IMSA 2022: 12 Hours of Sebring DPi race
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ Sebring 2022.
Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn and Neel Jani won the 70th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring with the #02 Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R after full of twists during the last 75’.
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ Sebring 2022.
During his second stint Bamber managed to create a gap close to 30”. Lynn managed to hold that gap, but at the start of his last stint (with 75’ to go), Bamber took a drive-through penalty for colliding with #13 AWA Duqueine D08 losing his P1 to Westbrook with #5 JDC Miller MotorSports Cadillac DPi-V.R.
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ Sebring 2022.
With one hour left, Bamber overtook Westbrook again but lost the lead again after spinning in a collision with the #21 AF Corse Ferrari 488 GT3.
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ Sebring 2022.
Bamber took the lead back with 45’ to go and kept if to cross the checkered flag 6.471 seconds ahead of Vautier who replaced Westbrook.
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ Sebring 2022.
It was Chip Ganassi Racing, Bamber and Lynn second Sebring victory, Jani’s first. Jani was last-minute sub for Kevin Magnussen now driving for Haas in F1.
With 351 laps, Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn and Neel Jani established a new distance record in the DPi era with two laps more than the previous record set last year. It is still 32 laps less than the 2009 record from Audi Sport Team Joest’s Audi R15 TDI with Tom Kristensen, Allan McNish and Dindo Capello.
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ Sebring 2022.
#5 JDC Miller MotorSports Cadillac DPi-V.R shared by Tristan Vautier, Richard Westbrook and Loic Duval ended second overall. They now lead the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Teams and Drivers Championships as well as the Michelin Endurance Cup standings with the points paid for the four and eight-hour marks of the race, as well as the finish.
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ Sebring 2022.
With #31 Action Express Racing Cadillac co-driven Pipo Derani, Mike Conway and Tristan Nunez third, Cadillac takes all the steps of the podium despite dominating the first half of the race.
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ Sebring 2022.
#10 Wayne Taylor Racing Acura DPi of Ricky Taylor, Filipe Albuquerque and Will Stevens, finished 4th after losing more than 30 seconds due to a drive-through penalty.
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ Sebring 2022.
#60 Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-05 of Daytona winners Oliver Jarvis and Tom Blomqvist ended fifth after Stoffel Vandoorne (replacing Castronoves) damaged the floor on the Acura following a contact with Pipo Derani #31 Whelen Cadillac.
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ Sebring 2022.
The #48 Ally-sponsored Action Express Cadillac of Jose Maria Lopez, Kamui Kobayashi and Mike Rockenfeller lost any hope of podium due to a left-front brake failure with two hours remaining finishing sixth overall.
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ Sebring 2022.
Pole-sitting #01 Cadillac driven by Renger van der Zande, Sebastien Bourdais and R. Hunter-Reeay ended 35th overall after losing more than 30 laps in many pit stop to try to fix a gearbox issue and change the gearbox.
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ Sebring 2022.
A 12 Hours race victory can also be sealed in the pit lane. As you may see in this photo sequence, all DPi did pit together at 16:21 during a FCY. #31 Whelen Cadillac was entering the pit lane first followed by #48 Cadillac, #10 Minolta Acura, Chip Ganassi #02 Cadillac, #5 Cadillac and #60 Acura. #10 Acura was first to go, #60 Acura second and #31 Whelen Cadillac left fifth behind the #5 and #48 sisters!
