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Porsche Penske Secures Early Lead in the 73rd Twelve Hours of Sebring Amidst Chaotic Start

Carl Harrison by Carl Harrison
March 15, 2025
in Motorsports
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0
Porsche Penske Secures Early Lead in the 73rd Twelve Hours of Sebring Amidst Chaotic Start

The Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, the esteemed endurance race, kicked off on a radiant sunny day at the iconic Sebring International Raceway. Tens of thousands of dedicated motorsports fans witnessed an adrenaline-charged start to the 73rd edition of the race.

Dries Vanthoor, piloting the No. 24 Team RLL BMW M Hybrid V8, led the pack of 56 cars to the green flag. However, an early faux pas saw Vanthoor penalized for a false start. The Belgian racing driver prematurely moved to the right even before he crossed the start/finish line, blocking the No. 60 MSR Acura driven by Tom Blomqvist. This drive-through penalty issued to Vanthoor saw him tumble down the order in the GTP class, leaving the No. 24 team with a significant setback to recover from.

The opening laps were not devoid of drama. A collision at turn three between the No. 18 Era Motorsport and No. 88 AF Corse ORECAs resulted in the race’s first Full Course Yellow. The No. 18 car, driven by Tobi Lutke, was stranded, while debris from the No. 88 car, helmed by Luis Perez Companc, littered the track.

There were further incidents. Brendon Iribe and Orey Fidani, both contenders for the Bob Akin Award, collided on the opening lap. The No. 70 Inception Racing Ferrari, driven by Iribe, was slapped with a drive-through penalty for knocking the No. 13 AWA Corvette, driven by Fidani, off the track.

Meanwhile, Pfaff Motorsports’ No. 9 Lamborghini, under the expert guidance of Andrea Caldarelli, encountered technical troubles with its torque sensor. After serving a mechanical black flag penalty and receiving a warning for not adhering to powertrain parameters, Caldarelli found himself two laps behind.

Twenty minutes into the race, polesitter Alessandro Pier Guidi, driving the No. 21 AF Corse Ferrari, spun off at turn 10 at an alarming speed. The incident forced the Ferrari out of the lead and required additional pit work to rectify a left-front brake issue. This mirrored a problem faced by the No. 45 Wayne Taylor Racing Lamborghini, the first GTD car to pit due to a left-rear brake issue.

Ricky Taylor, at the helm of the blue No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac, slipped down the order due to a throttle issue. However, the hiccup seemed to self-resolve, landing him in 12th place behind the Aston Martin THOR Team Valkyrie, which was holding a steady early pace.

Elsewhere on the track, the No. 66 Gradient Racing Mustang, driven by Till Bechtolsheimer, and the No. 73 Pratt Miller Motorsports ORECA, guided by Chris Cumming, clashed. The incident resulted in a spin for Cumming and a drive-through penalty for Bechtolsheimer.

A fresh wave of drama ensued when a cross-class collision occurred between Taylor’s No. 10 Cadillac and the No. 023 Triarsi Competizione Ferrari of Charles Scardina. The impact spun Scardina around, causing him to crash head-on into the barriers at turn 13. Luckily, Scardina was able to walk away from a severe collision.

In the meantime, Felipe Nasr, who managed to secure second place at the initial race start, now helms a Porsche Penske 1-2 in GTP. Nasr’s No. 7 Porsche 963 is leading the pack, followed by Mathieu Jaminet in the No. 6. The two Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-06es are holding the third and fourth positions, with Blomqvist at the helm of the No. 93, trailed by Renger van der Zande. Louis Deletraz is maintaining a fifth position in the No. 40 WTR Cadillac V-Series.R.

In the LMP2 class, polesitter Steven Thomas in the No. 11 TDS Racing ORECA 07 is leading the Bronze peers, ahead of Daniel Goldburg in the No. 22 United Autosports USA machine.

The GTD PRO class has seen DragonSpeed’s Ferrari and AO Racing’s ‘Rexy’ Porsche take the lead in the first hour. Albert Costa, driving the No. 81 296 GT3, has held the lead since the start, with Laurin Heinrich in the No. 77 911 GT3 R hot on his tail. Tommy Milner in the No. 4 Pratt Miller Motorsports Corvette Z06 GT3.R is holding third place.

The GTD lead was inherited by Philip Ellis and Winward Racing after Pier Guidi’s mishap. Ellis, in the No. 57 Mercedes-AMG GT3, is leading the charge against the tenacious Jack Hawksworth in the No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3.

The first hour of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring has proven to be a rollercoaster ride, setting the stage for an action-packed race. Stay tuned for further updates.

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