12H Sebring: Two Bernese in a celebratory mood

SUCCESSES FOR JANI AND TRUMMER Two of the three Swiss drivers were able to celebrate after the 12 Hours of Sebring. Simon Trummer took victory and the Endurance title in the LMP2 class, Neel Jani with Porsche his first GT podium at the first attempt. In an extremely exciting race held in the heart of Florida in beautiful late summer weather, the lead changed hands throughout the [...]

Editorial - November 15, 2020

Jonathan Bomarito, Harry Tincknell and Ryan Hunter-Reay gave Mazda Motorsport a big win at Sebring. Behind them was the second Mazda DPi (Photos: LAT and Porsche).

In an extremely exciting race held in the heart of Florida in beautiful late summer weather, the lead changed no fewer than 34 times over the course of the twelve hours. Each of the eight trios from IMSA's premier Daytona Prototype (DPi) class was ahead at some point.

In the end, Mazda Motorsports had the best finish by ten seconds over Acura Team Penske. The second Mazda DPi finished close behind in third, with the often winning Cadillac DPi taking the next four places.

The traditional and oldest endurance race in the USA had to be postponed from mid-March to mid-November due to the Corona pandemic. The next 12 Hours of Sebring is scheduled to take place again in March 2021.

LMP2 victory and Endurance title for Simon Trummer
The first sports car under LMP2 regulations followed in ninth position - with Simon Trummer at the wheel. With the exception of 16 laps in the first third of the race, the driver from Bern and his two US partners were always in first place in their class.

The two-lap lead they established early on over the first of the three class opponents - all with Oreca 07-Gibson cars - brought them safely to the finish line after 340 laps shortly after 10 p.m. local time.

Scott Huffaker, Patrick Kelly and Simon Trummer with their team boss on the Sebring podium. For the man from Thun, this also means the Endurance title.

While his teammate Patrick Kelly and the P1 Mathiasen Motosports team took the LMP2 title in the IMSA Championship, Trummer secured the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup, consisting of the four endurance races at Daytona, Road Atlanta, Petit Le Mans and Sebring, solo in the second-fastest class. Congratulations!

GT double victory for Porsche
The GTLM class win in favor of Porsche GT Motorsport was not decided until the final 15 minutes. After the last of a total of nine safety car phases, Nick Tandy had worked his way into the slipstream of the BMW M8 GTE that had been leading until then.

Shortly after the final re-start, the front runners suffered a puncture due to a collision in the thick of the pack of GTD cars. Tandy took the lead in the Porsche 911 RSR with around 515 hp and did not relinquish it again until the finish.

After BMW's late race misfortune, Porsche came through with a one-two finish with the #911 and #912.

For the Briton and his French team-mate Frédéric Makowiecki, it was the third victory in a row at the endurance classic at Sebring. Earl Bamber, who contested the season finale of the North American sports car racing series in both factory cars, crossed the finish line nine seconds behind in second place.

Neel Jani's first Porsche podium in three years
This made Neel Jani the third driver alongside the New Zealander and the Belgian Laurens Vanthoor to score a podium in the fiercely contested GT category at the first attempt.

Neel Jani: "The fact that I was able to take part in a one-two for Porsche in my very first race at the last factory event in the IMSA series is almost unbelievable. My perfect GT debut gives me a fantastic feeling. I'm just happy!"

For the driver from Zealand, this meant the first podium with Porsche in exactly three years, when he finished third overall in Bahrain in the 919 Hybrid's farewell race from the World Endurance Championship. After that, the Le Mans winner and 2016 world champion focused on the Porsche Formula E project, which he left at the end of the 2019/20 season.

In addition, he contested Le Mans and the WEC with Rebellion, with which Jani clinched several podium places.

In the first race after leaving Formula E, Neel Jani was able to climb back onto the podium. A good omen for 2021.

The Porsche factory team itself has to settle for third place in the championship behind Chevrolet and BMW in the final IMSA season.

No happy ending for Marcel Fässler
Corvette Racing did indeed capture all three titles (driver, team and manufacturer) in the very first year of the new Corvette C8.R with V8 mid-engine. However, Marcel Fässler as the third driver in car number #4 in the endurance races at Daytona, Road Atlanta and Sebring does not personally have much to gain from this.

His third and final race of the season with Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner as partners did not go to plan. An unscheduled pit stop in the first quarter of the race and damage to the rear suspension threw the trio far back.

With a gap of 40 laps to the Porsche duo, the result was only sixth and last place in the GT works team class and 26th overall out of only 31 cars that started.

The unofficial overall ranking (possible time penalties may follow later) is available at here.