The 73rd Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring has reached its halfway point, and the No. 7 Penske Porsche has surged into the lead in the final moments of the race. Felipe Nasr made a bold move to overtake the No. 31 Cadillac Whelen V-Series.R driven by Earl Bamber at Turn 10, effectively breaking Cadillac’s stronghold on the competition in recent hours.
Porsche Penske’s No. 6 car is holding strong in third place, with Mathieu Jaminet defending the position against Kevin Magnussen in the No. 24 Team RLL BMW M Hybrid V8. Renger van der Zande sits in fifth place, aiming to make up ground after receiving a drive-through penalty due to an unattended tire during a pit stop. The No. 93 Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-06 currently holds the fifth position, closely followed by Tom Blomqvist in the No. 60.
Meanwhile, the No. 23 Aston Martin THOR Team Valkyrie is showcasing impressive speed in eighth place, trailing the No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche.
In the LMP2 category, CrowdStrike Racing by APR has taken a commanding lead, with the No. 04 ORECA 07 car maintaining a 40-second advantage over the No. 22 United Autosports USA car driven by Rasmus Lindh. Tom Dillmann in the No. 43 Inter Europol Competition car is in third place.
Notably, CrowdStrike/APR and Inter Europol are employing different strategies compared to the two United Autosports cars, with Juan Manuel Correa’s No. 2 car currently in fourth place. On the other hand, the No. 73 Pratt Miller Motorsports ORECA has faced setbacks, spending considerable time in the garage to address an oil leak issue.
In the GTD PRO class, the No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 EVO has taken the lead thanks to efficient pit work. Connor De Phillippi holds a 2-second lead over Mike Rockenfeller in the No. 64 Ford Multimatic Motorsports Mustang GT3. The competition remains fierce, with the No. 4 Pratt Miller Motorsports Corvette Z06 GT3.R driven by Nicky Catsburg trailing closely behind.
Korthoff Competition made strategic pit decisions that paid off, propelling the No. 32 Mercedes-AMG GT3 into the lead in the GTD class. Kenton Koch is leading the pack, followed by Tom Gamble in the No. 27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3.
Notable achievements in the race include Russell Ward placing the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG in third place, ahead of Simon Mann in the No. 21 AF Corse Ferrari.
As the intense competition unfolded, Wayne Taylor Racing’s Brendon Hartley encountered an accident, crashing the No. 40 Cadillac V-Series.R. The incident occurred when Hartley overshot the entry into Sunset Bend, causing damage to the front-left of the vehicle. Despite driving the car back to the pits for repairs, a penalty stop was required due to exceeding the permitted emergency service time.
In the final hour, several GTD cars experienced tire issues, impacting their positions in the race. The challenges faced by drivers like James Hinchcliffe and Rodrigo Sales highlighted the physical demands of endurance racing, with Hinchcliffe narrowly avoiding injury during a pit stop mishap.
Earlier in the race, Michelin Endurance Cup points were awarded at the four-hour mark. Teams like the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac, No. 60 MSR Acura, and No. 93 Acura earned points in the GTP category. In LMP2, the No. 11 TDS ORECA and the United Autosports cars secured top positions, while the GTD PRO and GTD classes witnessed fierce competition for additional Endurance points.
The Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring continues to deliver thrilling moments and unpredictable outcomes, keeping fans and drivers on the edge of their seats as the race unfolds.
