IndyCars - The off-season: Series news and comment until the March 2014 kick-off

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Sebring Raceway will be extremely busy, this week…

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…as the iconic Florida track will hold racing for two different series. First, the WEC will be holding the 1000 Miles of Sebring, followed by IMSA’s 12 Hours of Sebring, and IndyCar dirvers will be involved in both.

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There are only a handful of IndyCar guys in the 1000 MIles of Sebring, so let’s see who they are:

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In the LMP1 class IndyCar driver Mike Conway will drive the # 7 Toyota TS050 - Hybrid for Toyota Gazoo Racing with co-drivers Kamui Kobayashi and Jose Maria Lopez.

MIke Conway

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IndyCar driver Ben Hanley will drive the # 10 BR Engineering BR1 - Gibson for DragonSpeed with co-drivers Henrik Hedman and Renger Van der Zande.

Ben Hanley

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IndyCar driver MIkhail Aleshin will drive the # 11 BR Engineering BR1 - AER for SMP Racing with co-drivers Vitaly Petrov and Jenson Button.

Mikhail Aleshin

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In the LMP2 class Road to Indy alum Andre Negrao will drive the # 36 Alpine A470 - Gibson for Signatech Alpine Matmut with co-drivers Nicolas Lapierre and Pierre Thiriet.

Andre Negrao

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IndyCar driver Jordan King will drive the # 37 ORECA 07 - Gibson for Jackie Chan DC Racing with co-drivers David Heinemeier Hansson and Will Stevens.

Jordan King

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We’ll let you know if any of these guys are successful. next, the IMSA guys…

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Sebring Raceway will be extremely busy, this week…(part 2)…

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The WEC race will be on Friday and it will be about 8 hours of racing - assuming nothing untoward happens. The IMSA race weekend will be going on around the WEC proceedings, because tthe 12 Hours of Sebring weekend will not only be for the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship series, but will also include racing of the Michelin Pilot Challenge series and the IMSA Prototype Challenge series

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…And, with all that racing there are BOUND to be a bunch of IndyCar folks - talented alums and current drivers - in those fields. Let’s see who they are, starting with the WeatherTech gang who will all be in the 12 Hour race:

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DPi class - IndyCar driver Juan Pablo Montoya will drive the # 6 Acura ARX-05 with co-driver and former champion Dane Cameron, for Acura Team Penske. Added in for Sebring will be IndyCar driver Simon Pagenaud.

Juan Pablo Montoya (left) and Simon Pagenaud

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IndyCar driver Helio Castroneves will be in the other Acura Team Penske car, the # 7 Acura ARX-05 DPi, with co-driver and former champion Ricky Taylor. Added in for Sebring will be IndyCar driver Alexander Rossi.

Helio Castroneves (left) and Alexander Rossi

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Pro Mazda alum Pipo Derani drives the # 31 Whelen Cadillac DPi-V.R. for Action Express with co-driver Felipe Nasr. Added in for Sebring will be Eric Curran.

Luis Felipe “Pipo” Derani

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Pro Mazda alum Will Owen is running the full season for Juncos Racing in their first year campaigning the # 50 Cadillac DPi-V.R. Added in for Sebring are Agustin Canapino and IndyCar driver Rene Binder.

Will Owen (left) and Rene Binder

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IndyCar driver Tristan Vautier will drive the # 85 Cadillac DPi-V.R.fpr JDC-Miller Motorsports with co-drivers Indy Lights alum Juan Piedrahita and Misha Goikhberg.

Tristan Vautier (left) and Juan Piedrahita

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GTLM class - Pro Mazda alum Connor de Phillippe drives the # 25 BMW M8 GTE for BMW Team RLL. His co-driver is Tom Blomqvist - finally allowed in the USA by the State Department, after missing Daytona. Added for Sebring is OndyCar driver Colton Herta. This was a class WINNING car at Daytona. with Connor and Colton onboard.

Connor de Phillippe (left) and Colton Herta

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4-time IndyCar Champion Sebastien Bourdais will jump into the # 66 Ford GT for Ford Chip Ganassi for Sebring, helping out regulars Joey Hand and Dirk Mueller.

Sebastien Bourdais

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The sister car, the # 67 Ford GT for Ford Chip Ganassi, will be piloted by IndyCar driver Ryan Briscoe with co-driver Richard Westbrook. Added in for Sebring will be 5-time - including 2018 - IndyCar Champion Scott Dixon.

