Every March, drivers from around the world travel to a former army airfield in central Florida and participate in an elite 12-hour endurance race that got its start in the early 1950s. Originally known as Hendricks Field, the base was used as a Heavy Bomber Training School during the Second World War before it became a long-distance racetrack, according to Visit Sebring.
Over the years, Porsche has made an indelible mark on the 3.74-mile Sebring International Raceway. The automaker has 18 overall wins and 65 class victories to brag about, more than any other manufacturer.
Porsche, however, did not clinch its first overall win until 1960 when Hans Herrmann and Olivier Gendebien drove a 718 RS 60 to the finish line, reports Sports Car Digest. What made the victory particularly sweet was that the 160-hp, 1.6-liter RS was much less powerful compared to its competitors. Following the win, the RS was dubbed “Giant Killer.” Other outright victories occurred in 1968, 1971, 1973, 1976 through 1988, and 2008.
In 1970, actor, race car driver, biker and badass Steve McQueen (“Bullitt” and “The Great Escape”) decided to test his driving skills in his lead-up to the making of his film “Le Mans” by participating in the 12 Hours of Sebring. He drove his “Little Porsche” 908 alongside some of world’s top drivers and cars, according to The Selvedge Yard. McQueen and his partner Peter Revson won their class and battled it out against Mario Andretti (driving a Ferrari 512S Spyder) for best overall. The McQueen-Revson team lost by 22 seconds and came in second.
It’s worth noting that Revson did most of the driving (as much as 8 of the 12 hours), but that’s largely because McQueen was injured. It’s also worth noting that Andretti’s 512 had a V12 4994 cc engine compared to the less-powerful 908’s V8 2997 cc engine.
McQueen drove the race with a cast on his left foot because he broke it in a motorcycle accident. The cast was wrapped in asbestos cloth to protect it from the engine’s heat. After the event, the bonding company for his film “Le Mans” mandated that he stop racing, which McQueen was less than thrilled about. Footage from Sebring was used in the 1971 film. Revson, meanwhile, died four years later in a Formula 1 accident.
Porsche dominated at Sebring between 1978 and 1984 when the 590-hp, 2.85-liter six-cylinder turbo Porsche 935 took home the top prize seven consecutive times. More success followed over the following four years with the Porsche 962 in 1985 and the 680-hp, 2.85-liter six-cylinder turbo sports prototype from 1986-88.
In 1986, Hans Stuck co-drove the Sebring-winning No. 5 Porsche 962, with team owner and driver Bob Akin and Jo Gartner, culminating in a huge victory for the Bob Akin Motor Racing Team. Thirty years later, in 2016, the No. 5 car won the Amelia Island event’s esteemed Spirit of Sebring Award for the car best representing the spirit of the 12 Hours of Sebring race, according to Racer.
Following its 80s success, two decades passed before Porsche claimed another overall win—and it was a triumph. German Timo Bernhard and Frenchmen Romain Dumas and Emmanuel Collard drove the RS Spyder to victory in 2008. Competing in the LMP2 class, the car beat the fleet of racers in the faster LMP1 category, even though the 478-hp 3.4-liter V8 Spyder had 200 less horsepower. Reliability, shorter pit stops, and better fuel consumption set it apart from other sports prototypes. The car later defended its title during the American Le Mans Series.
As for 2023, the Type-992 Porsche 911 GT3 R clinched its first win in the GTD Pro class, according to Porsche. Drivers Klaus Bachler, Patrick Pilet and Laurens Vanthoor completed the race 2.7 seconds ahead of the Lexus RC F GT3. Unfortunately, the two Porsche 963s were bumped out of contention after sliding onto the grass when two other cars collided, and Felipe Nasar unavoidably struck his colleague’s Porsche 963. No drivers were injured. Vice President of Porsche Motorsport Thomas Laudenbach commented, “First and foremost, I’m relieved that all drivers walked away unscathed. We were so close to claiming our maiden win with the Porsche 963 and our Porsche Penske Motorsport factory squad.”
Sebring International Raceway is active over 300 days a year with a variety of club and corporate events, driving schools, racing schools, private testing, and more. 2022 was notable because a record number of type 992 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race cars warmed up at the raceway in a “dress rehearsal” before the all-Porsche championship season opener, according to Porsche. The pre-season, two-day test involved 41 vehicles and was “believed to be the single largest gathering of Porsche one-make cars from a single championship ever assembled.”
During Sebring’s early years, it held company alongside prestigious races such as the Mille Miglia, Targa Florio, and Carrera Panamericana, a testament to its status in the racing world. The 12 Hours of Sebring leads up to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and its technical track and uneven surface, mixed with the hot weather, make it a good vehicle testing ground for the legendary French event. Since one-third of the racetrack is made of concrete slabs, it’s a bumpy course, and drivers have to fluidly navigate the transition from concrete to asphalt with different types of grip. As a result, the hashtag #RespectTheBumps is a staple on many social media posts during Sebring season.
Fast facts about Sebring:
- The racetrack’s front straight contains the original concrete that was used in 1941 during construction of the Hendricks Field military base
- Celebrities who have driven in the 12 Hours of Sebring include Gene Hackman, James Brolin, Lorenzo Llamas, Paul Newman, David Carradine, and Walter Cronkite (who witnessed a fatality during his first practice lap three days prior to the race)
