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WEC and IMSA charge into Sebring for doubleheader weekend

By Benjamin Kuhl

SEBRING, FL - MARCH 21: Allan McNish driver of the #2 Audi Sport Team Joest Audi R15 gets through turn one during the 57th Annual Mobil1 12 Hours of Sebring at Sebring International Raceway on March 21, 2009 in Sebring, Florida. (Photo by Doug Benc/Getty Images)
SEBRING, FL - MARCH 21: Allan McNish driver of the #2 Audi Sport Team Joest Audi R15 gets through turn one during the 57th Annual Mobil1 12 Hours of Sebring at Sebring International Raceway on March 21, 2009 in Sebring, Florida. (Photo by Doug Benc/Getty Images) /
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In roughly one week, Sebring International Raceway is set to experience two high-powered races with the WEC and IMSA both set to take on the grueling track.

Endurance racing fans rejoice! From Wednesday, March 13 through Saturday, March 16, the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship will meet at a World War II bomber base for a weekend packed full of racing.

The excitement starts off with round six of eight of the World Endurance Championship’s 2018-2019 super season, the 1000 Miles of Sebring, and a return to the grueling Sebring International Raceway for the first time since 2012 when Audi Sport Team Joest were in the midst of a period of domination and Toyota had just entered LMP1 with the brand new TS030 Hybrid.

If there is one track on the WEC calendar that could cause even the slightest shakeup to the current championship standings, the 17-turn, 3.649-mile (5.872-kilometer) Sebring International Raceway road course in Sebring, Florida is it.

The bumps of turn 17 will undoubtedly be the initiator if a non-hybrid LMP1 is to claim another overall victory in 2019. Toyota Gazoo Racing currently hold a demanding yet equally unsurprising points lead over Rebellion Racing in second place (110 to 98) in the LMP1 championship standings.

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The global LMP2 class is set to see the battle between Jackie Chan DC Racing and Signatech Alpine Matmut carry on, as they have combined to earn all five victories in the class so far this season.

In the LMGTE Pro class, Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Team UK are looking to bridge the points gap up to Porsche GT Team. In the LMGTE Am class, the battle between Team Project 1 and Aston Martin Racing should continue be an exciting one, as the Aston Martin Racing are set to continued the fight with the tried and true Vantage GTE.

Regardless of championship standings, there is racing to be had. Will it be a battle for position or a battle of attrition?

The WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race, the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, is scheduled to kick off on Saturday, March 16 at 10:30 a.m. ET, creating a near back-to-back transition between the two most recognized endurance series in the world.

The WeatherTech Sportscar Championship is coming off of a break of roughly one and a half months since the season opener, the Rolex 24 at Daytona, at Daytona International Speedway, which has given teams time to rebuild and regroup after the rain-drenched event left most of them with light or significant repairs to be made.

With the Twelve Hours of Sebring being only the second race of the 11-race 2019 season, the championship outlooks are still very fresh and close. The #10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R. leads the DPi class with 35 points over the #31 Whelen Engineering Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R. with 32 points. The LMP2 class features the #18 DragonSpeed Oreca 07 leading the #38 Performance Tech Motorsports Oreca 07 by three points (35 to 32) as well.

In the GTLM class, the #25 BMW Team RLL BMW M8 GTE leads the #62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 488 GTE by three points (35 to 32). An important detail to note is that the Risi Competizione team have not committed to competing in the Twelve Hours of Sebring or in any of the remaining races on the 2019 schedule at this time.

In the GTD class, the #11 GRT Grasser Racing Team Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo leads the #12 AIM Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 by three points (35 to 32) also.

Throw in the chance of rain showers over the course of the weekend and you get historically challenging races with the added variable of rain and the changing conditions that come along with it.

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The 1000 Miles of Sebring is scheduled to begin on Friday, March 15 at 1:00 p.m. ET with coverage provided by Radio Le Mans as well as the World Endurance Championship app. The Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring is scheduled to begin on Saturday, March 16 at 10:30 a.m. ET. Live coverage is set to be provided by CNBC and the CNBC Sports app.

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