Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge
Event. Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, Sebring International Raceway
Dateline. Sebring, Florida
Date. Friday, March 18
Race Duration. Two Hours, 30-minutes
Class. Grand Sport (GS) (Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport)
Round. Two of Ten
Next Round. Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, April 29-30
Upcoming Porsche Events
Pirelli World Challenge
Event. Grand Prix of Long Beach
Dateline. Long Beach, California
Date. Saturday – Sunday, April 16-17
Race Duration. One, 1-Hour Race
Classes. GT, GTA (Porsche 911 GT3 R), GT Cup (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup)
Round. Five of 22
Porsche Profile. Event Story Lines
New Porsche 911 GT3 R Captures Twin Wins
While the endurance world was prepping for the legendary 12 Hours of Sebring, the premier sprint-race sports car series in the country, Pirelli World Challenge, was readying for the one-hour Rounds Three and Four of 2016 on the temporary street course in St. Petersburg, Florida. Michael Lewis (Laguna Beach, California) started off the weekend winning his first GT class pole position in the No. 41 EFFORT Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R while Sloan Urry (Park City, Utah) took the GT Cup pole position in the TruSpeed Autosport Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. Lewis never relinquished the top spot on his way to victory in Race One. His best lap in the race placed him pole position for Sunday s 60-minute sprint. The young Californian again led wire-to-wire taking the checkered flag for both races of the weekend. The one-make GT Cup class was again a battle between the sports up-and-coming young lions and the veterans. Like Lewis, Urry led both races from start-to-finish to make a statement on his championship intentions in the all-Porsche 911 GT3 Cup class. Porsche performance continued off the track as well. Factory driver Patrick Long (Manhattan Beach, California) had won the season-opening pole position and first race at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) on March 5 before being hit at the start of Race 2 the following day. Long s No. 31 EFFORT Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R was turned hard into the wall sustaining substantial damage. The team began repairs immediately working closely with Porsche Motorsport North America (PMNA) representatives. Once a significant amount of progress was made on repairs, the rear-engine racer traveled to Alex Job Racing s shop in Tavares, Florida to complete the work before making the final leg of its journey to St. Petersburg. Long s ride arrived shortly after GT class qualifying. America s only Porsche works driver took the start for Saturday s race from the back of the field finishing seventh in Race One and starting that same spot in Race Two on Sunday. Long ran as high as third but finished fourth to keep himself within striking distance of his teammate in the championship chase.
Michael Lewis, Driver, No. 41 EFFORT Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R
Two for the EFFORT Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R. Flag-to-flag victories for the EFFORT Racing Porsche. Stefan Pfeiffer [team engineer], Patrick Long and everyone helped me so much in practice and qualifying to sit on pole. From the first initial green flag, I never looked back. The team has been working every night with little sleep. This car was hooked up on those restarts. It was pretty much a restart game the whole race. I was just head down, trying to get to turn one first. After that, our car was on rails and we could beat everybody on lap time. Big thank you to the team for working the long hours. That s two for two. Patrick Long, Driver, No. 31 EFFORT Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R
The goal was just to pull my weight for the long days that these guys put into rebuilding this car. I m really proud of the whole group. Congratulations to Michael. It s great to see him progress as a driver and a person. He kicked butt and I m really happy about that. The second race was a tough to not have many green flag laps. It really made it a race of restarts. I got some good timing on the initial restart and Johnny O Connell ran me clean. I had good pace and was able to make up a few spots. For as few laps as we completed, it was pretty adventurous. I m glad to have recovered some points after what has been a forgetful and yet memorable week altogether. Erin Gahagan, Team Manager, EFFORT Racing
Sunday at COTA we put an extra driver in the truck to get to Alex Job s shop by Monday night to unload Tuesday. Three guys stayed there and three guys came to the track. They worked all day Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and they showed up back here Friday by lunchtime with the car. It still needed work after that. We were able to get a hardship lap at 5:00pm, which is always difficult on a street circuit with such a tight event schedule. We wanted to do a system check, and make sure that there were no leaks. All six of our guys worked nonstop to get the car ready for that lap. Four team members from Alex Job Racing, including Alex himself, helped us get our car back. We couldn t have done it without them. Porsche s help was huge. Anything that we could have possibly needed, other than a brand new car, they provided. We re very excited for Michael, but we re exhausted.
