After years of absence, Sebring is back on the calendar and what a spectacle it was. Both Toyota’s qualified on the front row and took the lead quite early during the race. They kept it the following eight hours to take the win. Car 8, Alonso, Buemi, and Nakajima, took another win with 7 close behind. Jackie Chan DC Racing 37 took a first win in the LMP2 class. Porsche took the lead in both GT classes. Car 91 taking the win after an intense battle with the BMW’s and Fords. Demsey car 77 lead the amateur class which extended Porsche’s lead in the GT manufacturers class.
As the start got underway, the LMP cars took off quite quickly. Nyck De Vries, Racing Team Nederland, who had to start last quickly made his way through the field and caught up with his LMP2 rivals.
The bumpy circuit cost many teams time as several cars entered the pits early, including Rebellion car 1. The LMP1 car got gearbox issues very early on in the race.
The midfield was as tight as ever with an ongoing battle in the GT Pro class. Porsche took the lead early on. BMW surprisingly managed to hold on to second place, fighting off the Fords, Corvettes and Ferrari’s AF Corsa at every turn.
In the third hour, the safety car came out because of an incident at the first corner. Orudzhev went int too deep in his SMP 31, hitting the barrier and destroying the right front.
After the restart, the Ferrari of Fisichella fought against the Aston Martins and Porsche of Bergmeister which he put into the wall. This lead to the retirement of car 22.
Trouble in LMP2 after the pitstops during full course yellow. Maldonado clipped the wall scattering debris all over the track. He had to pit to change the back wing. The clean-up brought out a second safety car.
As night began to fall, the battle got too hot. Contact between a Porsche and Aston Martin caused Turner to retire his 97 Aston.
Rebellion 1 didn’t have the easiest race either. Gear issues during the whole race, caused the car to spin several times before it ended in the wall when trying to pass one of the Ferrari’s.
Rain began to fall in the last hour which brought out yet another safety car. The race ended around fifteen minutes later with Toyota once again showing their dominance. SMP joined the manufacturer on the podium with car 11.
The WEC SuperSeason is coming to an end soon with only two races left. The penultimate being the 6 Hours of Spa Francorchamps, the first weekend of May, on the famous track located in Belgium. It will no doubt bring some sensation for the crowd to enjoy.
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