott Dixon in the No. 01 Cadillac Racing V-Series.R.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1406]
For many drivers in the field, Sebring will be their third race in Florida this year, having competed in the Rolex 24 at Daytona in January, and the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg IndyCar Series race the weekend prior to Sebring. Dixon, Grosjean, Blomqvist and Colton Herta (No. 40 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Acura ARX-06) are all full-time IndyCar Series drivers adding sports car racing to their season, while LMP2 driver Colin Braun (No. 04 CrowdStrike Racing by APR ORECA) will be making his IndyCar debut with Dale Coyne Racing at St. Pete. IndyCar Series regular Kyle Kirkwood will continue his role as third driver in the No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Racing Lexus RC F in GTD PRO.
LMP2 has 13 entries, with the Era Motorsport trio of Dwight Merriman, Ryan Dalziel and Connor Zilisch looking to carry their momentum from the team’s Rolex 24 at Daytona victory into the race. John Farano, Scott McLaughlin and Kyffin Simpson were the 2023 winners, but Farano is partnered with Charlie Eastwood and Michael Dinan in the No. 8 Tower Motorsports ORECA for this season.
Twelve entries will be vying for GTD PRO honors. Bryan Sellers, Madison Snow and Corey Lewis won GTD last year on a fuel gamble, and with Paul Miller Racing moving its No. 1 BMW M4 GT3 to GTD PRO, Sellers, Snow and Neil Verhagen will be looking to repeat that win in the new class.
Defending GTD PRO Sebring winners Pfaff Motorsports have a new car in the McLaren 720S GT3 and a new driver lineup with Marvin Kirchhoefer, Oliver Jarvis and James Hinchcliffe. GTD PRO features the other four-time Sebring winner in the field, Antonio Garcia, who will be looking to score the first victory for the new Corvette Z06 GT3.R. Alexander Sims and Daniel Juncadella will be joining him in the No. 3.
GTD has 22 entries. The only previous winners in the field are teams fielding the Ferrari 296 GT3. Cetilar Racing (Roberto Lacorte, Giorgio Sernagiotto and Antonio Fuoco) won in 2022 with the No. 47 Ferrari 488 GT3, and AF Corse won the WEC GTE portion of the combined event in 2012. Past winners among the drivers in the GTD field include Corey Lewis, Ian James, Ryan Hardwick, Jan Heylen, Andy Lally, John Potter, and Zacharie Robichon.
The 72nd Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring kicks off at 9:40 a.m. ET on Saturday, March 16. The entire race will be streamed live on Peacock, and USA Network will carry the second half of the race, beginning at 4 p.m. ET. The WeatherTech Championship will be joined by Michelin Pilot Challenge for a two-hour race on Friday afternoon, Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup, and the season openers for Porsche Carrera Cup North America and Lamborghini Super Trofeo.