Ryan Briscoe (left) and Scott Dixon

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GTD class - Scott Hargrove - a Road to Indy ace driver and the holder of multiple Porsche Cup titles - will run with fellow Canadian and 2018 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada Champ Zacharie Robichon, driving the # 9 Porsche 911 GT3 R for PFAFF Motorsports. Added in for Sebring will be Lars Kerns

Scott Hargrove

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[MarkyS]

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Sebring Raceway will be extremely busy, this week…(part 3)…

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IndyCar driver and broadcaster Townsend Bell will drive the # 12 Lexus RCF GT3 for AIM Vasser Sullivan, with co-driver Frankie Montecalvo. Added in for Sebring will be Indy Lights driver Aaron Telitz, the 2017 Pro Mazda Champion. This is the only all-American team on the grid.

Townsend Bell (left) and Aaron Telitz

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IndyCar driver Jack Hawksworth will be in the sister car, the # 14 Lexus RCF GT3 for AIM Vasser Sullivan, with co-driver Richard Heistand. Added in for Sebring is Philipp Frommenwiler.

Jack Hawksworth

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IndyCar driver Katherine Legge will campaign the # 57 Acura NSX GT3 for Heinricher Racing w / Meyer Shank Racing. Co-driver will be 2-time GTD-class Champ Christina Nielsen. Added in for Sebring is former Champ Car driver Ana Beatriz.

Kathrine Legge (left) and Ana Beatriz

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Next, let’s see the IndyCar folks in the Michelin Pilot Challenge race, the Alan Jay Automotive Network 120, to be held on Friday:

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Grand Sport class - Road to Indy ace driver and multiple Porsche Cup title-holder Scott Hargrove will pull double duty, as in addition to his drive in the GTD class of the WeatherTech series, he will also drive in the # 13 Porsche Cayman GT4 MR for AWA. His co-driver will be fellow Canadian Orey Fidani.

Scott Hargrove

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USF2000 alum and Porsche Cup champion Jesse Lazare will once again team with fellow Canadian Porsche Cup driver Corey Fergus in the # 69 McLaren GT4 for Motorsports In Action, as they did in 2018 with great success.

Jesse Lazare

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Touring Car class - USF2000 driver Russ McDonough will drive the # 12 Audi RS3 LMS TCR for eEuropartsDotCom ROWE Racing. His co-driver will be New Yorker Ryan Nash.

Russell McDonough

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Indy Lights driver Shelby Blackstock will drive the # 37 Honda Civic TCR for LA Honda World Racing, with co-driver Tom O’Gorman.

Shelby Blackstock

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Driving the LA Honda World Racing sister car, the # 52 Honda Civic TCR, will be Road to Indy Shootout participant and Team USA member Colin Mullan - a WINNING veteran of the now-defunct ST class from 2018. His co-driver will be Max Faulkner.

Colin Mullan

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Pro Mazda alum and paraplegic Michael Johnson will once again drive the # 54 Audi RS3 LMS TCR for JDC-Miller Motorsports, using hand controls. MJ’s co-driver will be Stephen Simpson.

Michael Johnson

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Finally there are a bunch of IndyCar alums in the IMSA Prototype Challenge series, all driving LMP3 cars:

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Indy Lights driver Neil Alberico will drive the # 4 Ligier JS P3 for Ansa Motorsports. Neil, a Vice Champion in both USF2000 and Pro Mazda, will have Leo Lamelas as a co-driver. These guys WON at Daytona to start their season.

Neil Alberico

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Pro Mazda alum Max Hanratty will drive the # 7 Ligier JS P3 for Performance Tech Motorsports, with co-driver Blake Mount.

Max Hanratty

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USF2000 alum Austin McCusker was the 2018 Vice-Champion of the Prototype Challenge series. He will drive the # 47 Norma M30 for Forty 7 Motorsports. His co-driver will be Rodrigo Pflucker from Lima, Peru.

Austin McCusker

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Indy Lights driver Garett Grist will pilot the # 51 Ligier JS P3 for K2R Motorsports. The multiple race-winning Canadian will co-drive with Rob Hodes.

Garett Grist

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IndyCar veteran Alex Barron will drive in the # 64 Ligier JS P3 for K2R Motorsports. His co-driver will be Californian Naveen Rao.

