Race report

IMSA Sebring

Sebring 12H: Ganassi Cadillac overcomes late drama to win

Chip Ganassi Racing’s #02 car won the Sebring 12 Hours, the second round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, after an action-packed ending to the American sportscar classic.

Charles Bradley

Edited: Mar 20, 2022, 5:25 PM

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#02 Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac DPi: Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn, Neel Jani

Following a blisteringly hot spring day at the Florida venue, the battle in the overall DPi prototype class swung back and forth between Cadillac and Acura throughout the day. Acura held a 1-2 for a time in the heat of the afternoon, but as high daytime temperatures receded the Cadillacs showed their true dominance at the business end in the darkness.

After its pole-sitting #1 Cadillac DPi-V.R hit transmission dramas from the opening lap, Ganassi’s #02 car – shared by Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn and Neel Jani – hit the front just as the sun went down and the longest green flag run of the race occurred.

There was late drama, however, when Bamber – who had just taken over the #02 – clipped the #13 AWA Duqueine LMP3 car into a spin with just over an hour remaining.

That lost his lead to the JDC-Miller MotorSports example of Richard Westbrook, in which he was partnered by Loic Duval and Tristan Vautier.

Bamber quickly set about atoning for his error and chased down Westbrook, retaking the top spot with 58 minutes to go. Astonishingly, further around the lap, Bamber then clipped a GTD Ferrari and spun, handing the lead back to Westbrook.

Bamber had to overturn a 6.5s deficit to Westbrook and passed him again with 45 minutes left on the clock, as 'Westie' came across a wayward GTD car.

“We didn’t have anything with the #02 but we have an issue that all the vents are blocked, so we could only do single stints,” revealed Westbrook, whose car finished second in Vautier’s hands.

Acura's challenge imploded, most notably when Will Stevens rejoined his Wayne Taylor Racing ARX-05 via the wrong pit exit – using the lane reserved for the penalty box and not the RFID gate – which led to a costly drive-through penalty.

The Meyer Shank Racing Rolex 24-winning version of Oliver Jarvis, Tom Blomqvist and Stoffel Vandoorne was delayed when Vandoorne was attacked by the #31 Action Express Racing Cadillac of Pipo Derani.

AXR's #31 car shared by Derani, Tristan Nunez and Conway recovered from that spin, and one earlier by Conway, to complete an all-Cadillac top three ahead of the #10 WTR Acura of Ricky Taylor, Filipe Albuquerque and Stevens and MSR’s #60 car.

The other Action Express Caddy, the endurance-only #48 Ally Racing car, suffered a left-front brake disc failure with two hours to go, dropping it to sixth.

#52 PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports Oreca LMP2 07: Ben Keating, Mikkel Jensen, Scott Huffaker

Photo by: Jake Galstad / Motorsport Images

In LMP2, the PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Oreca of Scott Huffaker, Ben Keating and Mikkel Jensen, dominated from start to finish, winning the class by a full lap.

Racing Team Nederland trio Giedo van der Garde, Frits van Eerd and Dylan Murry finished second, ahead of Era Motorsport’s Ryan Dalziel, Kyle Tilley and Dwight Merriman.

In LMP3, the Sean Creech Motorsports Ligier of Malthe Jakobsen, Joao Barbosa and Lance Willsey held off the Jr III Racing version of Garrett Grist, Dakota Dickerson and Ari Balogh by some 48s.

Reigning class champion team Riley Motorsports’ race was ruined when the car driven by Felipe Fraga, Gar Robinson and Kay van Berlo hit a Porsche GTD car and split its radiator.

Corvette wins in GTD Pro

In GTD Pro there was some sensational racing as Chevrolet, BMW, Porsche, Lexus and Lamborghini all fought hard near the head of the class.

Corvette led the majority of the race, and its single-car attack was anchored by an impressive triple stint from Nicky Catsburg in the heat of the afternoon. His teammate Antonio Garcia brought the C8.R home to class victory after some solid stints from Jordan Taylor too.

#3 Corvette Racing Corvette C8.R GTD: Antonio Garcia, Jordan Taylor, Nicky Catsburg

Photo by: Jake Galstad / Motorsport Images

The #24 Rahal-run BMW M4 GT3 was its closest challenger until it was forced into an extra pitstop to top-up on oil, which allowed the TR3 Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo of Mirko Bortolotti, Andrea Calderelli and Marco Mapelli to take second, just four seconds behind the Corvette.

Lexus was on course to claim third until late drama struck the Vasser Sullivan RC F GT3 shared by Jack Hawksworth, Ben Barnicoat and Aaron Telitz, which handed the final podium spot to the WeatherTech Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Jules Gounon, Maro Engel and Cooper MacNeil.

