Classic Sebring – Syndication Server

Repeat and first-time winners crowned at Classic Sebring 12 Hour

The Eighth Running of the Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) Classic Sebring 12 Hour came to a competitive and action-packed conclusion Sunday afternoon at Sebring International Raceway where three first-time Classic 12 Hour winners captured Run Group …

A 12 Hours of Sebring tribute race, Saturday featured nine-straight hours of competition on the 3.74-mile road course with competitors in each of the Four Run Groups taking to the track three times in a rotation of one-hour segment races. The final rounds were held in a similar rotation for three hours Sunday afternoon with the quartet of Run Group winners crowned after a symbolic 12 hours of competition on the legendary Sebring airport circuit.

The Group B race was a feel-good family affair from start to finish with Kyle Collins scoring a convincing win in the same GMT Racing 1972 No. 8 Chevron B21 his grandfather John Delane drove to a Classic 12 victory in 2020. The senior Delane happily stepped out of the Chevron in favor of his 24-year-old grandson, but he was in the pits throughout the race coaching his young protege to the victory on the team radio. Mimi Delane, John’s wife and Kyle’s grandmother, also held station pitside throughout the event as did Collins’ mother and father.

Collins crossed the finish line more than two minutes clear of his closest competitor after leading all four of the Group A segments Saturday and Sunday. He turned in what appeared to be a flawless run for his first HSR Classics victory in an unexpected solo drive. Collins was scheduled to co-drive with his brother Tony Delane but ended up pulling the solo effort when the taller Tony was unable to fit comfortably in the compact Chevron.

Run Group B shared the track throughout the Classic 12 with their peer competitors in Run Group A, which was home to the only repeat HSR Classics winner in the race. Fast and familiar HSR competitor Toni Seiler scored his third Classic 12 Run Group win and fourth overall HSR Classics victory in the Waite-N-See Motorsports 1969 No. 17 Lola T165.

Seiler previously scored a Classic 12 Run Group win at Sebring in 2018 and followed it up with another Run Group victory the following year at the HSR Classic Daytona 24. Seiler was also an in-race driver addition to the winning Run Group A Lola last year at Sebring, co-driving in the final stage to the win with teammate Marco Fumagalli.

In Run Group C, Pierce Marshall and Eric Foss put in a competitive and controlled drive to their first overall HSR Classics Run Group victory in just their second race in the Matador Motorsports 2017 No. 02 Cadillac DPi. Marshall and Foss prevailed in a race-long battle with Stuart Wiltshire in his No. 10 Acura ARX-05 DPi.

Wiltshire finished first in the second and final Group C segments but the No. 02 Cadillac team built a nearly 40 second cushion in the opening race and added to the gap with a segment three win. Marshall and Foss maintained the lead to finish, not mounting a challenge on the Acura when it was in front but staying close in the No. 10’s mirrors just a few seconds back.

The third and final first-time winner was the unlikely entry of Patrick Womack who co-drove his FedEx 2014 No. 11 Toyota Camry to the Run Group D victory with winning NASCAR star Joe Nemechek. Reminding fans and competitors alike of this past June’s successful Garage 56 NASCAR stock car effort at Le Mans, the NEMCO Motorsports team fitted the Camry with full headlights, taillights and brake lights and Womack and “Front Row Joe” went out and scored the first victory for a Stock Car in the nearly decade-long history of the HSR Classics endurance races.

The top GT finishers in each Run Group were also honored in the Classic 12 Victory Lane. The list of winners includes Clair Schwendeman and Alan Sevadjian in the 1968 No. 137 Duntov Motor Company Corvette Roadster (Run Group A), Ken McKinnon and Mike Bruns in the Predator Performance 1972 No. 01 Porsche 911 RSR (Run Group B), Thomas Gruber and Marco Seefried in the TAG 2016 No. 991 Porsche 991 GT3 (Run Group C) and Russell Wittenberg and Bryan Collyer in the 2012 No. 113 Porsche 997.2 Cup car.