Alex Barron

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Indy Lights alum and WeatherTech 2017 PC class Champion James French will drive the # 75 Ligier JS P3 for Performance Tech Motorsports. His co-driver is Cameron Cassels.

James French

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The practice has already begun, as IMSA Prototype Challenge had two practices, today, (Wednesday), and we have the results of that in the next post…

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Wednesday at Sebring - IMSA Prototype Challenge practice…

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The IPC series will qualify and race on Thursday, so they got their chance to practice, today.

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The TOP TIME of the P-1 session was put in by IndyCar driver Austim McCusker in the # 47 Norma M30 for Forty7 Motorsports that he shares with Rodrigo Pflucker, but in the P-2 session Austin’s time was eclipsed by Mathew Bell driving the # 26 Ligier JS P3 for K2R Motorsports, with a time of 1:57.805s for a speed of 113.083mph. Matthew was 0.440 seconds faster than Austin who was P2 in the P-2 session. Mathew’s co-driver is James McGuire Jr. P3 on the day - also a P-2 session time - was the # 43 Norma M30 for Robillard Racing, driven by Stevan McAleer.
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the K2R Motorsports Ligier beats the two Normas on the day

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Mathew Bell

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On Thursday, the IPC series will qualify early on the day and then race later, just after Noon. The WeatherTech gang will practice all day, as will the Michelin Pilot Challenge series. The MPC series will also qualify - a busy day!

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Thursday morning at Sebring - the IMSA Prototype Challenge qualify…

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The series, which is IMSA’s introduction series to prototype racing, qualified this morning for their 2nd race of the season, to be held later today. Here are the TOP THREE on the grid:

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Pole was taken by Rodrigo Pflucker, driving the # 47 Norma M30 for Forty 7 Motorsports, with a time of 02:02.049s for a speed of 109.150mph. Rodrigo bested Leo Lemelas in the # 4 Ligier JS P3 for ANSA Motorsports by 0.117 seconds, while P3 went to another Ligier, the # 40 for Polestar Motor Racing Inc, qualified by David Grant.

Rodrigo’s co-driver is IndyCar alum Austin McCusker, while Leo shares the # 4 Ligier with Indy Lights driver Neil Alberico and David shares the # 40 with brother Keith Grant.

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The Forty 7 Motorsports Norma M30 on pole

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Rodrigo Pflucker

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The IPC boys will race just after noon, today. Next, the Michelin Pilot Challenge guys practice…

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[MarkyS]

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Thursday morning at Sebring - the Michelin Pilot Challenge guys hold their first practice…

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The MPC is the production-based introduction series for IMSA and this morning both classes in the series held their first practice. Here are the TOP THREE in each class:

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In the Grand Sport class the rabbit was BMW legend Bill Auberlen driving the # 96 BMW M4 GT4 for Turner Motorsports, with a time of 02:10.265s for a speed of 102.266mph. Bill bested the # 46 Mercedes-AMG of Team TGM, driven by Owen Trinkler, by 0.401 seconds. Third fastest was Jeff Westphal in the # 39 Audi R8 for Carbahn Motorsports.

Auberlen shares the Bimmer with Robby Foley while Owen’s co-driver is Hugh Plumb (these two are the defending series Champions), and Jeff’s co-driver is Tyler McQuarrie.

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The Turner Motorsports BMW M4 GT4

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Bill Auberlen

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In the Touring Car class the HOT SHOE was South African Mikey Taylor, driving the # 17 Audi RS3 LMS TCR for JDC-Miller Motorsports, with a time of 02:14.410s for a speed of 99.112mph. Mikey bested fellow South African (now American), Stephen Simpson in JDC-Miller’s other Audi RS3 LMS TCR, the # 54, by 0.232 seconds. 3rd fastest in the P-1 session was Michael Lewis in the # 98 Hyundai Veloster N TCR for Bryan Herta Autosport.

Mikey’s co-driver is Britt Casey Jr. while Stephen’s co-driver is Pro Mazda alum Michael Johnson. Michael Lewisl shares the Hyundai with Mark Wilkins.