Porsche and Sebring Go-Hand-In-Hand
Porsche history does not start at Sebring International Raceway; Porsche s racing tradition pre-dates the great America endurance event by nearly five years. However, the two have long been synonymous. With a total of 70 class wins, 20 of which are overall titles, Porsche dwarfs the competition in both categories next in line is Ferrari with 20 class wins and 12 overall trophies. In 2014, Team Seattle Alex Job Racing earned the most recent class win with Ian James (Great Britain), Mario Farnbacher (Germany) and Alex Riberas (Spain). That trio returns on March 19 with the new Porsche 911 GT3 R looking for back-to-back titles. 2014 Sebring GT Le Mans (GTLM) class winning team Porsche North America brings two factory cars to the class again in 2016. The No. 911 Porsche 911 RSR will see defending IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship title-winner Patrick Pilet (France) co-driving with 2015 overall 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Nick Tandy (Great Britain) and Frenchman Kevin Estre who is the newest member of the Porsche factory driver program. Earl Bamber, the New Zealander who joined Tandy to win Le Mans last season, France s Fr d ric Makowiecki and Michael Christensen (Denmark) will share the No. 912 Porsche North America 911 RSR. Sebring Training Ground Used to Tune Porsche 911 GT3 R.
In 1942, Hendricks Field was constructed just outside of Sebring, Florida to train pilots and crews for the US Army Air Force. Ten years later, the airfield was the site of the first 12 Hours of Sebring. Since that time, it has remained a hotbed of testing and training. As Porsche was looking the world-over for locations to test the new 911 GT3 R, Sebring International Raceway s 3.74-mile circuit was immediately on the test schedule because of characteristics found nowhere else. The racer based on the seventh-generation of the iconic rear-engine sports car and its new direct fuel injection flat-six engine, spent a week in Sebring taking all the legendary track could throw at it. It is often said that 12 hours at Sebring is like 24 hours anywhere else. The test was vital not only in preparation for the 64th Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring but for the international community where the FIA GT3-spec racer will see competition. The circuit proves such a grueling test that the German marque uses it to develop and wear-test the vital components such as drivetrain and suspension for a car that will see the bulk of its racing as a sprint machine. The Porsche 911 GT3 R is already a proven endurance performer having finished second in the GT Daytona (GTD) class Rolex 24 At Daytona with Black Swan Racing. However, nowhere is more daunting than Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. Four Porsche 911 GT3 Rs are entered for Saturday s race including Black Swan s No. 540 with Porsche works driver Patrick Long (Manhattan Beach, California) on the roster, the defending GTD class winning Team Seattle Alex Job Racing machine, the No. 22 WeatherTech Racing Alex Job-prepared entry and the No. 73 Park Place Motorsports car which 13-time race starter and three-time winner Jo rg Bergmeister (Germany) heading the driver-lineup.
Owen Hayes, Director of Operations, Porsche Motorsport North America
Sebring is the hardest test you can have. If you can do an endurance test at Sebring and survive, you know you have a good solid package for the race. Alex Job Honored as 2016 Sebring Hall of Fame Inductee
Alex Job, who co-owns Alex Job Racing with his wife Holly, will be honored as a member of the 2016 class of Sebring Hall of Fame recipients. The Jobs started AJR in 1995 and have since captured 70 major sports car racing victories, five championships (GT in 2002-2004, and GTC 2012-2013) and two GT class wins at the famed 24 Hours of Le Mans. The team also boasts ten Sebring 12-hour wins including last year s GTD class victory. Jobs record of success has come along with 27 years of partnership with Porsche. Job and five others will be inducted at a special ceremony and lunch on Friday, March 18. For this year s Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, Alex Job Racing will enter two Porsche 911 GT3 R racecars. In the No. 22 Alex Job Racing/WeatherTech entry, Cooper MacNeil (Hinsdale, Ill.), Leh Keen (Atlanta) and Gunnar Jeanette (Salt Lake City, Utah) will contest the race, while drivers in No. 23 Team Seattle/Alex Job Racing car will be Ian James (Great Britain), Mario Farnbacher (Germany), and Alex Riberas (Spain).
Alex Job, Owner, Alex Job Racing: I am honored to have the team inducted into the Sebring Hall of Fame,” said Alex Job, the team s owner. “With 10 wins and a 1-2-3 sweep of the podium we have always done well at what is considered, around the world, as the most demanding track for sports cars. All of our victories have been with Porsche and as we head into our 27th year with the brand we are hoping to add the 11th win this weekend.”
More Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport Join CTSCC at Sebring
The Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport made its international debut at Daytona International Speedway in January. The first official mid-engine Porsche racecar since the Porsche RS Spyder prototype saw two cars race in the one-hour and 30-minute Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge (CTSCC) support series event at the season-opener. This Friday s Sebring 150 sees the car s participation in the class double. Leading the way is the No. 33 CJ Wilson Racing Cayman GT4 Clubsport driven by Daniel Burkett (Canada) and Marc Miller (Holland, Michigan). The pairing finished second in the car s premier at Daytona. CJ Wilson brings a second entry, the No. 35, but is yet to announce the driver lineup. Also making a first appearance at Sebring will be the No. 64 Team TGM Porsche of Ted Giovanis (Highland, Maryland) and David Murry (Atlanta, Georgia). A previous Sebring ST class podium finisher in 2015, this marks the team s first foray in GS class and into the Porsche family. Longtime Porschephiles will recognize Murry as a past Porsche factory driver at Le Mans and longtime GT competitor with the brand here in North America. The No. 12 Bodymotion Racing entry driven by Cameron Cassels (Canada) and Trent Hindman (Wayside, New Jersey) rounds out the growing representation of the popular road car built to race spec. Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama Opens 2016 at Season
The Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama starts its 12th season with two 45-minute rounds March 17-18 at Sebring International Raceway. There s an interesting mix of new and returning drivers to the IMSA-sanctioned Porsche single-make Cup Challenge series. Jesse Lazare and Andrew Longe are the top returning drivers to the Platinum Cup championship. Lazare finished second to champion Elliott Skeer last season and is back with series standout Kelly-Moss Road and Race. Longe has moved to reigning Platinum Cup Team Champions Wright Motorsports after finishing fourth in the championship as a rookie in 2015.
Other young drivers to watch include second-year driver Lucas Catania and rookie Victor Gomez IV, both with NGT Motorsport. Platinum Cup competition will feature plenty of new faces from familiar places. Reigning Gold Cup and Gold Masters champion Jeff Mosing has climbed to Platinum this season with TOPP Racing. All three 2015 champions from the Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama Chris Green (Platinum), Marco Cirone (Platinum Masters) and Orey Fidani (Gold) — will start their seasons at Sebring by competing in Platinum Cup in the USA event.
Porsche History.
Porsche 12 Hours of Sebring Facts. Overall Wins. 18
Class Wins. 70
13-Year Winning Streak: 1976-1988
1960 Hans Herrmann/Oliver Gendebien Porsche RS 60
1968 Hans Hermann/Jo Siffert Porsche 907
1971 Vic Elford/Gerald Larrousse Porsche 917
1973 Hurley Haywood/Peter Gregg/Dave Helmick Porsche Carrera
1976 Al Holbert/Michael Keyser Porsche Carrera
1977 George Dyer/Brad Frisselle Porsche Carrera
1978 Brian Redman/Charles Mendez/Bob Garretson Porsche 935
1979 Bob Akin/Roy Woods/Rob McFarlin Porsche 935
1980 Dick Barbour/John Fitzpatrick Porsche 935 K3
1981 Hurley Haywood/Al Holbert/Bruce Leven Porsche 935
1982 John Paul, Sr./John Paul, Jr. Porsche 935
1983 Kees Nierop/Wayne Baker/Jim Mullen Porsche 934
1984 Stefan Johansson/Mauricio DeNarvaez/Hans Heyer Porsche 935
1985 A.J. Foyt/Bob Wollek Porsche 962
1986 Hans Stuck/Bob Akin/Jo Gartner Porsche 962
1987 Bobby Rahal/Jochen Mass Porsche 962
1988 Klaus Ludwig/Hans Stuck Porsche 962
2008 Romain Dumas, Timo Bernhard, Emmanuel Collard Porsche RS Spyder
Other Porsche Sebring Facts.
– Porsche scored its 70th class win at Sebring in 2015 when the No. 23 Team Seattle Alex Job Racing Porsche 911 GT America took GT Daytona (GTD) honors.
– Porsche won both GT classes in 2014 Porsche 911 RSR in GTLM and Porsche 911 GT America
– Most top-ten overall finishes 207
– Class Wins: 70 (a manufacturer record)
– Fastest race lap: 130.707 mph (by Derek Bell in a Porsche 962 1986)
– Porsche 911 Wins: 31 Overall and Class Victories
– GT Class Wins: 28 (since 1979)
– At least one Porsche has competed at Sebring every year since 1953 59 straight races (there was no race in 1974). No other manufacturer is close to that record.