Each overall Run Group winner was presented with a special-edition B.R.M. Chronographes watch commissioned specifically for the HSR Classic Sebring 12 Hour. Other presentations included the traditional Best-Plane and Best-Car awards that were presented Sunday just before this year’s lineup of amazing vintage and historic aircraft taxied back to Sebring International Raceway for departure after being on display for two days at the HSR Classic Sebring 12 Hour, Pistons and Props, presented by the Alan Jay Automotive Network. Attending pilots and their families select the best team or race car of the event while participating HSR competitors and officials vote on their favorite plane.

This year’s Best-Plane Award went to the debuting 1945 Grumman TMB-3R Avenger flown by Job Savage. The aviators in turn selected the unique 1978 No. 4 Toj SC206 sports racer of Phil Daigrepont as this year’s Best-Car Award winner. Although Daigrepont, a former jockey from Louisiana, suffered four cracked ribs in a Saturday evening contact incident while racing the Toj, he still capably and enthusiastically accepted the Best-Car Award Sunday morning on the pre-race grid.

The 2024 HSR racing calendar begins right back at Sebring International Raceway next March for the sixth-straight year with the season-opening HSR Spring Fling at Sebring, March 8 – 10. The race will be run as an HSR headline weekend event for the first time in several seasons. The Spring Fling sets the stage for the 72nd running of the iconic 12 Hours of Sebring IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race the following weekend.

Day 2 of Classic Sebring concludes season for several HSR classes

The season-ending Historic Sportscar Racing B.R.M. Chronographes Endurance Challenge, Sasco Sports International/American Challenge and Classic RS Cup races came to a competitive conclusion Friday at the HSR Sebring Historics at Sebring …

The Sebring Historics wrap up HSR’s season-long racing series and championships while setting the stage for this weekend’s eighth running of HSR Classic Sebring 12 Hour, Pistons and Props, presented by the Alan Jay Automotive Network.

Friday’s big winners included a trio of victorious teams across three classes in the B.R.M. Endurance Challenge race for the Prototype, GT Modern (GTM) and Historic classes.

The overall and Prototype B.R.M. Endurance Challenge win went to the Matador Motorsports 2017 No. 02 Cadillac DPi of Pierce Marshall and Eric Foss. The team shook off both Marshall’s lap one slide through Sebring’s tricky Turn 17 and a late deflating tire with Foss at the wheel to top a competitive 36-car field.

Second overall and in Prototype went to the Olthoff Racing 2007 No. 25 Oreca FLM09 driven by veteran HSR competitor Larry Huang.

The overall podium was completed by GTM-class winner Juan Lopez-Santini in his 901 Shop 2016 No. 8 Audi R8 LMS Ultra. In addition to finishing a stout third overall, Lopez-Santini continued the recent trend of swapping top-two race finishes with his teammate Jeronimo Guzman. Guzman led the one-two team finish in Thursday’s Stoner Car Care Global GT race only to see Lopez-Santini return the favor today.

Guzman’s GTM runner-up finish saw him cross the finish line fifth overall, just one spot behind the third-place Prototype finishers. Francesco Melandri and Nigel Greensall co-drove the 2017 No. 24 Fransco Racing Ligier JS/P3 to the class podium finish and a fourth place overall showing.

Melandri and Greensall once again pulled double duty in the one-hour B.R.M. race, trading off driving duties in both the Ligier and the Fransco Racing 1996 No. 96 Porsche 993 GT2 in the Historic class.

The Historic division victory went to the similar Air Power Racing 1996 No. 836 Porsche 993 RSR driven by Kenneth Greenberg. Greenberg battled with Melandri and Greensall in a 993 RSR shootout for part of the race but the Porsches ended up being split on the Historic podium by second-place finisher Andrew Myers in his Wolf Motorsports 2001 No. 51 Carbir CS2 Sports 2000. Melandri and Greensall, meanwhile, scored third-place showings in both Prototype and Historic in the same race.

The B.R.M. races final podium player was Bob Neapole who pulled off a last lap pass for third in GTM at the wheel of his 2016 RBN Motorsports with Cosmo-Sport No. 167 Porsche 991 GT3R prepared by Hudson Historics.