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The # 17 Audi RS3 LMS TCR for JDC-Miller Motorsports

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Mikey Taylor

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MPC will hold another practiuce, just before Noon, and then qualify later this afternoon, for Friday’s race. Next, all four classes of the WeatherTech series hold first practice…

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[MarkyS]

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Thursday morning at Sebring - the WeatherTech gang hold first practice…

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All four classes of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship series held their first practice for the 12 Hours of Sebring, to begin on Saturday. We have the TOP THREE in each class, beginniing with the DPi class:

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DPi class - The HOT SHOE in th top-performing class was Felipe Nasr in the # 31 Cadillac DPi-V.R. for Action Express, with a time of 01:46.996s for a speed of 124.507mph. Felipe got the better of Dane Cameron in the # 6 Acura ARX-05 DPi for Team Penske by 0.355 seconds. 3rd fastest was Renger Van der Zande in the # 10 Cadillac for Wayne Taylor Racing.

Felipe shares the # 31 with Pro Mazda alum Pipo Derani, with Eric Curran added for Sebring. Dane shares the # 6 with IndyCar driver Juan Pablo Montoya and IndyCar driver Simon Pagenaud as the add for Sebring. The co-driver of the # 10 car is Jordan Taylor while the Sebring add is Frenchman Matthieu Vaxiviere.

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The # 31 Whelen Cadillac for Action Express

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Felipe Nasr

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LMP2 class - The TOP DAWG was Gabriel Aubry in the # 52 ORECA 07 Gibson for PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports, witha time of 01:50.877s for a speed of 120.148mph. Gabriel bested Kyle Masson in the # 38 ORECA 07 Gibson for Performance Tech Motorsports by a healthy 1.591 seconds. These are the only two cars in class, this weekend.

Gabriel’s co-drivers are Matt McMurry and Anders Fjorback while Kyle’s co-drivers are Cameron Cassels and Andrew Evans.

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The PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports # 52 ORECA 07 Gibson

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Gabriel Aubrey

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GTLM class - the rabbit in class was Laurens Vanthoor in the # 912 Porsche 911 RSR for Porsche GT Team, with a time of 01:56.983s for a speed of 113.877mph. Vanthoor beat out Brit Richard Westbrook in the # 67 Ford GT for Ford Chip Ganassi by 0.330 seconds, Third fastest was Joey Hand in the other Chip Ganassi Ford, the # 66.

Laurens’ co-drivers in the Porsche are Mathieu Jaminet and Earl Bamber. Westbrook shares the # 67 with IndyCar drivers Ryan Briscoe and Scott Dixon while Joey shares the sister car with Dirk Mueller and IndyCar driver Sebastien Bourdais.

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The # 912 Porsche 911 RSR for Porsche GT Team

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Laurens Vanthoor

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GTD class - the TOP SPOT in cass was taken by Mario Farnbacher in the # 86 Acura NSX GT3 for Meyer Shank Racing with a time of 02:00.793s for a speed of 110.285mph. Mario bested Pat Long in the # 73 Porsche 911 GT3 R for Park Place Motorsports by 0.447 seconds. 3rd on the charts was Indy Lights driver Aaron Telitz in the # 12 Lexus RCF GT3 for AIM Vasser Sullivan.

Mario shares the # 86 with Trent Hindman and Justin Marks, while Patrick shares the Porsche with Patrick Lindsay and Nick Boulle. Aaron is the add for Sebring to Frankie Montecalvo and IndyCar Driver Townsend Bell in the Lexus.

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The # 86 Acura NSX GT3 for Meyer Shank Racing

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Mario Farnbacher

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The WeatherTech gang will practice again, later this afternoon. Next, the Michelin Pilot Challenge guys hold their 2nd practice…

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[MarkyS]

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Thursday, Mid-day at Sebring - the Michelin Pilot Challenge series hold another practice…

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The second practice for the MPC guys had a few new names at the top with a few familiar names near them. The times for the morning practice were all faster than these mid-day times:

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Grand Sport class - the TOP SPOT went to Devin Jones in the # 82 BMW M4 GT4 for BimmerWorld Racing, with a time of 02:11.038s for a speed of 101.663mph. Devin got the better of Robby Foley in the Turner Motorsports BMW M4 GT4, by a teensy 0.035 seconds. 3rd best was Tyler McQuarrie in the # 39 Audi R8 for Carbahn Motorsports.

Devin shares the Bimmer with James Clay while Robby is with P-1 session top guy Bill Auberlen. Tyler shares the Audi with Jeff Wesphal.

