In March, the Porsche GT Team, the North American factory racing arm for the German marque, and privateer Porsche entrants were ready to “respect the bumps” of Sebring International Raceway at the annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. However, the COVID-19 crisis struck and forced the teams to remain locked-down and wondering what was next. What was next was a five-month wait for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship to return to Florida for its second race of the 2020 season – rescheduled to Daytona Beach, Florida where the sport had also opened its season in January. On July 18, three Porsche-built race cars will finally get their chance to unload at the 3.74-mile, 17-turn facility and challenge for multiple class victories. The Grand Prix of Sebring is a two-hour, 40-minute race taking the green flag at 5:35 p.m. ET/2:35 p.m. PT on Saturday. The 68th Running of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring has been rescheduled as the WeatherTech Championship season-finale on November 12 – 14.
Currently leading the GTLM class Drivers and Team Championship standings, the No. 912 driver pairing of Earl Bamber (New Zealand) and Laurens Vanthoor (Belgium) will attempt to move one position ahead of where they have placed the ca. 515 HP Porsche 911 RSR-19 race car in the last two events – up to first-place after second-place runs in both the 24-Hour and two-hour, 40-minute races at Daytona.
he No. 911 Porsche GT Team factory entry shared by Nick Tandy (Great Britain) and Frédéric Makowiecki (France) currently sits fourth in the Driver and Team competitions. Tandy has won the last two IMSA WeatherTech events at Sebring – both at the 12 Hours – and he and “Fred Mako” have finished in third-place in both events held this season. A win by either pairing would move the sports car maker from third-place in the Manufacturers’ standings into the championship lead. Porsche currently trails BMW and Chevrolet by one marker.
Wright Motorsports will continue to carry the Porsche banner in the customer-focused GTD category. The John Wright-lead organization is looking for a victory with Porsche factory driver Patrick Long (Manhattan Beach, California) and Ryan Hardwick (Atlanta, Georgia).
Practice for the third race of the North American sports car season begins Friday, July 17. A second practice and a qualifying session will build the intensity throughout the day to Saturday evening’s green flag. The race will be shown live on NBCSN beginning at 5:30 p.m. ET/ 2:30 p.m. PT