bigbadbrother
03-15-2014, 08:13 PM
Action Express Racing in control as we approach the halfway mark
The stopped No. 90 Spirit of Daytona Corvette DP, driven by Mike Rockenfeller and parked just shy of Turn 17, has brought out the seventh full course caution of the 62nd Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring as the race surpasses the five-hour mark.
Much of the fourth hour was spent either under yellow or red flag conditions and Rockenfeller stopped on course just before the five-hour mark, when the race restarted. Rockenfeller reported in an apparent throttle sensor issue, and took the car behind the wall.
While under this yellow, the No. 07 SpeedSource Mazda SKYACTIV-D was being towed back after stopping on track with a left rear wheel issue.
You can continue watching the 12 Hours Of Sebring action with the FSGo App! FOX Sports GO provides live streaming video for the biggest events and the best shows, wherever you are. Best of all, it’s included as part of your pay TV subscription.
Prior to that, following the restart from the sixth full course caution, there was another incident of contact involving the No. 46 Fall-Line Motorsports Audi R8 LMS, No. 81 GB Autosport Porsche 911 GT America and at least one other GTD car on entry to Turn 17. All resumed after losing more time on track.
In-between, much of the field completed their latest round of pit stops.
Up front, Action Express Racing ascended back to the lead in the No. 5 Corvette DP in the hands of Sebastien Bourdais, ahead of the surging No. 1 Extreme Speed Motorsports HPD ARX-03b of Ryan Dalziel. Chip Ganassi Racing’s No. 02 Ford EcoBoost Riley fell to third.
Colin Braun led in PC for CORE autosport in the team’s No. 54 Oreca FLM09 ahead of the pair of RSR Racing entries.
Porsche led in both GTLM and GTD with the No. 912 Porsche North America Porsche 911 RSR up front in GTLM, with Alex Job’s pair of the No. 22 and 23 Porsche 911 GT Americas 1-2 in GTD.
One other car that has gone behind the wall in the last hour is the No. 6 Muscle Milk Pickett Racing Oreca 03 Nissan, with a driveline issue.
Points for the top three in each of the four classes issued at the four-hour mark for the Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup have been revealed.
In P, the top three are Nos. 02, 5 and 1 who receive, 5, 4 and 3 points, respectively. In PC, the top three were Nos. 52, 09 and 08; in GTLM, Nos. 91, 4 and 912; and GTD, Nos. 94, 63 and 44.
Just past the four-hour mark of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring
The race was briefly red flagged after an accident involving two PC class cars. But at four hours and 22 minutes, though, the race was put back to yellow flag conditions.
David Ostella ran wide in the No. 38 Performance Tech Motorsports Oreca FLM09 on the exit of Turn 17 and smacked the outside retaining wall. After the contact, his car careened into to the path of Frankie Montecalvo in the No. 52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Oreca FLM09, who had nowhere to go.
Due to the accident and time needed for repairs, IMSA put the field under a red flag at the four hour and 14 minute mark.
Both drivers climbed from the car under their own power and were taken to the infield care center.
Up front, the No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Corvette DP was assessed a stop-and-hold plus 60-second penalty for entering the pit lane after it closed. That dropped Max Angelelli from outside the top three to outside the top 10.
Meanwhile, on a restart just before the clock hit four hours, Sage Karam passed Angelelli on the outside of Turn 1, then later in the lap passed Sebastien Bourdais to the inside on Turn 10. That propelled the No. 02 Chip Ganassi Racing Ford EcoBoost Riley back to the lead.
Other leaders at the four-hour mark, where points are awarded for the Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup, included the PR1′s No. 52 in PC, the No. 91 SRT Motorsports SRT Viper GTS-R (GTLM) and No. 94 Turner Motorsport BMW Z4 GT3 (GTD).
The BMW returned to the lead in class of GTD courtesy of strategy called by team strategist Don Salama.
