2022 12 Hours of Sebring
The 2022 12 Hours of Sebring (formally known as the 70th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Advance Auto Parts) was an endurance sports car race held at Sebring International Raceway near Sebring, Florida from 16 to 19 March 2022. It was the second round of both the 2022 IMSA SportsCar Championship and the Michelin Endurance Cup. JDC-Mustang Sampling Racing entered as the defending overall winners of the 12-hour event.
Background
2022 marked the return of the "Super Sebring" weekend, in which both the IMSA SportsCar Championship and FIA World Endurance Championship would compete during the same weekend; the 12 hour event joining the 1000 Miles of Sebring.[1] Last held in 2019, the WEC round was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.[2] The 2022 date also fell on the same weekend as the IndyCar Series round at Texas Motor Speedway, prompting several full-time IndyCar competitors to vacate their seats for the event.[3]
On March 9, 2022, IMSA released the latest technical bulletin outlining Balance of Performance for the event.[4] Changes were made from the BoP tables most recently established at the 2021 season-ending Petit Le Mans, as the 24 Hours of Daytona featured its own unique BoP tables.[5] No changes were made across the three prototype classes, while several changes were made in GTD and GTD Pro. The Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 was given a 20 kilogram weight reduction as well as turbo boost tweaks, while the new BMW M4 GT3 and Chevrolet Corvette C8.R (in GTD trim) were given 5 and 20 kilogram weight reductions respectively following the 24 Hours of Daytona. The McLaren 720S GT3 received a slight turbo boost reduction, while the Lexus RC F GT3 received a minor horsepower increase. The Mercedes-AMG GT3 received a 10 kilogram weight reduction. On Friday morning, the Corvette received a mid-event adjustment, gaining 20 additional horsepower and a fuel capacity increase of 4 liters.[6]
Supporting the race during the week were IMSA's Michelin Pilot Challenge and Porsche Carrera Cup North America.[7]
Entries
A total of 53 cars took part in the event, split across five classes. 7 were entered in DPi, 8 in LMP2, 10 in LMP3, 11 in GTD Pro, and 17 in GTD.
All seven cars which contested the season-opening 24 Hours of Daytona returned, albeit with altered driver lineups. Neel Jani was drafted in to replace Kevin Magnussen in Chip Ganassi Racing's #02 entry, with Magnussen rejoining Haas F1 Team following the departure of Nikita Mazepin.[8] Meyer Shank Racing's Hélio Castroneves was replaced by Stoffel Vandoorne due to the former's IndyCar commitments,[9] while Ryan Hunter-Reay (Chip Ganassi Racing)[10] and José María López (Ally Cadillac Racing)[11] replaced Scott Dixon and Jimmie Johnson respectively for the same reason. LMP2 saw eight of the ten entries return, with G-Drive Racing by APR's pair of entries being the lone absence. In LMP3, Mühlner Motorsport dropped to a single entry, while Jr III Racing[12] and FastMD Racing made their 2022 debuts, boosting the class to 10 entries.
GTD Pro saw the introduction of Racers Edge Motorsports and their Acura NSX GT3 Evo22,[13] while WeatherTech Racing returned with their #97 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo following a planned one-off at the 24 Hours of Daytona.[14] Aaron Telitz also replaced Texas-bound Kyle Kirkwood in the #12 Lexus, while Scott Andrews filled Telitz's seat in the #14.[15] The absence of KCMG's Porsche, the #4 Corvette, and WeatherTech Racing's #15 Mercedes saw the entry list fall to 11.
17 cars were listed in GTD, five fewer than the field that contested the 24 Hours of Daytona. Paul Miller Racing made their 2022 debut,[16] while entries from Team TGM, TR3 Racing, GMG Racing, T3 Motorsport, SunEnergy1 Racing, and Northwest AMR were dropped.
Qualifying
Qualifying results
Pole positions in each class are indicated in bold and by 
.
