By James Edmonds and Reggie Smith
Overview 2019
Since 1973, IMSA has sanctioned the 12 Hours of Sebring. With many revisions over the years, Sebring still remains the brightest star in IMSA’s galaxy. Actually, the origins of IMSA reflected a long history and awareness of sportscar racing in America. Sebring was always patterned after Le Mans. The French race was not related, but the two organizations had very genuine observation of each other.
Last summer, Spa and Le Mans introduced a new league of racing called World Endurance Championship, which features an elite grid of cars and graded drivers competing in four classes for points and end of season prize money. The first round was a year ago at Spa, Belgium, then Le Mans, Silverstone, Fugi, Shanghai, now Sebring, soon Spa and Le Mans again to end the first annual championship season. It is more than a “class”, but rather an entire “circus” in as much as all the competing cars, pit structures, paddock enclosures and F.I.A. (Federation International Automobile) management quarters get put into containers and transported to the next location. It is a bit like Formula One except it appears the only time to try little modifications is during the very brief time immediately before the next race. The teams at Sebring had not seen their cars for several months since the last race in Shanghai. Financial support is evident with certain on-car advertising, but the running expenses rely heavily on end of season prize fund for support. It appears only the hopelessly wealthy players are in the elite series.
Anyway, once again, Sebring is a pioneer as it has been in the past with such launches as F5000, Trans-Am, Formula Vee, Formula One, Firestone Firehawk series and more.
The WEC race at Sebring was a standalone race, although, it was blended into the 24-Hour Le Mans dates within the classic race.
The cars are in four class structures with points and funds on offer for each, but realistically the premier LMP-Hybrid cars are the show. The dashing Spaniard Formula One Star, Fernando Alonso, was the focus personality of the race, although, the other five drivers in the two car Toyota team were extremely formidable.
WEC Race
The program was uprated for 2019 with a two day test the weekend prior to the WEC/12 Hour Races. All four WEC classes were able to learn the course and tune the cars with suspension adjustments appropriate for Sebring. It was immediately obvious which cars were going to be qualifying at which end of the grid, but the fascinating part was discovering that the two fastest cars (Toyota Hybrids) were actually getting through turn one without lifting or braking. Curiously, close observation showed the brake lights coming on, but still no reduction of speed. During a brief chat with well known British driver Mike Conway, he smiled and confirmed the observation and further explained that the brake lights were on due to a light left toe pressure on the brake pedal which obviously lit the lights, but more importantly turned on the massive recharging system for the electronic hybrid storage which facilitated a 200-horse power surge down the next straight away. In further exchange, I asked how well traffic (all the other cars) behaved when he gave a headlight flash when he came up on them. He said it was always a concern because even at night, when the lights might be more noticeable, the closing speeds are difficult to judge and he had to be careful not to assume too much as he prepared to pass. At any rate, the Toyotas dominated the eight-hour race, but through the field the LMP1 and LMP2 cars (mostly powered by Gibson engines) filled most of the top ten positions. Chip Ganassi’s Ford GTs ran very closely in 12th position and actually virtually their entire team is headquartered and staffed in England.
One GTA (amateur rated driver) 2017 Aston Martin Vantage driver drove a steady strong race with Canadian Champion driver Paul Della Lana heading the team. One of Paul’s co-drivers was non other than Formula One legend Niki Lauda’s son, Mathias. The highlights of the WEC were the incredible speeds in the top classes and the quality of driving thru the rest of the entry.
Both the WEC and the traditional 12 Hour competitors find the 3.7-mile course to be a unique challenge due to the advancing science of ground effects and chassis body design.
In simplicity, airplanes fly up and racing cars press down. The acting principles have to do with air management as speed increases. As airplanes gain lift, negative pressure causes them to gain altitude and vertical rudder steers them. With cars, air is used to push down on the body and use the tyres to steer it. The additional factor is a fairly new science of managing negative pressure under the car to draw it to the ground like a mobile suction cup which adds physical weight through the tyres to improve traction for cornering and braking.