Besides Ganassi and Turner BMW, other class leaders at the red flag were the No. 4 Corvette Racing Corvette C7.R (GTLM) and No. 09 RSR Racing Oreca FLM09 (PC).
Two other GTLM cars had issues within the last hour. The No. 56 BMW Team RLL BMW Z4 GTE pitted for extended repairs, to fix the nose, a puncture and the splitter on the car. Meanwhile the repaired No. 3 Corvette C7.R had a flat left rear tire when the caution flew.
The 12 Hours of Sebring contest continues to challenge all drivers and teams. (Photo: John Dagys)
The 12 Hours of Sebring contest continues to challenge all drivers and teams. (Photo: John Dagys)
Trouble has struck a number of GTLM contenders in the third hour of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.
Risi Competizione appears to be out of the race following a heavy accident by Matteo Malucelli, who backed his No. 62 Ferrari F458 Italia into the Turn 1 barriers.
The Italian driver rejoined but was then hit from behind by the No. 30 MOMO NGT Motorsport Porsche 911 GT America of Christina Nielsen, as well as collecting Dirk Werner’s No. 56 BMW Team RLL BMW Z4 GTE.
The multi-car accident brought out the fourth full-course caution of the race and put a dramatic twist on the GTLM battle.
There were issues also for the No. 911 Porsche 911 RSR of Patrick Pilet, who lost five laps for repairs to the car’s nose after making contact with a spinning PC car prior to Malucelli’s incident.
As a result, it’s currently a SRT Viper 1-2 in GTLM, with the No. 4 Corvette C7.R running third in class while still under the safety car.
Up front, the No. 02 Chip Ganassi Racing Riley-Ford of Scott Dixon leads the way overall, ahead of Sebastien Bourdais’ No. 5 Action Express Racing Corvette DP and the No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Corvette DP of Max Angelelli in third.
The No. 09 RSR Racing Oreca FLM09 of Duncan Ende continues to pace PC, while Mario Farnbacher leads the way in GTD aboard the No. 23 Team Seattle/AJR Porsche.
Prior to the Ferrari’s accident, there were two other cautions for PC cars stranded on circuit.
Following the return of green flag racing, Muscle Milk Pickett Racing leads the way with two hours now in the books in the 62nd Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. (Photo: John Dagys)
Following the return of green flag racing, Muscle Milk Pickett Racing leads the way with two hours now in the books in the 62nd Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. (Photo: John Dagys)
Green Flag Drops On The Second Hour Sebring
A quick pit stop and driver change for the No. 6 Oreca 03 Nissan put Klaus Graf out ahead of Max Angelelli’s Wayne Taylor Racing Corvette DP by eight seconds.
The pole-sitting No. 5 Action Express Racing Corvette DP, which led through the majority of the hour, fell back to third following a slow pit stop late in the second hour.
Racing resumed midway through the second hour following a 59-minute full-course caution period for the No. 33 Riley Motorsports Viper GT3-R, which suffered a fire.
Driver Ben Keating climbed from the car uninjured but the new GT3-based entry nearly burnt to the ground as fire crews fought the blaze.
“I looked in my rearview mirror and it was like Back to the Future,” Keating said. “I saw the two streaks of flames coming out of the back of the car in the camera before there was any smoke.
“So I got on the radio and said, ‘guys I’m on fire. I’m getting out.’ I hit the fire button, hopped out… There was no flames or smoke inside the car when I got out. No smoke inhalation, no burns, no issues other than a melted car.”
The lengthy caution reshuffled the running order and fuel strategy, which saw the No. 0 DeltaWing DWC13 restart as the leader prior to Andy Meyrick making his first stop.
GTLM is currently paced by the No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari F458 Italia of Gianmaria Bruni, ahead of the No. 912 Porsche North America entry in second.