| Pos. | Class | No. | Team | Driver | Time | Gap | Grid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DPi | 01 | Cadillac Racing | Sébastien Bourdais | 1:45.166 | _ | 1 |
| 2 | DPi | 31 | Whelen Engineering Racing | Pipo Derani | 1:45.192 | +0.026 | 2 |
| 3 | DPi | 10 | Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 | Ricky Taylor | 1:45.301 | +0.135 | 3 |
| 4 | DPi | 02 | Cadillac Racing | Alex Lynn | 1:45.323 | +0.157 | 4 |
| 5 | DPi | 48 | Ally Cadillac Racing | Mike Rockenfeller | 1:45.576 | +0.410 | 5 |
| 6 | DPi | 60 | Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb-Agajanian | Tom Blomqvist | 1:45.576 | +0.410 | 6 |
| 7 | LMP2 | 52 | PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports | Ben Keating | 1:49.954 | +4.788 | 8 |
| 8 | LMP2 | 81 | DragonSpeed USA | Henrik Hedman | 1:50.592 | +5.426 | 9 |
| 9 | LMP2 | 11 | PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports | Steven Thomas | 1:50.732 | +5.566 | 15[lower-alpha 1] |
| 10 | DPi | 5 | JDC-Miller MotorSports | Tristan Vautier | 1:51.338 | +6.172 | 7 |
| 11 | LMP2 | 18 | Era Motorsport | Dwight Merriman | 1:51.584 | +6.418 | 10 |
| 12 | LMP2 | 29 | Racing Team Nederland | Frits van Eerd | 1:51.679 | +6.513 | 11 |
| 13 | LMP2 | 8 | Tower Motorsport | John Farano | 1:51.890 | +6.724 | 12 |
| 14 | LMP2 | 20 | High Class Racing | Dennis Andersen | 1:52.507 | +7.341 | 13 |
| 15 | LMP2 | 22 | United Autosports | James McGuire | 1:53.209 | +8.043 | 14 |
| 16 | LMP3 | 74 | Riley Motorsports | Gar Robinson | 1:57.048 | +11.882 | 16 |
| 17 | LMP3 | 36 | Andretti Autosport | Jarett Andretti | 1:57.083 | +11.917 | 17 |
| 18 | LMP3 | 6 | Mühlner Motorsports America | Harry Gottsacker | 1:57.610 | +12.444 | 18 |
| 19 | LMP3 | 40 | FastMD Racing | Max Hanratty | 1:57.719 | +12.553 | 19 |
| 20 | LMP3 | 38 | Performance Tech Motorsports | Dan Goldburg | 1:58.087 | +12.921 | 20 |
| 21 | LMP3 | 54 | CORE Autosport | George Kurtz | 1:58.717 | +13.551 | 21 |
| 22 | GTD Pro | 62 | Risi Competizione | Daniel Serra | 1:59.414 | +14.248 | 26 |
| 23 | GTD Pro | 63 | TR3 Racing | Mirko Bortolotti | 1:59.431 | +14.265 | 27 |
| 24 | GTD | 16 | Wright Motorsports | Zacharie Robichon | 1:59.763 | +14.597 | 28 |
| 25 | LMP3 | 33 | Sean Creech Motorsport | Lance Willsey | 1:59.781 | +14.615 | 22 |
| 26 | GTD | 96 | Turner Motorsport | Robby Foley | 1:59.788 | +14.622 | 29 |
| 27 | GTD | 57 | Winward Racing | Russell Ward | 1:59.848 | +14.682 | 53[lower-alpha 2] |
| 28 | GTD | 1 | Paul Miller Racing | Madison Snow | 1:59.898 | +14.732 | 30 |
| 29 | GTD | 47 | Cetilar Racing | Giorgio Sernagiotto | 1:59.917 | +14.751 | 31 |
| 30 | GTD Pro | 3 | Corvette Racing | Antonio García | 1:59.927 | +14.761 | 32 |
| 31 | GTD Pro | 23 | Heart of Racing Team | Alex Riberas | 1:59.957 | +14.791 | 33 |
| 32 | GTD Pro | 9 | Pfaff Motorsports | Matt Campbell | 1:59.982 | +14.816 | 34 |
| 33 | GTD Pro | 14 | Vasser Sullivan Racing | Aaron Telitz | 2:00.002 | +14.836 | 35 |
| 34 | GTD Pro | 24 | BMW Team RLL | Nick Yelloly | 2:00.031 | +14.865 | 36 |
| 35 | GTD | 32 | Gilbert Korthoff Motorsports | Mike Skeen | 2:00.176 | +15.010 | 37 |
| 36 | GTD | 21 | AF Corse | Simon Mann | 2:00.203 | +15.037 | 38 |
| 37 | LMP3 | 30 | Jr III Racing | Ari Balogh | 2:00.230 | +15.064 | 23 |
| 38 | GTD Pro | 25 | BMW Team RLL | Augusto Farfus | 2:00.460 | +15.294 | 39 |
| 39 | LMP3 | 13 | AWA | Orey Fidani | 2:00.487 | +15.321 | 24 |
| 40 | GTD Pro | 93 | WTR - Racers Edge Motorsports | Kyle Marcelli | 2:00.605 | +15.439 | 40 |
| 41 | LMP3 | 7 | Forty7 Motorsports | Anthony Mantella | 2:00.624 | +15.458 | 25 |
| 42 | GTD | 28 | Alegra Motorsports | Michael de Quesada | 2:00.919 | +15.753 | 41 |
| 43 | GTD Pro | 79 | WeatherTech Racing | Julien Andlauer | 2:00.951 | +15.785 | 42 |
| 44 | GTD | 59 | Crucial Motorsports | Jon Miller | 2:01.287 | +16.121 | 43 |