Most “British Marque” readers would understand these factors clearly, but there is more. At Sebring, the course is a combination of classic roads and corners along with some straightaways and fast corners on concrete slab runways originally poured and used for Air Force pilot training in 1942 when America was about to go visit the lands of Honda and Volkswagen. Adjustments in ride height and rake are necessary to avoid scraping the surface and losing stability.
One WEC team was particularly interesting for further interview. It was the Jackie Chan Oreca Gibson. Team manager Sam Hignett shared some fascinating background for the car, engine, and philosophy. The team identity is a show business celebrity that really loves racing. It is based in England, but the bits and pieces have multiple blood lines. The Oreca car (chassis) is basically a development of the Peugeot cars which won the 12 Hours races in 2010 and 2011. The engines are from Gibson (like many of the LMP2 cars), but there are some well-established blood lines there too. Bill Gibson was significantly responsible for the Zytek engines in the last decade and also had quite a bit of involvement with the Walkinshaw Jaguars that appeared so strongly in the 90’s. Many Zytek engines appeared in Formula 3000 cars in those days also. The Zytek name went on to Continental, but Bill Gibson continued solo with a new engine carrying his own name. The reliability of the Gibson engines is extraordinary even though from just 4 litres it develops a dependable 600 brake horse power. The Oreca car uses a 6 speed X-trac gear box and performs like a well-rehearsed orchestra. Very steady, don’t expect mistakes! Their 4th place over-all, 1st LMP2 finish was truly excellent, but more importantly it was not lucky, just a strong team.
It is certainly appropriate to mention the Toyota manager of marketing and communications, Mr. Allister Moffett. It was an easy guess that the Hybrid Toyotas would dominate the WEC race, but fascinating to watch the constant lines of autograph seekers in front of their garages due to their driver lineup. Mr. Moffett assisted in our interviews with Mike Conway, Kuzuki Nakajima, Kamui Kobayashy, and non-other than Fernando Alonso. The technical side of Toyota is currently the standard for comparison and benefits immensely from the top-class skill in public relations.
The 12 Hours of Sebring
The 67th 12 Hours of Sebring was a bit more of an endurance race than usual due to the strength of the entry and the intermittent rain showers. For a start, the pace laps varied slightly in speed because of the wet surfaces and when the clock finally started it’s 12-hour countdown, yellow and white flags waived instead of green. The yellow always means “no passing” and the white means “slow or non-racing vehicles on the course”. They were non-race vehicles for sure – big tractors with big brush rollers trying to move standing water puddles from the course. When it finally turned green, it was like recess at an elementary school or actually Cadillac division of General Motors. Six of GM’s finest roared away at the front of the pack and they all seem to have the exact same speed. The only difference was the old faithful asset, “experience”. Lap times showed the conditions were a handful and it helps to understand that all of the aero tricks that aid highspeed handling and braking are almost a menace on a wet surface. It might have been worse somewhere else, but Sebring’s racing surface is a bit like “rally-cross” because more than half the 3.7-mile course are large concrete slabs which have been around since 1942.
Over time, the gaps and slight settling of the matured runway sections have aided drainage, but throughout the 12 hours new rain showers continued to create more spray than speed. Ironically, the slower cars in the back of the field didn’t seem as severely hampered and the effect like a long rush hour parade. The TV coverage of the race made the best of a damp situation, but as it’s been the case in recent years, it was 11 hours of get ready and the last hour of GO! The finish was extremely close and everyone involved gets credit for the light attrition rate and a brilliant victory for driver Eric Curran in the Whelen Engineering Racing Cadillac Dpi.
Miscellaneous Conversations
Sebring 2019 promised to be a year to remember with the WEC making a return to the central Florida world famous event for the first time in seven years having broken ties with its previous North American venue, Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Tx in 2017. Although the top LMP1 field was a little thin, the spectacle brought out record numbers of fans eager to see the cars and their star drivers again.
With the WEC race being run to an eight-hour format instead of the traditional 1000 mile format on the Friday, and the IMSA 12 Hours of Sebring keeping its traditional Saturday morning start time, there was a lot of ground to cover. My old friend Reggie Smith and I decided that a double header event would require a similar approach from us so we teamed up to get as much information as we could for you the reader.