The No. 3 Corvette C7.R dropped one lap behind at the end of the opening hour when Antonio Garcia was sandwiched between a BMW Z4 GT3 and Nick Tandy’s Team Falken Tire Porsche 911 RSR, resulting in a nose, brake duct and engine floor change for the Corvette.
PC is now led by the pole-sitting No. 09 RSR Racing Oreca FLM09 of Duncan Ende, which retook the top spot following the recent round of pit stop.
The No. 46 Fall-Line Motorsports Audi R8 LMS of Christopher Mies, yet to make its second stop of the race, paces the GTD class.
Ben Keating escaped unharmed from a frightening fire under the chassis of the No. 33 Riley Motorsports SRT Viper GT3-R. (Photo: John Dagys)
Ben Keating escaped unharmed from a frightening fire under the chassis of the No. 33 Riley Motorsports SRT Viper GT3-R. (Photo: John Dagys)
No. 33 Riley Motorsports SRT Viper GT3-R Driven By Ben Keating Catches Fire
An ignited fire left the 62nd Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring under yellow at the one-hour mark, with Andy Meyrick leading overall and in the Prototype class in the No. 0 DeltaWing DWC13 coupe.
Meyrick, who co-drives with Katherine Legge and Gabby Chaves, opted not to pit on the first yellow flag while the rest of the leaders did.
Under that yellow, which waved around the 20-minute mark for David Cheng’s stalled No. 8 Starworks Motorsport Oreca FLM09 PC car on the inside of Turn 5, Ben Keating stopped his No. 33 Riley Motorsports SRT Viper GT3-R on track just past that, at the right-handed Turn 6 kink.
Keating’s Viper began to blaze underneath the chassis, and he escaped out of the car under his own power before the car suffered further damage. The fire extended what was already bordering on a 20-minute long yellow flag period.
Prior to the caution, the polesitting No. 5 Action Express Racing Corvette DP led overall from pole in the hands of Joao Barbosa. Ricky Taylor jumped to second in the No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Corvette DP ahead of Olivier Pla in the No. 42 OAK Racing Morgan Nissan.
The stopped No. 90 Spirit of Daytona Corvette DP, driven by Mike Rockenfeller and parked just shy of Turn 17, has brought out the seventh full course caution of the 62nd Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring as the race surpasses the five-hour mark.
Much of the fourth hour was spent either under yellow or red flag conditions and Rockenfeller stopped on course just before the five-hour mark, when the race restarted. Rockenfeller reported in an apparent throttle sensor issue, and took the car behind the wall.
While under this yellow, the No. 07 SpeedSource Mazda SKYACTIV-D was being towed back after stopping on track with a left rear wheel issue.
You can continue watching the 12 Hours Of Sebring action with the FSGo App! FOX Sports GO provides live streaming video for the biggest events and the best shows, wherever you are. Best of all, it’s included as part of your pay TV subscription.
Prior to that, following the restart from the sixth full course caution, there was another incident of contact involving the No. 46 Fall-Line Motorsports Audi R8 LMS, No. 81 GB Autosport Porsche 911 GT America and at least one other GTD car on entry to Turn 17. All resumed after losing more time on track.
In-between, much of the field completed their latest round of pit stops.
Up front, Action Express Racing ascended back to the lead in the No. 5 Corvette DP in the hands of Sebastien Bourdais, ahead of the surging No. 1 Extreme Speed Motorsports HPD ARX-03b of Ryan Dalziel. Chip Ganassi Racing’s No. 02 Ford EcoBoost Riley fell to third.
Colin Braun led in PC for CORE autosport in the team’s No. 54 Oreca FLM09 ahead of the pair of RSR Racing entries.
Porsche led in both GTLM and GTD with the No. 912 Porsche North America Porsche 911 RSR up front in GTLM, with Alex Job’s pair of the No. 22 and 23 Porsche 911 GT Americas 1-2 in GTD.