| 45 | GTD | 66 | Gradient Racing | Till Bechtolsheimer | 2:01.352 | +16.186 | 44 |
| 46 | GTD | 12 | Vasser Sullivan Racing | Frankie Montecalvo | 2:01.536 | +16.370 | 45 |
| 47 | GTD Pro | 97 | WeatherTech Racing | Cooper MacNeil | 2:01.947 | +16.781 | 46 |
| 48 | GTD | 39 | CarBahn with Peregrine Racing | Robert Megennis | 2:01.973 | +16.807 | 47 |
| 49 | GTD | 27 | Heart of Racing Team | Ian James | 2:02.271 | +17.105 | 48 |
| 50 | GTD | 42 | NTE Sport/SSR | Don Yount | 2:05.834 | +20.668 | 49 |
| — | GTD | 44 | Magnus Racing | No Time Established[lower-alpha 3] | 50 | ||
| — | GTD | 70 | Inception Racing | Did Not Participate | 51 | ||
| — | GTD | 99 | Team Hardpoint | Did Not Participate | 52[lower-alpha 4] | ||
| QUALIFYING RESULTS STARTING GRID | |||||||
- The no. 11 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports entry was moved to the rear of the LMP2 classification due to a technical infraction.
- The no. 57 Winward Racing entry was moved to the rear of the GTD classification after the car failed to meet the minimum ride height after qualifying.
- The no. 44 Magnus Racing entry had its two fastest laps invalidated for causing a red flag during the qualifying session.
- The no. 99 Team Hardpoint entry was moved to the rear of the GTD classification after undergoing a chassis change following qualifying.
Results
Race
Class winners are denoted in bold and .
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References
- "WEC: 2022 CALENDAR REVEALED". fia.com. August 20, 2021. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
- Goodwin, Graham (March 29, 2021). "Sebring Confirm WEC Return In 2022". dailysportscar.com. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
- Pruett, Marshall (February 3, 2022). "Sebring/Texas clash puts IndyCar's IMSA moonlighters at a crossroads". racer.com. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
- "TB-IWSC-22-13-Sebring-12-hour-BoP-03092022.pdf" (PDF). imsa.com. March 9, 2022. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
- Dagys, John (March 10, 2022). "IMSA Sets Starting BoP Ahead of Sebring". sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
- Dagys, John (March 18, 2022). "Corvette Gets Mid-Event BoP Break". sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
- "Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Advance Auto Parts". imsa.com. International Motor Sports Association, LLC.
- Lloyd, Daniel (March 14, 2022). "Jani Replaces Magnussen in Ganassi's Sebring Lineup". sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
- Dagys, John (February 24, 2022). "Vandoorne Replaces Castroneves in MSR Acura for Sebring". sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
- Dagys, John (February 15, 2022). "Hunter-Reay to Replace Dixon at CGR for Sebring". sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
- Allaway, Phil (February 17, 2022). "Jose Maria Lopez Tapped to Replace Jimmie Johnson at Sebring". frontstretch.com. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
- Lloyd, Daniel (February 28, 2022). "Jr III Racing Signs IPC Champion Dickerson for Sebring". sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
Sebring marks the first WeatherTech Championship appearance of Jr III Racing, which skipped the Rolex 24 at Daytona since that race didn't pay out full-season LMP3 points.
- Dagys, John (February 4, 2022). "Racers Edge, WTR to Run GTD Pro Acura at Sebring". sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
- Lloyd, Daniel (March 1, 2022). "WeatherTech Mercedes-AMG Brought Back for Sebring". sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
- Dagys, John (March 9, 2022). "Andrews Drafted into Vasser Sullivan Lineup for Sebring". sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
- Goodwin, Graham (March 15, 2022). "Paul Miller Racing Set To Debut New BMW M4 GT3". dailysportscar.com. Retrieved March 15, 2022.