Seeing the new Aston Martin Vantage GTE cars was a huge thrill as this marked their debut on American soil. The new machines do not have the grace of the older ones in my eyes, but in the flesh they were certainly a terrific presence and sounded fabulous despite the turbo-muffled sound. Previous Sebring and three-time Le Mans class winner Darren Turner was happy as always to chat about all things Aston Martin and he talked about the return to Sebring and his latest ventures. “My last race with the works team was Le Mans 2018 but since then I’ve been racing with customer programs in British TT, VLN, Abu Dhabi 12 Hour and we do a lot of testing as the works team with some GTE but mainly GT3 and GT4,” explains DT.
It has been several months since his last race in the new car and I asked about its progression. “There’s been some good progress, especially in the wet conditions that we had at Shanghai. That seemed to suit the car very well. We had a big test here last weekend and there are still areas that we need to develop and continue to improve and that will take shape as we head to Le Mans.
“The one lap pace is pretty good, but the main area of improvement is always going to be the race run. Managing tyre deg(redation) is an important part – not so much here at Sebring because we’re allowed seven sets of tyres for an eight-hour race. A couple of full course yellows and the last set are only going to have to do a little bit more than a full stint.
“When you do the normal WEC six-hour races you are only allowed 18 tyres so there’s a lot more tyre management going on and the team strategy is critical in making the most of the six hours. It’s not an easy thing to work out. The teams all have the same challenge and have to work out the perfect scenario and what happens when that scenario changes – which every race does!”
Darren has raced here at Sebring many times, but this will be the first time that he and all the other participants will have raced here to an eight-hour format. Does that change the approach? “In the 12-hour race you’re under IMSA rules so there’s always a chance of gaining back a lap whereas with the WEC, if you a lap down, you’re a lap down. You can be a little looser and more creative in IMSA in terms of risk taking because if it doesn’t work out, there’s a chance to get it back and then change your strategy. It gives bravery a little more freedom.
“WEC? You can not afford to go a lap down at any point because it’s game over in terms of any real possibility of a race win. It means that there is more risk involved in being creative but being very disciplined with your strategy.”
This year Darren is going to making his annual return to Goodwood for the Revival. Although he owns an old Turner that he has raced in the past, this year he will once again be racing a Mini against a few of his fellow WEC competitors. Last year his daughter took her first foray into racing when she took part in the kid’s pedal car event. Although his little boy is not able to reach the pedals quite well enough to “really put the power down”, hopefully he will also see what it’s all about next year when he turns six!
Team Principal at Aston Martin Racing, John Gaw talked to us about the challenges presented at Sebring during a rare if forced spare moment! “The challenges here are the bumps. Compared to a European circuit, it’s just trying to keep the tyres on the ground. We are probably through that now because we’ve done the two-day test. The biggest thing now is to make the tyres last for a stint. It’s also very hot, the tarmac is different here, so managing the tyre temperature across the stint is really critical. Just getting a little bit more than the competition is helpful.”
I asked John if the data from previous races here provided any help with the new car. “Zero. The only thing that helps you is human experience. Tyre deg, bumps, the racing in the dark is important but in terms of technically with the car it’s all new. I was surprised to be that competitive yesterday because we are a bit behind on tyre development. We switched to Michelin a bit late this year so historically our slick performance this year has been a little poor because everyone’s got a different version of the tire. When it’s wet we are fantastic because the tires are all the same so the basic car is good. At the test we were the slowest, but yesterday we were quickest!” It proves that on any given day, even the smallest changes in air temperature, track temperature, humidity or wind direction and speed can make a huge difference to modern race car performance.
For those who follow endurance racing on television or on Radio Le Mans, many will know Andrew Marriott if not by his face, then certainly by his voice. Andrew has been covering Le Mans and the major races for 50 years and is a fixture at the track. His insight, knowledge and wit are often more interesting than the racing itself. His animated style and long associations with just about everyone up and down the pit lane mean that he can be both his natural self and add huge insight to any situation. It always amazes me that people like him can be seen strolling the paddock with no entourage and few fans around. A chance casual meeting led to a great conversation. “I think this weekend will be very interesting indeed. The WEC have taken a huge gamble because we know who’s going to win that race but we don’t know who’s going to win the IMSA one do we? It will be very very close. Obviously one of the Toyota’s will win it (the WEC race) unless they are disqualified like they were at Silverstone. Unfortunately, the way the regulations are means that they have no opposition any more because nobody else can afford to do it. It’s sad but the regulations have become to complicated and too expensive.”
