In a stunning display of skill and strategy, Dries Vanthoor swept to victory, clinching the pole position at the 73rd annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. This victory is particularly notable as it marks Vanthoor’s first race at the Sebring International Raceway. Vanthoor, Philipp Eng and Kevin Magnussen will spearhead the 56-car field in tomorrow’s race, proudly representing Team RLL BMW M Hybrid V8 in the No. 24 car. This year’s race also commemorates the 50th anniversaries of BMW North America and the German manufacturer’s first Sebring win, which the team is celebrating with a special livery.
However, the qualifying rounds were not without their share of drama. Jack Aitken, from Cadillac Whelen, faced a crushing setback as his No. 31 Cadillac faltered at pit exit. Despite multiple attempts to kickstart the vehicle, Aitken was forced to pull off course, triggering a red flag.
When the green flag was raised again, less than five minutes remained on the clock, leaving the remaining 12 drivers scrambling to warm their tires and set their fastest laps. Vanthoor emerged victorious, clocking in at 1m47.091s, securing his second consecutive GTP pole win.
Tom Blomqvist, who was initially poised to secure the pole, fell to second place, just 25 milliseconds behind Vanthoor. He drove the No. 60 Acura Meyer Shank Racing ARX-06 to a close second with a timing of 1m47.116s.
The second row of the grid will see the two Porsche Penske Motorsport 963s, with Felipe Nasr in the No.7 earning third place and Mathieu Jaminet in the No.6 securing fourth. Neel Jani, a seasoned veteran, clocked in the fifth-fastest time in the No. 5 Proton Competition Porsche, closely followed by Renger van der Zande in the No. 93 MSR Acura.
The rest of the GTP field remained within 2.3s of the pole time, with Romain Grosjean’s No. 63 Lamborghini Squadra Corse SC63 and Ross Gunn’s No. 23 Aston Martin THOR Team Valkyrie clinching 11th and 12th places respectively. Aitken’s No. 31 Whelen Cadillac will start from the rear of the GTP grid in 13th place.
In another notable showdown, Steven Thomas of TDS Racing bagged the pole in the No. 11 ORECA 07, demonstrating that their impressive practice laps could indeed translate into qualifying success.
The GT classes saw a Ferrari 296 GT3 sweep, with Albert Costa securing the GTD PRO pole in the No. 81 DragonSpeed Ferrari 296 GT3. Costa maintained a firm grip on his lead throughout his 15-minute session, successfully fending off challenges from Laurin Heinrich, Neil Verhagen, and Dan Harper.
Finally, in the GTD class, Alessandro Pier Guidi triumphed by taking the pole position with a thrilling lap time of 1m59.131s in the No. 21 AF Corse Ferrari.
The exhilarating Sebring 12 Hours race commences tomorrow at 10:10am ET and will be streamed live on Peacock in the U.S. and on the IMSA YouTube Channel for international viewers. Buckle up for a high-octane showdown of speed and strategy as the world’s finest racers battle it out on the famed Sebring International Raceway.