Three more race winners were crowned in the final Sasco Sports race of the season that includes classes for American, International and Porsche competitors. The Sasco Sports race was run at the same time as the season-ending Classic RS Cup race that saw frequent HSR winner Todd Treffert rebound from a disappointing day on track Thursday to take the RS Cup win in his Speedconcepts 1974 No. 141 Porsche 911 IROC prepared by the 901 Shop.

The overall winner in the Sasco Sports/Classic RS Cup race was Colin Watson who went two-for-two in HSR feature race victories in his quick Boss Racing 2000 No. 91 Caterham C400. Watson and co-driver Jeremy Adams were also victorious in Thursday’s B.R.M. Endurance Challenge Vintage and GT Classic (GTC) race. Friday’s Sasco Sports victory saw Watson top a 37-car field and take International class honors as well.

The Sasco Sports American division victory went to none other than NASCAR legend and Motorsports Hall of Fame of America inductee Bill Elliott in the Vintage Race Car Restorations 1970 No. 9 Ford Mustang Boss 302.

The Sasco Sports Porsche class victory was secured by Colin Dougherty in his 1988 No. 77 Porsche 944 Turbo Cup series car prepared by DAS Sport.

Saturday’s on-track HSR schedule at Sebring features the start of the eighth annual Classic Sebring 12 Hour at 12pm. The opening rounds for all four competing Run Groups will take place in succession in a non-stop rotation until the day’s final checkered flag at 9pm.

HSR Classic Sebring 12 Hour gets underway

Back-to-back Historic Sportscar Racing feature races kicked off the competition schedule late Thursday afternoon at Sebring International Raceway for the HSR Sebring Historics and this weekend’s eighth running of HSR Classic Sebring 12 Hour, Pistons …

A first-time HSR feature race winner emerged for the overall victory in the one-hour B.R.M. Chronographes Endurance Challenge race for the GT Classic (GTC) and Vintage classes while the Stoner Car Care Global GT sprint that immediately followed went to a familiar driver who just missed out on the win one race ago at the HSR Classic Daytona 24 earlier this month.

Colin Watson and Jeremy Adams broke through for their first B.R.M. Endurance overall victory and GTC class honors in their quick Boss Racing 2000 No. 91 Caterham C400. The British duo kept predominant race leader Todd Treffert in sight throughout the race and took advantage of some unusual late trouble the Porsche driver encountered.

Treffert looked on his way to another B.R.M. Chronographes Endurance race win only to be sidetracked by a loose window net and flat right rear tire while leading the race with less than 10 minutes remaining. Treffert was called to the pits by race officials to refasten the window net and then had to nurse the deflating tire to the finish.

Despite the setbacks, Treffert crossed the finish line in his Speedconcepts 1974 No. 141 Porsche 911 IROC prepared by the 901 Shop just 3.192s behind the winning Caterham, which showed its winning pace by setting the fastest race lap.

Third overall behind the Caterham and IROC 911 was Vintage-class winner Jamie Busby in his KMW Motorsports 1970 No. 188 Porsche 914/6.

Fourth overall and third in GTC went to co-drivers Dean DeSantis and Josh Tuggle in their Heritage Motorsports 1969 No. 133 Porsche 911 RSR.

The overall top-five was completed by the Boss Racing sister entry of Stephen Collins who also garnered runner-up honors in Vintage in his 2014 No. 69 Caterham 7 420R.

Third in the Vintage class was frequent HSR podium finisher Colin Dougherty in his 1988 No. 77 Porsche 944 Turbo Cup series car prepared by DAS Sport.

The Stoner Car Care race win was secured by Jeronimo Guzman who turned the tables on his 901 Shop teammate Juan Lopez-Santini in his 2015 No. 48 Audi R8 LMSA Ultra. Guzman finished second to Lopez-Santini in the Global GT race at Daytona but this time he led the similar 901 Shop 2016 No. 8 Audi R8 LMSA Ultra of his teammate across the line for the victory. The third-place finisher was Vin Barletta in the Turner Motorsport 2016 No. 96 BMW M6/GTLM.