– Hurley Haywood has 38 starts at the 12 Hours of Sebring (27 of them in Porsches) eight more than his nearest rival
– Porsche has led 4,198 laps at Sebring (overall) for a total of 19,997.4 miles (Ferrari is second at 2,743 and 13,099.1 respectively)
– Porsche also leads Ferrari 207 74, in number of top ten finishes
Porsche-Sebring Hall of Famers.
Of the 51 members, including this year s class, of the Sebring Hall of Fame, 17 have direct connections to Porsche. Included in this list is Porsche itself, inducted in the Inaugural Class of 2002, longtime Porsche partner Michelin ( 10) and the legendary Porsche dealership, Brumos. Others, by class.
Alex Job ( 16)
Vic Elford ( 14)
Peter Gregg ( 14)
Hans Hermann ( 12)
Hurley Haywood ( 10)
Derek Bell ( 08)
Hans Stuck ( 08)
Roger Penske ( 08)
Bob Akin ( 06)
Brian Redman ( 06)
Bob Holbert ( 04)
Al Holbert ( 04)
Bobby Rahal ( 04)
John Fitch ( 02)
Porsche Point of View.
Jens Walther, President/CEO, Porsche Motorsport North America
This weekend we have 42 Porsche Motorsport-built racecars competing here at Sebring. Of those, all but two are customer cars, which continues to show the focus we have on customer programs. This is also a very special week with the induction of one of our longest-running and most successful team owners, Alex Job, into the Sebring Hall of Fame. Considering the legendary figures that are not in this prestigious Hall, it speaks well of Alex and his accomplishments. Alex Job Racing s Team Seattle No. 23 gave Porsche its 70th class victory at Sebring last year. We expect strong competition again this year and the Porsche teams are looking forward to another good race after the debut of the new 911 GT3 R in Daytona. We also welcome the several new customer teams in CTSC who are competing with the new Cayman GT4 Clubsport. The weekend will see the kick-off for the GT3 Cup Challenge USA, which has an exciting calendar for 2016. In addition to the core lineup of traditional sports car tracks and major events like Sebring, the schedule includes support of F1 in Montreal. Nick Tandy, Driver, No. 911 Porsche North America Porsche 911 RSR
Sebring is the heart of American motor racing. It s fascinating to see which legendary drivers and marques have already won there. It is the oldest sports car race in the USA and one of the highlights of the IMSA SportsCar Championship, not least because of the many spectators. Patrick Long, Driver, No. 504 Black Swan Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R
The new 911 GT3 R is simply phenomenal. It s particularly stable and therefore doesn t react as heavily to the bumps. And this will certainly benefit us, especially on this racetrack.
Ted Giovanis, Owner/Driver, No. 64 TeamTGM, Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport
TGM is excited to race the new Porsche GT4 Clubsport, especially at Sebring supporting the JKTG Foundation and Camp Boggy Creek. We are coming off last year s second-place finish at Sebring but that was in the ST class. We believe that Sebring will be a great event for us. Based on our testing, we think we can podium in the GS class in the Cayman GT4 Clubsport. The Cayman is a great platform, and it certainly has a lot of potential as we learn more about it. Andrew Longe, Driver, No. 47 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 Cup
“Wright Motorsports knows how to win a championship. There s not added pressure coming back, but with the season I had last year, it definitely motivates me. I know what I can accomplish and having the team behind me just pushes me that much more. If we put all of our pieces together, I know we ll be there in the end. Where to Watch.
WeatherTech SportsCar Championship
Television Race Broadcast (All times ET)
Saturday, March 19
10:30 a.m. – Noon Fox Sports 1 (FS1)
Noon – 7 p.m. Fox Sports 2 (FS2)
7 p.m. – 10 p.m. IMSA TV on IMSA.com (live video streaming and commentary)
10 p.m. – Post-Race Fox Sports 2 (FS2)
Re-Air of Race Highlights Package
TBA
Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge
Sunday, March 27
12:30 p.m. FS1
All IMSA Series
Live Race Video Streaming:
IMSA.com
FOX Sports Go
Live Qualifying Streaming:
IMSA.com
Audio Streaming
IMSA.com
Live Timing and Scoring:
http://scoring.imsa.com/
Social Media. Porsche Cars North America. @Porsche
Porsche North America. @PorscheNARacing
Porsche AG Twitter. @PorscheRaces
Event Hashtag. #Sebring12
Race Weekend Schedule. (All times ET)
Wednesday, March 16, 2016
Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA Practice 1 All Classes 9:30 a.m. 10:00 a.m.
