On March 15, 1952, racing promoter and sports car aficionado Alec Ullmann hosted the inaugural 12 Hours of Sebring, the first sports car endurance race in the United States.
the No. 14 Porsche 917 at the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1970. (Bill Oursler photo)
The event was run on a 5.2-mile circuit at Hendricks Field, a decommissioned World War II B-17 training base near Sebring, Fla. It was won by Harry Grey and Larry Kulok, who completed 145 laps driving a Frazer-Nash.
On March 19, 2022, longtime race track executive Wayne Estes and his team at Sebring Int’l Raceway will host the 70th running of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, as America’s oldest endurance race achieves another milestone in its storied history.
“I grew up reading car magazines and the races at that time were the Indianapolis 500, the Daytona 500, the Pikes Peak Hill Climb and the 12 Hours of Sebring,” said Estes, who has been president and general manager of the Sebring track since 2015. “As a kid in the United States, those were the four races that mattered. This place was a bucket list stop for me before I ever knew what a bucket list was.”
In addition to being one of the most popular sports car races in the world, Sebring’s annual 12-hour classic is known for its party atmosphere.
“When I was hired to come down here, Scott Atherton (former IMSA president) told me that half the people here were sports car enthusiasts and half the people here were just really annoyed that the sound of all the race cars interrupted the party. I’ve found that not necessarily true,” Estes told SPEED SPORT. “The people who are out here to party are some of the most knowledgeable sports car fans you’ve ever seen. They have been coming for years.
“On the mornings that we open our gates, I’ll stand out at the front gate and greet as many people as possible as they come through. Everybody wants to roll down the window of their car, their truck, their camper, and almost everyone says how many years they’ve been coming. They’ll tell you, ‘Been here for 16 years.’ ‘Been here for 22 years.’ ‘Been here for 35 years.’ One guy comes to me and says, ‘My first race was 1965.’ You love hearing that because these people are passionate about this event, about sports car racing, about motor racing in general.”
But what makes Sebring’s 12-hour race such a popular destination among sports car fans?
Porsche 911 GT was driven by Jan Heylen, Madison Snow and Emilio Valverde. (IMSA photo)
“It probably has as much to do with the rich history that is on these grounds. There are a lot of places where A.J. Foyt and Mario Andretti raced, but when you get into Juan Manuel Fangio, who not only raced here but won here,” Estes explained. “It’s a place where the Maseratis ran. This place isn’t like any other. The tag line here is that it’s the Birthplace of American Endurance Racing. It is where the first endurance race happened on this side of the globe, the entire western hemisphere. But it’s also where the first Trans-Am race ran. There are a number of different events that happened here for the first time. This place has so much history attached to it.
“Then, what has happened here lately is you still have that same old, rough race track. The same runways they use to land B-17s on have not been fixed up very much to accommodate these prototypes. You watch these cars bounce through the corners and people just love it. They love seeing racing the way it was in the earliest stages with the contemporary cars,” Estes continued. “Last year’s race with Sebastian Bourdais, driving pretty much a wrecked race car, trying to cling to a lead with two guys breathing down his neck, and watching him bounce that car through the corners with no rear spoiler to speak of — the spoiler had fallen off the car — and he comes home and wins the race. Things like that happen here. It’s not just the history of the past, but the history that’s made here every time we open the gates.”
As part of the festivities surrounding the 70th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, two-time race winner Jacky Ickx is scheduled to serve as grand marshal and he’ll be among those inducted into the Sebring Hall of Fame.
The weekend also includes a 1,000-mile race for the cars and stars of the World Endurance Championship on Friday, March 18.
“More people want to come be a part of an event where they can see not only all the cars that ran at the Rolex, but also all of the cars that will run at Le Mans,” Estes noted. “They are all in our paddock and our paddock is wide open. Spectators know they can come here and rub elbows with drivers, teams and see the cars up close.”