IMSA 2022: 12 Hours of Sebring PRO and GTD race

GTD PRO

📷 © Luc Warnotte @ Sebring 2022.

Antonio Garcia, Jordan Taylor, and Nicky Catsburg won the 12 Hours of Sebring 2022 with the #3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R. It was Corvette Racing 12th victory in the Sebring race since 2002, second since 2017. It also marks the first win for the GTD PRO-spec Corvette C8.R in the new GTD PRO class of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

📷 © Luc Warnotte @ Sebring 2022.

#3 Corvette becomes the new leader of the Michelin Endurance Cup GT Daytona PRO Teams and Drivers for Antonio Garcia, Jordan Taylor, and Nicky Catsburg with the points awarded at the four-, eight- and 12-hour marks overtaking Pfaff Motorsport who won the 24 Hours of Daytona.

📷 © Luc Warnotte @ Sebring 2022.

It was a successful weekend for Corvette Racing as sister car driven by Tommy Milner and Nick Tandy finished second of the 1,000 Miles of Sebring for the FIA World Endurance Championship with #64 Chevrolet Corvette C8.R.

📷 © Luc Warnotte @ Sebring 2022.

The trio led 247 laps of the 323 laps covered by the top two in GTD PRO class. Starting in P3, Garcia lost 3 places at the start but passed six cars, to hand #3 Corvette to Taylor in P1.

📷 © Luc Warnotte @ Sebring 2022.

Catsburg took over from Taylor to battle with Matt Campbell (#9 Pfaff Motorsports) for the GTD PRO lead after 4 FCY at the seven-and-a-half-hour mark. From then on, the absence of full course caution periods enabled #3 Corvette drivers to ensure a clear win 4.438” ahead of #63 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 and one lap or more to the followers.

📷 © Luc Warnotte @ Sebring 2022.

Bortolotti and Lamborghini factory drivers Maro Mapelli and Andrea Caldarelli shared second on board of #63 TR3 Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3, same result as in qualifications.

📷 © Luc Warnotte @ Sebring 2022.

Thanks to the late retirement of Lexus #14 who ws third, Jules Gounon crossed the line third in the #97 WeatherTech Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo that also featured Maro Engel and Cooper MacNeil. MacNeil eventually led the race during 17 laps around the fifth hour.

📷 © Luc Warnotte @ Sebring 2022.

The #24 BMW driven by Philipp Eng, Marco Wittmann and Nick Yelloly ended fourth after running second to the winning Corvette for much of the second half and leading the race during 19 laps.

📷 © Luc Warnotte @ Sebring 2022.

Between hours seven and eight, thanks to four FCY reducing the gap between cars and car pit cycle M. Campbell / M. Jaminet / F. Nasr’s #9 Pfaff Motorsports cycled to the lead during 3 laps when we saw a tough fight between Campbell (#9) and Catsburg (#3) with the last returning the Corvette to the front on-track. 

📷 © Luc Warnotte @ Sebring 2022.

Campbell crossed the checkered flag in P5 earning 6 points, enough to remain leader of the Michelin Endurance Cup GT Daytona PRO on top of the 19 points earned after an unforgettable end of 24 Hours of Daytona. 

📷 © Luc Warnotte @ Sebring 2022

C. MacNeil, J. Andlauer, A. Picariello with #79 WeatherTech Racing Porsche 911 GT3R end sixth.

Several FCY kept the order close in the class enabling J. Hawksworth, B. Barnicoat and A. Telitz’s #14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 to be at the front during based on pit stop strategies but retired in the penultimate lap. They are classified seventh of the GTD PRO class.

📷 © Luc Warnotte @ Sebring 2022.

#93 Racers Edge Motorsports with WTR Acura NSX GT3 driven by A. Harrison, K. Marcelli and T. Long end 8th, 3 laps behind the winning Corvettte.

Starting in pole Risi Competizione’s Ferrari 488 GT3 driven by Ferrari drivers D. Serra, D. Rigon and E. Cheever led the race during the first 25 laps but encountered power steering issues, costing it 5 laps ending 9thof the class.

BMW Team M RLL #25 driven by C. De Philippi, J. Edwards and A. Farfus was at the forefront until they fell away in hour three when the power steering failed. They are classified 10th.

Aston Martin Racing official drivers Ross Gunn, Maxime Martin and A. Riberas with #23 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3 covered 230 laps, 93 laps less than the winning corvette. They are classified last of the class.

GTD 

Despite a drive-through penalty when Fuoco tagged class leader Bill Auberlen into a spin at Turn 3, costing the #47 Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo several positions Cetilar Racing took its first IMSA GTD class win with Giorgio Sernagiotto, Antonio Fuoco and Roberto Lacorte.

Gilbert Korthoff Motorsports Mercedes-AMG #32 drivers Mike Skeen and Stevan McAleer recorded their second consecutive class podium in the 2022 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. With the points of their third-place class finish at Daytona they now lead the GTD standing. They were co-driven by factory driver Daniel Juncadella who was not part of the squad in Daytona. 

Two Ferraris 488 GT3 were on the podium with #21 AF Corse’s Toni Vilander, Simon Mann and Luis Perez Compan in third.

Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 #96 led the race during 77 laps beating Alegra Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3 #28 (68 laps) and Cetilar Racing Ferrari 488 GT3 #47 (48 laps) in number of laps on the lead. The Robby Foley / B. Auberlen / Michael Dinan squad lost a podium seat due to a driver change half an hour before the end. They crossed the checkered flag 4th of the class, all four ending in the same lap.