When asked about next year’s proposed rule changes, Andrew was equally as candid. He said, “Obviously they are going to go with the so-called Hypercar which I think is a good move but they haven’t clearly defined the regulations yet and the manufactures won’t sign up until they know what they are. In theory it works very well and goes back to the 1995 era when long tailed McLaren’s were running. We need the World Sports Car Series not as a rival but as an adjunct to Formula One because most people can relate to it.”
Anyone with a casual interest in sports car racing will be familiar with the Steve McQueen cult classic, “Le Mans”. It was by and large, panned when it was released, but time has been kind and it is now regarded as the benchmark of racing films. If you have a keener interest in the film, you may be aware of the recent documentary, “Steve McQueen: The Man & Le Mans”. Andrew Marriott was responsible for the film and was happy to discuss this and other upcoming projects. “Steve McQueen: The Man and Le Mans is I think maybe next year going to come into profit,” he says with a chuckle. “We spent a lot of money making it and we had to pay a lot of people a lot too which wasn’t much help!
“We are now thinking about sequels – not direct ones – but the idea would be working with the same group of people on a film about the Villeneuve and Pironi families with the whole thing of course coming together at Imola with the so-called double-crossing…but was it a double-crossing?” At this juncture I should add a note for those not indoctrinated in the lore surrounding this story. Gilles Villeneuve and Didier Pironi were both driving for Ferrari (at a time when Enzo was still a revered – maybe even feared – character) in 1982. The San Mario Grand Prix at Imola saw several teams embroiled in a political war between FOCA and FISA resulting in a much-reduced field. At half race distance, Villeneuve led Pironi and the team was ordered to hold station. On the last lap, Pironi made a pass to win the race. The incensed Villeneuve stood stoic and emotionless on the podium, vowing never to speak to his team mate again. Two weeks later during qualifying at Zolder in Belgium, Villeneuve lost his life. It is thought that he was still furious and driving beyond his usual 110% in order to prove a point. He was a driver whose car control, wild antics on and off the track coupled with the myth surrounding his death have made him one of the most legendary and talked about drivers in history. Back to Marriott.
“The interesting thing here is, you have two families coming from completely different poles almost. One family – French, very wealthy. Then you’ve got almost a farming family in the Villeneuves from Quebec. For instance, Didier Pironi’s half-brother was also his cousin: his father had children with two sisters…it was that kind of cosmopolitan family we are dealing with and what we want to do is contrast these two families and the whole situation at Imola where Gilles was killed two weeks later – I was there and saw it actually.”
I asked how the families have taken to the idea, because it would seem to be a project filled with road blocks and a very emotional subject to broach. Andrew explains, “The Pironi families want to do it. The wife wants to, and we’ve met with the two sons (twins born after Pironi’s death. Named – you guessed it – Gilles and Didier. JE). The Villeneuve family also want to do it but after they have finished with a TV project they are currently working on.
“So while that’s stalled a bit, I’m working on another film called, “Chunky” about Colin Chapman. The idea is to interview Mario, Emerson, Mansell, his son and wife who are still alive. There’s a lot of good story there and we will go into the DeLorean situation – I know people who were involved in that – so it’s not all just about racing. It’s about Chapman and his whole career as a racing car designer and road car designer.
“I just finished a film for Sky TV about the Asian Le Mans Series with the United Autosports team and Paul DiResta, but that one was a minnow compared to these bigger films!”
It seems that moss will not soon grow under Marriott’s feet and his projects give only a small glimpse into this lovely, charismatic and hugely interesting stalwart of motor racing.