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The BMW M4 GT4 # 82 for BimmerWorld Racing

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Devin Jones

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Touring Car class - the rabbit in class was again Mikey Taylor in the # 17 Audi RS3 LMS TCR for JDC-Miller Motorsports, with a time of 02:14.670s for a speed of 98.921mph. And once again, he beat out teammate Stephen Simpson in the # 54 Audi for JDC-Miller, this time by 0.164 seconds. Third in time was Mat Pombo in the # 73 Honda Civic TCR for LA Honda World Racing.

Mikey’s co-driver is Britt Casey Jr. while Stephen’s co-driver is Pro Mazda alum Michael Johnson and mat Pombo shares the Honda with Mike LaMarra.

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The # 17 Audi RS3 LMS TCR for JDC-Miller Motorsports.

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Mikey Taylor

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Michelin Pilot Challenge will practice once more and then qualify for their Friday race, later today. Next, the IMSA Prototype Challenge boys race!..

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[MarkyS]

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Thursday adternoon at Sebring - IMSA Prototype Challenge hold Season Round 2…

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…and the WINNER is Stevan McAleer who drove alone in the # 43 Robillard Racing Norma M30 and came in a stout 11.355 seconds over the # 47 Forty7 Motorsports Norma M30 of USF2000 alum Austin McCusker and Rodrigo Pflucker. At the end it was the # 26 K2R Motorsports Ligier JS P3 of James McGuire and Matthew Bell that rounded out the podium.

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The race WINNING Norma M30 of Stevan McAleer

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Rodrigo Pflucker led most of the race, after briefly losing the lead to Leo Lemelas for ANSA Mortrosports on the opening lap. It was the last pit stop for McAleer that WON him the race. Not only did he get out ahead of Austin McCusker but a tire pressure adjustment turned McAleer’s Norma into a rocket, and he rocketed off.

With their P2 here and a similar spot at the Roar Before the Rolex 24, McCusker and Pflucker take over the points lead.

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Stevan McAleer

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The IMSA Prototype Challenge next race at Mid-Ohio in May in support of the Acura Sports Car Challenge at Mid-Ohio. That race - like today’s - will be 1 hour and 45 minutes in duration, making oit possible for Stevan to drive solo, again. Next, the WeatherTech Gang hold another practice…

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Thursday afternoon at Sebring - the WeatherTech gang hold their P-2 practice…

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The 2nd practice session of the four WeatherTech classes saw a few cars improve over P-1 while others didn’t. We have the TOP THREE in ech class, with the 2 sessions COMBINED.

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DPi class - The P-2 session time of Olivier Pla in the # 55 Mazda RT-24P DPi for Mazda Team Joest was the TOPS of both sessions, with a time of 01:46.834s for a speed of 124.695mph. Olivier topped the P-1 time of Felipe Nasr in the # 31 Cadillac for Action Express by 0.162 seconds. 3rd fastest at this point is Dane Cameron, based on his P-1 time in the # 6 Acura ARX-05 for Team Penske.

Olivier shares the Mazda with Jonathan Bomarito and Harry Tincknell while Felipe shares the Caddy with Pro Mazda alum Pipo Derani and Eric Curran. Dane’s co-drivers are IndyCar drivers Juan Pablo Montoya and Simon Pagenaud.

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The # 55 Mazda RT24-P for Mazda Team Joest.

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Olivier Pla

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LMP2 class - Matt McMurry topped the P-2 session in the # 52 PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports ORECA 07 but the P-1 session time of Gabriel Aubrey in the same car holds up the the tops of the day, so far. (post # 516). Matt bested Cameron Cassells in the # 38 ORECA for Performance Tech by 3.359 seconds, so Perf Tech is not getting better.

Matt shares the # 52 with Aubrey and Anders Fjorback while Cameron’s partners are Kyle Masson and Andy Evans.

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The PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports # 52 ORECA 07 Gibson

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Matt McMurry

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GTLM class - The P-1 session time of Laurens Vanthoor in the # 912 Porsche 911 RSR for Porsche GT Team holds up, (post # 516), beating the sister car, the # 911 driven by Nick Tandy by the TEENSIEST gap of 0.008 seconds, based on the P-2 time of Nick. 3rd fastest for the day so far, is the # 66 Ford GT for Ford Chip Ganassi, thanks to IndyCar driver Sebastien Bourdais’ P-2 session time.

