Q: I’m taking the plunge and going to the 12 Hours of Sebring and dragging a couple of buddies with me. Any advice you can give a newbie who’s never been to an IMSA race before? We plan on getting there for the race start, taking a break for a few hours in the afternoon to pick up some friends and head back around 5 or 6 and staying to the end of the race. We have general admission tickets which I guess means we can wander around the track which we will do but is there a certain area we should look to spend more time at? Also, are there any resources that explain the different car classes, etc.? I’m a longtime IndyCar fan since the 1980s and have no time explaining that to my friends but I’m embarrassed to say I never really followed sports cars.
Mikey P Long Island, NY
MP: Great to hear you’re headed to one of motor racing’s greatest global events and one of its wildest cultural happenings.
First recommendation, and it’s more of a plea, is to arrive hours before the 10:10am start because if you get there close to the start, you’ll miss it while sitting in a stupid-long line of cars outside the gates. And if you can, tell your friends to Uber their way to the track; leaving halfway through isn’t going to be a lot of fun. Plus, that’s right when most folks are fully loaded and at their craziest.
You can walk the entire track once you’re inside. Green Park, which is in the middle of it all, is where people go nuts. Places to enjoy the spectacles of speed:
Inside or outside of Turn 17 — big bumps and speed
Inside or outside of Turn 1 — crazy speed
Inside of the Turns 3-4-5 complex — appreciation for the cars’ handling
Outside of Turn 7 — amazing sounds, glowing brakes at night
Inside of Turn 10 — always a party
Enjoy!
Editor’s note: And for the lowdown on the cars and stars of IMSA, CLICK HERE to check out RACER’s free digital IMSA season preview!
Q: Do not know if you know this existed but it does and it is glorious: https://ppgpacecars.com!
Back in the day seeing those cars go around the track during downtime was awesome — my favorite was the Ford F-150 Sport Boss. Any favorites for you? Also, didn’t Margie Smith-Haas drive those frequently?
Steve
Chico, CA
MP: That’s incredible, Steve! I loved the PPG pace cars; genuine concept cars, in many cases, being put to hard use. Yes, my old driver Margie was one of the veteran women racers who comprised the all-female driving crew.
Q: Why does it seem like F1 safety is so much slower and less professional in its response than IndyCar and NASCAR? Perhaps this is just my impression, but the response to even massive accidents (Verstappen in 2021 at Silverstone, Hamilton/Verstappen in 2021 at Monza, Zhou in 2022 at Silverstone, Sainz’s engine fire in 2022 in Austria) all seem to be accompanied by little more urgency than yellow flag waving and some seemingly confused marshals. I understand marshals are generally volunteers, but why doesn’t F1 have a trained safety crew like the AMR safety team we have here in the States?
I am concerned anytime there is a huge accident in any racing series, but I take comfort in the fact that the AMR folks are on site almost before a car stops moving in IndyCar or NASCAR. When watching F1, the response time feels agonizingly slow and drivers often walk back to the pits by themselves rather than being taken directly to medical examination. Is it just that F1 cars have a ton of sensors and are that much safer? Or am I missing something? I’ve tried to do some research on this and haven’t got a good answer.
Nate S, Phoenix, AZ
MP: IndyCar has multiple safety response trucks positioned throughout each track that are loaded with teams of specialists — firefighters, EMTs, doctors, etc. — that have every conceivable emergency response tool onboard, and with its fleet of trucks placed in strategic places, one truck is never far from wherever a crash has come to a stop.
CHRIS MEDLAND: I’m likely to be the defender here, Nate, but I disagree. For starters, the cars have shown incredible safety to protect drivers in such instances, by the fact that they all climbed out of each one, even Max at Silverstone. And then when you think of Romain Grosjean’s crash in Bahrain, how many safety systems saved him when others failed, plus the medical car follows the action on lap one to be quickly on the scene in such an event as they were there.