One other car that has gone behind the wall in the last hour is the No. 6 Muscle Milk Pickett Racing Oreca 03 Nissan, with a driveline issue.
Points for the top three in each of the four classes issued at the four-hour mark for the Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup have been revealed.
In P, the top three are Nos. 02, 5 and 1 who receive, 5, 4 and 3 points, respectively. In PC, the top three were Nos. 52, 09 and 08; in GTLM, Nos. 91, 4 and 912; and GTD, Nos. 94, 63 and 44.
Just past the four-hour mark of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring
The race was briefly red flagged after an accident involving two PC class cars. But at four hours and 22 minutes, though, the race was put back to yellow flag conditions.
David Ostella ran wide in the No. 38 Performance Tech Motorsports Oreca FLM09 on the exit of Turn 17 and smacked the outside retaining wall. After the contact, his car careened into to the path of Frankie Montecalvo in the No. 52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Oreca FLM09, who had nowhere to go.
Due to the accident and time needed for repairs, IMSA put the field under a red flag at the four hour and 14 minute mark.
Both drivers climbed from the car under their own power and were taken to the infield care center.
Up front, the No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Corvette DP was assessed a stop-and-hold plus 60-second penalty for entering the pit lane after it closed. That dropped Max Angelelli from outside the top three to outside the top 10.
Meanwhile, on a restart just before the clock hit four hours, Sage Karam passed Angelelli on the outside of Turn 1, then later in the lap passed Sebastien Bourdais to the inside on Turn 10. That propelled the No. 02 Chip Ganassi Racing Ford EcoBoost Riley back to the lead.
Other leaders at the four-hour mark, where points are awarded for the Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup, included the PR1′s No. 52 in PC, the No. 91 SRT Motorsports SRT Viper GTS-R (GTLM) and No. 94 Turner Motorsport BMW Z4 GT3 (GTD).
The BMW returned to the lead in class of GTD courtesy of strategy called by team strategist Don Salama.
Besides Ganassi and Turner BMW, other class leaders at the red flag were the No. 4 Corvette Racing Corvette C7.R (GTLM) and No. 09 RSR Racing Oreca FLM09 (PC).
Two other GTLM cars had issues within the last hour. The No. 56 BMW Team RLL BMW Z4 GTE pitted for extended repairs, to fix the nose, a puncture and the splitter on the car. Meanwhile the repaired No. 3 Corvette C7.R had a flat left rear tire when the caution flew.
The 12 Hours of Sebring contest continues to challenge all drivers and teams. (Photo: John Dagys)
The 12 Hours of Sebring contest continues to challenge all drivers and teams. (Photo: John Dagys)
Trouble has struck a number of GTLM contenders in the third hour of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.
Risi Competizione appears to be out of the race following a heavy accident by Matteo Malucelli, who backed his No. 62 Ferrari F458 Italia into the Turn 1 barriers.
The Italian driver rejoined but was then hit from behind by the No. 30 MOMO NGT Motorsport Porsche 911 GT America of Christina Nielsen, as well as collecting Dirk Werner’s No. 56 BMW Team RLL BMW Z4 GTE.
The multi-car accident brought out the fourth full-course caution of the race and put a dramatic twist on the GTLM battle.
There were issues also for the No. 911 Porsche 911 RSR of Patrick Pilet, who lost five laps for repairs to the car’s nose after making contact with a spinning PC car prior to Malucelli’s incident.
As a result, it’s currently a SRT Viper 1-2 in GTLM, with the No. 4 Corvette C7.R running third in class while still under the safety car.
Up front, the No. 02 Chip Ganassi Racing Riley-Ford of Scott Dixon leads the way overall, ahead of Sebastien Bourdais’ No. 5 Action Express Racing Corvette DP and the No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Corvette DP of Max Angelelli in third.
The No. 09 RSR Racing Oreca FLM09 of Duncan Ende continues to pace PC, while Mario Farnbacher leads the way in GTD aboard the No. 23 Team Seattle/AJR Porsche.