Lauren’s co-drivers are Mathieu Jaminet and Earl Bamber . Nick Tandy’s co-drivers are Frederic Makowiecki and Patrick Pilet, while Sebastien shares the Ford with regulars Joey Hand and Dirk Mueller.

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The # 912 Porsche 911 RSR for Porsche GT Team

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Laurens Vanthoor

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GTD class - Bill Auberlen takes the # 96 BMW M6 GT3 for Turner Motorsports to the TOP of the session and the day, so far, with a time of 02:00.583s for a speed of 110.477mph. Auberlen also topped the P-1 session of the Michelin Pilot Challenge series, earlier in the day - also for Turner Motorsports. (see post # 515). Bill is on fire. He bested the P-1 time of Mario Farnbacher in the # 86 Acura NSX GT3 for Meyer Shank Racing by 0. 210 seconds. The 3rd best of the day is Mirko Bortolotti for his P-2 session time in the # 11 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 for GRT Grasser Racing Team.

Bill shares the GT3 Bimmer with his MPC co-driver Robby Foley and with Dillon Machavern. Mario shares the Acura with Trent Hindman and Justin Marks, while Mirko’s co-drivers are Rolf Ineichen and Rik Breukers, and this car WON the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

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the Turner Motorsports # 96 BMW M6 GT3

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Bill Auberlen

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The WeatherTech gang will hold a final practice tonight, as the race will stretch into the darkness. Next, Michelin Pilot Challenge hold a final practice and then qualify…

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[MarkyS]

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Thursday afternoon as Sebring - the Michelin Pilot Challenge hold final practice and then qualify…

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The final practice saw everyone slow down, dramatically over the P-1 session, which produced the fastest time of the day. Here are the TOP THREE qualifiers in each class:

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Grand Sport class - It was Russell Ward in the # 33 Mercedes AMG for Winward Racing / HTP Motorsport that topped the P-3 session but when it came time to qualify, it was Owen Trinkler in another Mercedes AMG, the # 46 for Team TGM, who took pole, with a time of 02:10.521s for a speed of 102.066mph. Owen beat out the time of Kuno Wittmer in the # 75 Compass Racing McLaren GT4 by 0.048 seconds. P3 on the grid will be the # 39 Audi R8 for Carbahn Motorsports, thanks to Tyler McQuarrie.

Owen’s co-driver is fellow 2018 series Champion Hugh Plumb. Kuno shares the McLaren with Paul Holton and Tyler’s co-driver is Jeff Westphall. Owen’s time is a new track record for GS class at Sebring.

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Touring Car class - Indy Lights driver Shelby Blackstock was the rabbit in the P-3 session, driving the # 37 Honda Civic TCR for LA Honda World Racing, but when it came time to qualify, the # 17 Audi RS3 LMS TCR for JDC-Miller MotorSports, which had dominated the other two practices, took pole in the hands of Britt Casey Jr. with a time of 02:13.751s for a speed of 99.601mph. Britt beat back the attempt of Brian Henderson in the # 84 Atlanta Speedwerks Honda Civic TCR by a stout 1.214 seconds. P3 on the grid will bethe # 98 Hyundai Veloster N TCR foir Bryan Herta Autosport, thanks to qualifier Mark Wilkins.

Britt’s co-driver is Mikey Taylor, while Brian Henderson shares the Civic with Todd Lamb and Mark shares the Hyundai with Michael Lewis. Britt’s time is a new track record for the TCR class at Sebring.

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The pole-sitting # 17 Audi RS3 LMS TCR for JDC-Miller Motorsports

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Britt Casey Jr.

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The Michelin Pilot Challenge will race at Noon on Friday. Next up, the WeatherTech gang hold their thirsd practice - a night practice…

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Thursday evening at Sebring - Night practice for the WeatherTech gang…

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The P-3 practice only produced one TOP TIME of the day but it confirmed some of the other times of the day. Here are the TOP THREE in all four classes:

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DPi class - Harry Tincknell put the # 55 Mazda RT24P in the top in P-3, just as Olivier Pla had done with it in P-2, but Pla was faster. Harry laid down a time of 01:46.953 seconds. That was 0.212 seconds faster than Felipe Nasr in the # 31 Whelen Cadillac for Action Express. 3rd quickest was the other Mazda, the # 77 with Timo Bernhard driving.

