IMSA’s WeatherTech SportsCar Championship completed its 36 hours of Florida over the weekend, with the 74th running of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring on the tough, old airport circuit in the center of the state. The results weren’t terribly different from those achieved during the Rolex 24 at Daytona in late January, where Porsche Penske Motorsports earned the win. For a second consecutive year, the only true question for this half-day competition was which Porsche 963 from Team Penske would be first to those checkered glass?
As it turned out, the two Porsche Penske GTP cars would combine to lead all but 60 of the race’s 343 laps. The No. 6 and No. 7 Porsche GTPs battled one another during the final hour, and it was the No.7 of Felipe Nasr who out battled Kevin Estre in the No. 6, taking the win by a minuscule 1.515 seconds in the dark. This was the third Sebring victory for Nasr, who co-drove with Frenchman Julien Andlauer and German Laurin Heinrich. After earning victory in the Rolex 24 nearly two months ago, the No. 7 had to fight hard for Saturday night’s victory.
“The first hour as rough. I just wanted a clean start but other competitors had a different idea,” Nasr explained. “There were 12 hours to go and I just wanted to keep the car in one piece, because the last hour is what really matters.” He credited his teammates for keeping the car together until that final hour, so that he could filet his teammate before taking the double checkered glass. Nasr led the final 22 laps in a car that was “fast all day. Winning for that guy [team owner Roger Penske], that’s what I’m here for!” This was Porsche’s 20th overall win at Sebring.
Porsche Penske Motorsports wasn’t the only 1-2 finish after 12 hot, dusty and competitive hours: United Autosports USA took its first-ever IMSA 1-2 finish in LMP2, in the No. 2 ORECA LMP2 07 with Mikkel Jensen at the helm, completing the distance with a minuscule 0.510-second margin of victory over teammate Paul Di Resta in the team’s No. 22 ORECA. Porsche led the standings in IMSA’s GTD PRO class as well, with European DTM regulars Manthey Racing teaming with Porsche to bring its ‘Grello’ (green and yellow) Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) to the flags ahead of another Porsche, AO Racing’s ‘Roxy’ 911. In the large GTD class, the No. 21 Af Corse USA Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO put three drive-through penalties in the rearview mirror to steal a last-lap victory.
Even before the 55 cars hit the track, IMSA was making news, revealing its 2027 schedule for the third consecutive time in March, the first major sanction to disclose its next-year scheduling. Delineating an 11 contest WeatherTech SportsCar Championship schedule that will feature the 75th anniversary race in Sebring, IMSA noted some subtle changes from this year’s 11-race schedule. IMSA’s Michelin Pilot Challenge again shows ten races, with a second headlining event next year.
“The 2027 season is especially meaningful, as we celebrate several milestones,” noted John Doonan, IMSA president. “The 75th running of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, the 70th anniversary of WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, the 65th Rolex 24 at Daytona and the 30th running of Motul Petit Le Mans,” he said. These iconic events represent the heart and soul of sports car racing, and we look forward to honoring their legacies with our competitors and passionate fanbase next season.”
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