Friday’s on-track HSR highlights at Sebring include the year-end one-hour HSR B.R.M. Historic/Prototype and GT Modern (GTM) Enduro, the first rounds of the season-ending HSR WeatherTech Sprint races, and the season-ending Sasco Sports International/American Challenge race.

Friday also features at 5pm the annual parade of vintage airplanes and warbirds from nearby Sebring Regional Airport to the Sebring International Raceway false grid area where they will be on display until Sunday morning at 10:30am.

Mazda Heritage Collection back in action at Classic Sebring

Having made a well-received debut outing last month at Daytona International Speedway, the Mazda Heritage Collection will return to action with Historic Sportscar Racing this weekend at Sebring International Raceway. A pair of entries from the …

Mazda’s history at Sebring dates back to 1972, when a Mazda R100 was entered in the famous 12-hour race. Mazda enjoyed a run of taking at least one class victory in the 12 Hours for nine straight years between 1980 and 1989. Most recently, Mazda DPis added to that winning tradition with a big win and third-place result in 2020, following that up with a runner-up run in 2021.

The Mazda Heritage Collection’s lineup mirrors the one it brought to Daytona earlier in the month; a 1989 Mazda 767B and a 1991 Mazda RX-7 GTO. Both cars are operated and maintained by Flis Performance in Daytona Beach, Fla.

“From one legendary circuit to the next, this has been a phenomenal opening chapter for the Mazda Heritage Collection,” said Mazda Motorsports Senior Manager Jonathan Applegate. “The response we had at Daytona was outstanding, and this event is another chance for race fans to see the cars they never got to see in their prime or have never seen because they’re too young. I look forward to hearing both cars at full song on the Ullman Straight and seeing the reactions on people’s faces.”

Mazda driver Tom Long is back behind the wheel, but this time he will drive the magnificent 767B around the legendary circuit situated on a former WWII training airfield.

Taking over driving duties for the RX-7 is Andrew Carbonell. This car finished fifth in class at the 1991 12 Hours of Sebring in the hands of Calvin Fish, Pete Halsmer and John Morton.

“This thing is phenomenal,” Carbonell said. “It pulls through the rev range in every gear, to the top. You’re out of gear before the braking zone in 17 almost out before the brake zone in Turn 1. I can’t get enough of this thing and can’t wait to drive this thing for the rest of the week.”

The Mazda RX-7 GTO is entered in Sprint Group 5B, while the 767B can be found in Sprint Group 6. A full schedule can be found here.

Classic sports cars and aircraft return to Sebring this weekend

The annual dual celebration of Sebring International Raceway’s legendary auto racing legacy and patriotic aviation returns to the airport road course November 30-December 3, for the Eighth Annual Historic Sportscar Racing Classic 12 Hour at Sebring, …

Debuting in 2016, the Classic 12 Hour Sebring, Pistons and Props is an on-track and on-the-runways celebration of the 12 Hours of Sebring and historic Hendricks Field, the World War II era military and civil aviation facility on which the famous sports car race has been run for more than 70 years.

The Classic 12 Hour at Sebring features five full-days of historic and vintage sports car racing and a full “fly-in” and display of equally awe-inspiring military and civilian aircraft from the last half century and older.

The weekend also includes the HSR Sebring Historics featuring the year-end rounds of the full-season WeatherTech Sprint, Sasco Sports International/American Challenge, Stoner Car Care Global GT and B.R.M. Endurance Challenge series.

A debuting and must-see airplane headed to Sebring this week is the 1945 Grumman TMB-3R Avenger built and piloted by Job Savage. One of the largest single-engine planes of World War II, the Avenger was complex and cutting-edge for its day, with folding wings, hydraulically powered bomb bay and a powered gun turret at the rear of the canopy.