That also left the ailing BMW of Philipp Eng, Marco Wittmann and Nick Yelloly fourth ahead of the Pfaff Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R of Felipe Nasr, Matt Campbell and Mathieu Jaminet.

In the Pro-Am GTD class, Bill Auberlen was denied victory in his 500th start for BMW in Turner Motorsports’ new M4. Having earlier been savaged into a spin by Antonio Fuoco’s Cetilar Racing Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo, the Italian proved to be his nemesis by coming back from the penalty to pass the American for the lead in the final hour.

#47 Cetilar Racing Ferrari 488 GT3: Roberto Lacorte, Giorgio Sernagiotto, Antonio Fuoco

Photo by: Chris duMond / Motorsport Images

The Cetilar Ferrari, also driven by Roberto Lacorte and Giorgio Sernagiotto, had spun twice earlier – including one off that damaged its door against the tyrewall at Turn 1 – but proved quickest in class by far when it stayed on the road.

The Auberlen, Robby Foley and Michael Dinan-driven BMW fell to fourth in the closing stages, as Auberlen risked going over his maximum drive time.

That dropped the Turner car behind the Gilbert Korthoff Mercedes of Daniel Juncadella, Stevan McAleer and Mike Skeen and the AF Corse Ferrari of Luis Perez Companc, Toni Vilander and Simon Mann that rounded out the podium.

Race results:

Cla Class Num Driver Chassis Laps Time 1 DPi 02 New Zealand Earl Bamber
United Kingdom Alex Lynn
Switzerland Neel Jani Cadillac DPi 351 2 DPi 5 France Tristan Vautier
Richard Westbrook
France Loic Duval Cadillac DPi 351 6.471 3 DPi 31 Brazil Pipo Derani
United States Tristan Nunez
Mike Conway Cadillac DPi 351 14.616 4 DPi 10 Ricky Taylor
Portugal Filipe Albuquerque
United Kingdom Will Stevens Acura DPi 351 26.958 5 DPi 60 Oliver Jarvis
Tom Blomqvist
Belgium Stoffel Vandoorne Acura DPi 351 27.621 6 DPi 48 Germany Mike Rockenfeller
Japan Kamui Kobayashi
Argentina Jose Maria Lopez Cadillac DPi 346 5 laps 7 LMP2 52 United States Ben Keating
Denmark Mikkel Jensen
Scott Huffaker ORECA LMP2 07 345 6 laps 8 LMP2 29 Netherlands Frits van Eerd
Giedo van der Garde
Dylan Murry ORECA LMP2 07 344 7 laps 9 LMP2 18 Dwight Merriman
United Kingdom Kyle Tilley
Ryan Dalziel ORECA LMP2 07 344 7 laps 10 LMP2 11 Steven Thomas
United States Josh Pierson
Jonathan Bomarito ORECA LMP2 07 343 8 laps 11 LMP2 22 Jim McGuire
Guy Smith
Duncan Tappy ORECA LMP2 07 342 9 laps 12 LMP2 20 Denmark Dennis Andersen
Denmark Anders Fjordbach
Switzerland Fabio Scherer ORECA LMP2 07 340 11 laps 13 LMP3 33 Portugal Joao Barbosa
Malthe Jakobsen
United States Lance Willsey Ligier JS P320 331 20 laps 14 LMP3 30 Ari Balogh
Canada Garett Grist
Dakota Dickerson Ligier JS P320 331 20 laps 15 LMP3 38 Daniel Goldburg
Sweden Rasmus Lindh
Australia Cameron Shields Ligier JS P320 323 28 laps 16 GTD PRO 3 Spain Antonio Garcia
Jordan Taylor
Netherlands Nick Catsburg Corvette C8.R GTD 323 28 laps 17 GTD PRO 63 Italy Marco Mapelli
Italy Andrea Caldarelli
Italy Mirko Bortolotti Lamborghini Huracan GT3 323 28 laps 18 GTD PRO 97 United States Cooper MacNeil
France Jules Gounon
Germany Maro Engel Mercedes-AMG GT3 322 29 laps 19 GTD PRO 24 Austria Philipp Eng
Germany Marco Wittmann
United Kingdom Nick Yelloly BMW M4 GT3 322 29 laps 20 GTD PRO 9 Australia Matt Campbell
France Mathieu Jaminet
Brazil Felipe Nasr Porsche 911 GT3 R 322 29 laps 21 GTD PRO 79 United States Cooper MacNeil
France Julien Andlauer
Belgium Alessio Picariello Porsche 911 GT3 R 322 29 laps 22 GTD 47 Italy Roberto Lacorte
Italy Giorgio Sernagiotto
Italy Antonio Fuoco Ferrari 488 GT3 321 30 laps 23 GTD 32 Mike Skeen
United Kingdom Stevan McAleer
Spain Daniel Juncadella Mercedes-AMG GT3 321 30 laps 24 GTD 21 France Simon Mann
Argentina Luis Perez Companc
Finland Toni Vilander Ferrari 488 GT3 321 30 laps 25 GTD 96 United States Robby Foley
Bill Auberlen
Michael Dinan BMW M4 GT3 321 30 laps 26 GTD PRO 14 United Kingdom Jack Hawksworth
Ben Barnicoat
Aaron Telitz Lexus RC F GT3 320 31 laps 27 GTD PRO 93 Ashton Harrison-Henry
Canada Kyle Marcelli
Tom Long Acura NSX GT3 320 31 laps 28 GTD 70 Brendan Iribe
Ollie Millroy
South Africa Jordan Lee Pepper McLaren 720S GT3 320 31 laps 29 GTD 44 United States John Potter
Andy Lally
Spencer Pumpelly Aston Martin Vantage GT3 319 32 laps 30 LMP3 13 Canada Orey Fidani
Canada Kuno Wittmer
Germany Lars Kern Duqueine D08 319 32 laps 31 GTD PRO 62 Brazil Daniel Serra
Italy Davide Rigon
Italy Eddie Cheever III Ferrari 488 GT3 318 33 laps 32 GTD 12 United States Frankie Montecalvo
Australia Scott Andrews
Richard Heistand Lexus RC F GT3 318 33 laps 33 GTD 99 Rob Ferriol
United Kingdom Katherine Legge
Stefan Wilson Porsche 911 GT3 R 318 33 laps 34 LMP3 54 Jon Bennett
Colin Braun
George Kurtz Ligier JS P320 308 43 laps 35 DPi 01 Netherlands Renger van der Zande
France Sébastien Bourdais
United States Ryan Hunter-Reay Cadillac DPi 307 44 laps 36 GTD 28 Michael de Quesada
Canada Daniel Morad
Maximillian Goetz Mercedes-AMG GT3 306 45 laps 37 GTD 16 Ryan Hardwick
Canada Zacharie Robichon
Belgium Jan Heylen Porsche 911 GT3 R 305 46 laps 38 GTD 66 Kyffin Simpson
Till Bechtolsheimer
Germany Mario Farnbacher Acura NSX GT3 305 46 laps 39 GTD 57 United States Russell Ward
Switzerland Philip Ellis
Germany Marvin Dienst Mercedes-AMG GT3 287 64 laps 40 GTD 39 Robert Megennis
Corey Lewis
Jeff Westphal Lamborghini Huracan GT3 287 64 laps 41 GTD 59 Jon Miller
Patrick Gallagher
Paul Holton McLaren 720S GT3 276 75 laps 42 LMP3 40 Max Hanratty
Todd Archer
Canada James Vance Duqueine D08 262 89 laps 43 GTD 27 Canada Roman De Angelis
United Kingdom Ian James
Tom Gamble Aston Martin Vantage GT3 256 95 laps 44 GTD 1 United States Bryan Sellers
Madison Snow
Sweden Erik Johansson BMW M4 GT3 256 95 laps 45 GTD PRO 25 Connor de Phillippi
John Edwards
Brazil Augusto Farfus BMW M4 GT3 246 105 laps 46 LMP3 74 Gar Robinson
Brazil Felipe Fraga
Netherlands Kay van Berlo Ligier JS P320 232 119 laps 47 GTD PRO 23 United Kingdom Ross Gunn
Spain Alex Riberas
Belgium Maxime Martin Aston Martin Vantage GT3 230 121 laps 48 LMP2 8 Canada John Farano
Switzerland Louis Deletraz
Portugal Rui Andrade ORECA LMP2 07 220 131 laps 49 LMP3 7 United States Mark Kvamme
Canada Anthony Mantella Duqueine D08 204 147 laps 50 LMP3 6 Efrin Castro
Germany Moritz Kranz
Ugo De Duqueine D08 128 223 laps 51 GTD 42 Don Yount
Jaden Conwright
Guatemala Mateo Llarena Lamborghini Huracan GT3 105 246 laps 52 LMP2 81 Sweden Henrik Hedman
Colombia Juan Pablo Montoya
Sebastian Montoya ORECA LMP2 07 83 268 laps 53 LMP3 36 United States Jarett Andretti
Josh Burdon
Gabby Chaves Ligier JS P320 1 350 laps View full results

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