Continental Challenge Practice Session 1 All Classes 10:15 a.m. 11:00 a.m.
Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA Practice 2 All Classes 1:55 p.m. 2:35 p.m.
Continental Challenge Practice Session 2 All Classes 2:50 p.m. 3:55 p.m. Thursday, March 17, 2016
Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA Qualifying All Classes 9:20 a.m. 9:40 a.m.
WeatherTech Championship Practice Session 1 All Classes 10:00 a.m. 11:00 a.m.
Continental Challenge Qualifying Session GS Class 1:00 p.m. 1:15 p.m.
WeatherTech Championship Practice Session 2 All Classes 2:25 p.m. 3:25 p.m.
Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA Race 1 All Classes 3:50 p.m. 4:35 p.m. (45-minutes)
HSR Race 1 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. (45-minutes)
WeatherTech Championship Practice Session 3 Night Practice All Classes 7:30 p.m. 9:00 p.m.
Friday, March 18, 2016
Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA Race 2 All Classes 9:10 a.m. 9:55 a.m. (45-minutes)
WeatherTech Championship Practice Session 4 All Classes 10:15 a.m. 11:15 a.m.
Sebring Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony featuring Alex Job 12:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m.
Continental Challenge Sebring 150 Race (2Hr30-min) 12:20 p.m. 2:05 p.m.
WeatherTech Championship Autograph Session Paddock 1:00 p.m. 1:45 p.m.
Sebring Hall of Fame Autograph Session Paddock 2:30 p.m. 3:15 p.m.
WeatherTech Championship Qualifying Session GTD Class 3:30 p.m. 3:45 p.m.
WeatherTech Championship Qualifying Session GTLM Class 3:55 p.m. 4:10 p.m.
HSR Race 2 5:20 p.m. – 6:05 p.m. (45-minutes)
Saturday, March 19, 2016
WeatherTech Championship Warm-Up All Classes 8:00 a.m. 8:20 a.m.
WeatherTech Championship Pre-Race/Grid Cars 9:05 a.m. 10:30 a.m.
WeatherTech Championship Open Grid/Fan Walk 9:15 a.m. 10:10 a.m.
WeatherTech Championship Formation Laps 10:30 a.m. 10:40 a.m.
WeatherTech Championship 64th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Race 10:40 a.m. 10:40 p.m. (12 Hours)
Porsche Entries.
WeatherTech SportsCar Championship
Six (6) Porsche entries in the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring
GT Le Mans Class (2) Porsche 911 RSR
No. 911 Porsche North America
Patrick Pilet (France)/Nick Tandy (Great Britain)/Kevin Estre (France) Marc Lieb (Germany)
No. 912 Porsche North America
Earl Bamber (New Zealand)/Fr d ric Makowiecki (France)/ Michael Christensen (Denmark)
GT Daytona Class (4) Porsche 911 GT3 R
No. 22 Alex Job Racing
Cooper MacNeil (Hinsdale, Ill.)/Leh Keen (Atlanta)/David MacNeil (Hinsdale, Ill.)/Shane van Gisbergen (New Zealand)/Gunnar Jeanette (Salt Lake City, Utah)
No. 23 Team Seattle/Alex Job Racing
Ian James (Great Britain)/Mario Farnbacher (Germany)/Alex Riberas (Spain)/ Wolf Henzler (Germany)
No. 73 Park Place Motorsports
Patrick Lindsey (Santa Barbara, California)/Matthew McMurry (Phoenix, Arizona)/ Jo rg Bergmeister (Germany)
No. 540 Black Swan Racing
Tim Pappas (Boston, Mass.)/Nicky Catsburg (Netherlands)/Andy Pilgrim (Boca Raton, Florida)/Patrick Long (Manhattan Beach, Calif.)
Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge
Grand Sport (GS) Class (4) Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport
No. 12 Bodymotion Racing
Cameron Cassels (Canada)/Trent Hindman (Wayside, New Jersey)
33 CJ Wilson Racing
Daniel Burkett (Canada)/Marc Miller (Holland, Michigan)
35 CJ Wilson Racing
TBA / TBA
64 Team TGM
Ted Giovanis (Highland, Maryland)/David Murry (Atlanta, Georgia)
Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama
32 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars are entered for the Sebring International Raceway rounds.
Platinum Class Twenty-One (21) Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (current generation), Gold Class Eleven (11) Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (type 997)
PaddockTalk Perspective