Whilst taking a look in the Gallery of Legends where historic Sebring machines of yesteryear are on display, I managed to find fan favourite David “Hobbo” Hobbs. Younger readers will perhaps remember Hobbs as part of the F1 coverage team here in the USA, while the fathers of those young readers (wouldn’t that be nice!) will recall Hobbs as one of the great all-rounders who excelled primarily in sports cars, F5000, Can-Am and Trans Am back in the ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s! We happened to be standing next to a lovely BMW 3.0 CSL “Batmobile” identical to the one Hobbs drove. I asked about his memories of the car and the place. “Well I led! For three hours! Then the vibration damper flew off! I bought it into the pits and the mechanic just said, ‘Ja voll…zat happens a lot.’ I said, ‘How about a fix?’
“The car didn’t have any vices…I mean we were leading pretty comfortably at the time. They were nice to drive and the straight six was a lovely engine with pretty good horsepower. Once it started to compete against the V8 Chevrolets though, it was a bit short of puff.”
His last Sebring was a bit of a non-event as he explains. “My last race here was in John Fitzpatrick’s (Porsche) 935. We were running very well in that one, and John was driving when he had a suspension failure going round the long right hander leading towards the hairpin. The thing rolled over on him and that was that. It was my last race here but I did about 10 events for TV.
“My pièce de résistance here was the Sunoco (Ferrari) 512 Penske car which I drove with Mark Donohue in 1971. We were on the pole and led easily against the (Porsche) 917s although we finished sixth and Elford won in the 917! When I finished driving for Gulf in the (Ford) GT40s in ‘68/’69, they assumed I was going to go on to drive the Porsche, but Porsche didn’t want me for some reason. So, when we were quicker than them at Daytona and here it was rather pleasing!”
When pressed on the 917 subject, he remains philosophical being glad to have escaped the era with his life. “I wanted to be a Formula One driver but quite honestly, most of the Formula One drivers I started with are no longer with us. I drove a 917 once at Le Mans with Mike Hailwood, but unfortunately he crashed in the evening on the Saturday…I mean it was no better than the 512. The Penske 512 was slightly better than the 917 but everything Penske touched turned to gold!”
Eying a Lola T70 as we look at the cars in the Gallery of Legends, I ask Hobbo about his thoughts on the unsuccessful but breathtaking Aston Martin Lola T70 that he drove in 1967. “It was very heavy, and it just didn’t have the power. There was a tremendous amount of friction because it was John Surtees’ car – well, his and Lola’s – and whenever Surtees was around there was always a lot of friction! It got very heated between him and Aston Martin because Aston’s said the car was no good, but John and Eric (Broadley of Lola) said, ‘Our car is fine but your engine has no power!’.
“I did a lot of the testing with it at Snetterton but we couldn’t get any real pace out of it compared to the same car with a Chevrolet V8 in it. Ironically at the same time in ’67, I was testing in secret at MIRA (the Motor Industry Research Association) in Nuneaton, the XJ13 Jaguar with their new V12 which then was a four-cam engine. The difference between those two engines was chalk and cheese (for non-anglophiles, Google is your friend here! JE). The Jag engine was about the same displacement as the Aston and gave 550 horsepower back then which was a lot. And it was smooth horsepower. Unfortunately, Sir Donald Stokes who was the chief of BMC which became Leyland, said, ‘No racing’, so that got parked and the Lola Aston was big disappointment.”
I couldn’t help but finish our chat by asking about the Formula One broadcasting. Most may not know it, but David was a fixture in race broadcasting on American TV for many many years. “I miss doing it, and apparently most people who watch are missing us too! The Sky guys are great – accomplished drivers and engineers – but the program is not directed at the States whereas our show always was. It came from the States and was directed at the States. These guys are talking remotely to us but directing to Britain because it’s a British show.” When asked about a return the answer was coy. “Well, errr, it’s up for contract renewal at the end of this year, but I don’t see them changing.” But would you go back? “I would if they asked me yeah…but I don’t suppose for a moment they will.”
We can but hope. I for one would be the first on the petition. In the meantime, if you are interested in learning more about his hugely varied career, look for his new book, “Hobbo’. You won’t be disappointed! Now off to watch a race or two!