Prior to the Ferrari’s accident, there were two other cautions for PC cars stranded on circuit.
Following the return of green flag racing, Muscle Milk Pickett Racing leads the way with two hours now in the books in the 62nd Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. (Photo: John Dagys)
Following the return of green flag racing, Muscle Milk Pickett Racing leads the way with two hours now in the books in the 62nd Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. (Photo: John Dagys)
Green Flag Drops On The Second Hour Sebring
A quick pit stop and driver change for the No. 6 Oreca 03 Nissan put Klaus Graf out ahead of Max Angelelli’s Wayne Taylor Racing Corvette DP by eight seconds.
The pole-sitting No. 5 Action Express Racing Corvette DP, which led through the majority of the hour, fell back to third following a slow pit stop late in the second hour.
Racing resumed midway through the second hour following a 59-minute full-course caution period for the No. 33 Riley Motorsports Viper GT3-R, which suffered a fire.
Driver Ben Keating climbed from the car uninjured but the new GT3-based entry nearly burnt to the ground as fire crews fought the blaze.
“I looked in my rearview mirror and it was like Back to the Future,” Keating said. “I saw the two streaks of flames coming out of the back of the car in the camera before there was any smoke.
“So I got on the radio and said, ‘guys I’m on fire. I’m getting out.’ I hit the fire button, hopped out… There was no flames or smoke inside the car when I got out. No smoke inhalation, no burns, no issues other than a melted car.”
The lengthy caution reshuffled the running order and fuel strategy, which saw the No. 0 DeltaWing DWC13 restart as the leader prior to Andy Meyrick making his first stop.
GTLM is currently paced by the No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari F458 Italia of Gianmaria Bruni, ahead of the No. 912 Porsche North America entry in second.
The No. 3 Corvette C7.R dropped one lap behind at the end of the opening hour when Antonio Garcia was sandwiched between a BMW Z4 GT3 and Nick Tandy’s Team Falken Tire Porsche 911 RSR, resulting in a nose, brake duct and engine floor change for the Corvette.
PC is now led by the pole-sitting No. 09 RSR Racing Oreca FLM09 of Duncan Ende, which retook the top spot following the recent round of pit stop.
The No. 46 Fall-Line Motorsports Audi R8 LMS of Christopher Mies, yet to make its second stop of the race, paces the GTD class.
Ben Keating escaped unharmed from a frightening fire under the chassis of the No. 33 Riley Motorsports SRT Viper GT3-R. (Photo: John Dagys)
Ben Keating escaped unharmed from a frightening fire under the chassis of the No. 33 Riley Motorsports SRT Viper GT3-R. (Photo: John Dagys)
No. 33 Riley Motorsports SRT Viper GT3-R Driven By Ben Keating Catches Fire
An ignited fire left the 62nd Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring under yellow at the one-hour mark, with Andy Meyrick leading overall and in the Prototype class in the No. 0 DeltaWing DWC13 coupe.
Meyrick, who co-drives with Katherine Legge and Gabby Chaves, opted not to pit on the first yellow flag while the rest of the leaders did.
Under that yellow, which waved around the 20-minute mark for David Cheng’s stalled No. 8 Starworks Motorsport Oreca FLM09 PC car on the inside of Turn 5, Ben Keating stopped his No. 33 Riley Motorsports SRT Viper GT3-R on track just past that, at the right-handed Turn 6 kink.
Keating’s Viper began to blaze underneath the chassis, and he escaped out of the car under his own power before the car suffered further damage. The fire extended what was already bordering on a 20-minute long yellow flag period.
Prior to the caution, the polesitting No. 5 Action Express Racing Corvette DP led overall from pole in the hands of Joao Barbosa. Ricky Taylor jumped to second in the No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Corvette DP ahead of Olivier Pla in the No. 42 OAK Racing Morgan Nissan.