In addition to being a flying piece of American history, Savage’s Avenger is noteworthy because it was restored by legendary Grumman Aircraft test pilot Corwin H. “Corky” Meyer who started on the project at age 71. Meyer became a test pilot for Grumman on Long Island in 1942 and went on to test a long line of planes, continuing his test-flying career at Edwards Air Force Base in California from 1952 to 1954, where he piloted the experimental Grumman XF10F Jaguar with variable-sweep wings. The first civilian pilot to be carrier qualified by the U.S. Navy, Meyer, who passed away in 2017, later became CEO for Grumman American.

As the current owner of “Corky’s Avenger,” Savage, who comes from a notable “Warbird Family” himself, is looking forward to showcasing the plane in front of both fans and HSR competitors alike at the Classic 12 Sebring Pistons and Props. Savage spent his Thanksgiving Thursday holiday last week flying the Avenger from Huntington, Indiana to his home base in Ocala, Florida, where Meyer restored the plane years earlier at Leeward Air Ranch.

A debuting sports car as revered in auto racing as the Avenger is in aviation circles is a must-see entry in a diverse field of historic and vintage cars that has assembled for this year’s HSR Classic 12. Danish driver Lars Erik Nielsen debuted his immaculate 1990 No. 90 Porsche 962C in “HSR Classics” competition in early November at the Classic Daytona 24 Hour presented by IMSA and scored a Run Group victory.

Nielsen — father of two-time IMSA GTD champion and 12 Hours of Sebring winner Christina Nielsen — now heads to Sebring where he seeks a second-straight HSR Classics victory. The Daytona win didn’t come without some late drama as Nielsen felt the right rear tire on the 962 start to go down exiting the high-banked NASCAR Turn 2 while leading the fourth and final race in his Run Group. Nielsen slowly nursed the Porsche back to the pits, minus some right-rear bodywork, and returned to the race with a fresh tire and the determination to get back to first overall by the checkered. Nielsen retook the lead in the segment’s final minutes to claim his first HSR Classics victory.

While four different teams have driven 962s to multiple HSR Classic 24 victories over the years, the landmark Porsche prototype — one of four iconic race cars inducted this year in the inaugural class of the IMSA Hall of Fame — has yet to make its mark in the HSR Classic at Sebring. A victory by Nielsen this weekend would be a first for a 962 in the Classic 12.

Phil Daigrepont is a familiar HSR competitor but is set for his Classic 12 debut in his 1978 No. 4 Toj SC206. The car still carries its trademark and original Warsteiner beer colors. A Group 6-specification, open-cockpit sports prototype built in Europe, the Toj had no significant U.S. racing history in its prime, but Daigrepont, a former jockey from Louisiana, has made a mark in North American historic racing with his SC206. Even better, another Toj is also on the entry list with former HSR Classic 12 and Classic 24 winner David Porter entered in his 1975 No. 205 Toj SC205 he co-drives with former 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Richard Bradley. Daigrepont co-drives his Toj with veteran HSR competitor Edward Sevadjian.

Back on the airplane front, a returning favorite is the1943 Vultee BT-13 Valiant of Bryce Bock. The Vultee BT-13, which carries tail number 242605, is one of approximately 11,000 built powered by the Pratt & Whitney R-985. Vultee also contracted with Wright Aeronautical for their W-975 engine and redesignated the plane the BT-15.

On-track historic race car action at the HSR Classic Sebring 12 Hour, Pistons and Props, begins Wednesday with an unofficial test session.

Official competition gets underway Thursday with the weekend’s featured HSR Classic Sebring 12 Hour starting at 12pm Saturday with each of the four Run Groups taking to the three times in succession in a rotation that races into the night with the day’s final checkered flag just before 9pm.

Classic Sebring 12 Hour competitors return to the track Sunday at 12pm with each Group getting one final segment to decide this year’s winners. Overall Run Group winners will be presented with special-edition Classic Sebring 12 Hour edition B.R.M. Chronographes.

Still in part an active airport, the featured vintage aircraft will be landing on the Sebring runways throughout the day on Friday. At 5pm that day, the parade of planes will taxi along parts of the actual Sebring race course to the paddock where they will be on display alongside the historic race cars through Sunday morning at 10:30am.