There is a trained medical crew in the form of FIA Doctor Ian Roberts who rides in the medical car with regular high-skilled drivers, and regular marshal posts around the track. The AMR team are brilliant in IndyCar, but the wide variety of global venues and schedules in F1 mean local specialists are used rather than trying to transport one set team everywhere. A specific, professional crew that went to every race would likely be an improvement, I agree, but it’s just a different approach at present and I feel you can’t be overly critical of F1’s given how few injuries there are at events thanks to the other safety standards.
Where I think improvements do need to be made are in race control decisions, which haven’t always been quick enough and have led to confusion in recent years, resulting in worrying scenes like the recovery vehicle being on track in Suzuka last season (another difference in approach, though, where F1 isn’t meant to allow an equivalent the AMR team to take a vehicle trackside to a crash site until the race is neutralized to prevent further incidents).
In terms of drivers walking back, you’re actually right about sensors. There’s a crash warning that is triggered over a certain force that mandates a driver goes to the medical center to be checked before being released. In those instances, they have to be picked up by the medical car and transported, even if they say they’re fine. If that sensor doesn’t go off, they’re free to make their own way back if they wish.
Q: I saw a tweet from Karun Chandhok suggesting that F1 should ditch hybrids and focus on sustainable fuels instead, because it would allow grand prix cars to be light and nimble again while achieving F1’s green objectives.
I know F1 is going to have sustainable fuels in 2026, but if that was the sole focus and headline, not only could we have high-revving engines and agile cars again, but it could also lead to things like hydrogen becoming more mainstream, which can only benefit the road car industry. Thoughts?
Jordan, Warwickshire, UK
CM: I agree Jordan, in that F1 could help find a solution to future mobility concerns while also improving the cars that are racing. But you’ve got to remember how much has been invested by manufacturers into the V6 hybrids, and how those have evolved to become more simplified from 2026 because that’s what manufacturers (including new ones like Audi) want. With nobody to build an engine, it’s hard to go racing, so you’ve got to make the power units relevant to manufacturers at this point.
If F1’s sustainable fuel move then opens up a potential return to naturally aspirated V8s and V10s AND manufacturers see value in those engines, then we could well end up heading that way. Or it could provide the opportunity to have totally different architecture that allows all manner of fuel options within the same power unit.
The 2026 rules are designed to be broad enough to be future-proof, along similar lines of what manufacturers believe is important right now, but also looking at other technology like sustainable fuels that could open up new avenues. Due to the forward planning that is needed, as soon as those 2026 engines are delivered then the next era will be being analyzed and perhaps could see the headline focus you’re suggesting.
THE FINAL WORD
From Robin Miller’s Mailbag, March 11, 2015
Q: I’m always intrigued by the guys who get overlooked by the history buffs but who actually had some good results. One of these was Bill Alsup, who I’m amazed to see finished second in the CART championship back in 1981 – ahead of everyone except Rick Mears. And Pancho Carter, only one win but took pole for Indy one year. What are their backgrounds? Did you rate them?
Steve Alda
RM: Alsup was a very interesting character who didn’t start his IndyCar career until 1979 when he was 40 years old. In 1981, he campaigned his own car but also got hooked up with Roger Penske and ran RP’s PC-7 in seven of his 10 starts Alsup parlayed two thirds, two fourths and two fifths to take second in the CART standings – and didn’t compete in the first race at Milwaukee. Considering his late start and lack of oval experience, the personable native of Honolulu did a damn fine job during his six seasons.
Pancho was the oldest son of former driver Duane Carter and the best all-around sprint car driver I ever saw. He was Rookie of the Year at Indy in 1974 and amassed 70 USAC victories (midgets, sprints, dirt cars) and four USAC championships. He also overcame a devastating injury while testing an Indy car in 1977 and made a great comeback – winning the Michigan 500 in 1981 and Indy 500 pole in 1985 along with the ’78 USAC Silver Crown title.
Editor’s note: Alsup died at age 78 in 2016 after suffering injuries in a crane accident.