Harry’s co-drivers are Pla and Jonathan Bomarito, while Felipe’s co-drivers are Pipo Derani and Eric Curran. Timo shares the # 77 Mazda with Tristan Nunez and Oliver Jarvis.

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The RT24P at night - Tops again.

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Harry Tincknell

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LMP2 class - As all day, the # 52 ORECA 07 Gibson from PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports was the TOP DAWG of the session, this time with Matt McMurry driving, but not as quick as he was in P-2. Matt’s time of 01: 51.766 seconds bested Kyle Masson in the Performance Tech Motorsports # 38 ORECA by 2.100 seconds.

Matt’s co-drivers are Anders Fjordbach and Gabriel Aubrey, while Kyle shares the Perf Tech car with Cameron Cassels and Andrew Evans.

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The PR1 MathiasenMotorsports # 52 ORECA 07 Gibson

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Matt McMurry

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GTLM class - The TOP TIME for the class in the P-3 session was also the TOP TIME for the day, laid down by Antonio Garcia in the # 3 Corvette C7.R for Corvette Racing, posting a time of 0 1:56.954s, and besting the # 67 Ford GT for Ford Chip Ganassi with Richard Westbrook driving, by 0.136 seconds. 3rd in the session was the other Ford GT with Dirk Mueller driving.

Antonio’s co-drivers are Jan Magnussen and Mike Rockenfeller, while Richard’s co-drivers are IndyCar drivers Ryan Briscoe and Scott Dixon. Dirk’s co-drivers are Joey Hand and IndyCar driver Sebastien Bourdais.

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The # 3 Corvette C7.R for Corvette Racing - the defending series Champions.

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Antonio Garcia

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GTD class - The rabbit in the P-3 session was Andy Lally, driving the # 44 Magnus Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3 to a time of 02:00.947s and that was a mere 0.061 seconds quicker than Trent Hindman’s time in the # 86 Acura NSX GT3 for Meyer Shank Racing. 3rd fastest was Mirko Bortolotti in the GRT Grasser Racing Team # 11 Huracan GT3.

Andy’s co-drivers are John Potter and Spencer Pumpelly while Trent shares the Acura with Mario Farnbacher and Justin Marks, and Mirko’s guys are Rolf Ineichen and Rik Breukers.

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The # 44 Magnus Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3

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Andy Lally

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The WeatherTech gang will hold a final practice Friday morning and then start qualifying for thr 12 Hours of Sebring. This was the final on-track activity of the day.

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Friday morning at Sebring - the WeatherTech gang hold a final practice and then qualify…

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First guys on track today at Sebring International Raceway were all four classes from the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, looking for that final push before qualifying, which shorlty followed the P-4 session. We have the TOP THREE qualifiers in all four classes:

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DPi class - In the final practice the Acura DPis from Team Penske finally came to the fore, as Dane Cameron TOPPED the session in the # 6 ARX-05 DPi and IndyCar driver Helio Castroneves was P2 in the # 7 Acura. That translated well to qualifying as Dane took pole with a time of 01:45.865s for a speed of 125.837mph. Dane bested both Castroneves and Tristan Nunez in the # 77 Mazda RT24-P for Mazda Team Joest, who posted identical times, but since Tristan got out first, he gets the P2 position and Helio slots in at P3 for the start of the race. The two cars were both exactly 0.146 seconds in areers to Cameron.

Dane’s co-drivers are IndyCar drivers Juan Pablo Montoya and Simon Pagenaud, while Tristan’s co-drivers are Oliver Jarvis and Timo Bernhard. Helio shares the # 7 Acura with Ricky Taylor and IndyCar driver Alexander Rossi.

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Dane Cameron on pole for Team Penske

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LMP2 class - In the final practice Gabriel Aubrey kept the # 52 PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports ORECA 07 Gibson on top of the class, as it has been all throughout the weekend, but when it came time to qualify, the boys from Performance Tech Motorsports finally made great inroads. Pole was still taken by the # 52, thanks to Matt McMurry’s qualifying time of 01:49.728s for a speed of 121.407mph, but Perf Tech qualifier Kyle Masson took the # 38 ORECA 07 to within a scant 0.011 seconds of McMurry - EASILY their best showing of the weekend. They intend to make a race of it, afterall.

Matt’s co-drivers are Aubrey and Anders Fjorbach while sharing the car with Kyle will be Cameron Cassells and Andy Evans.

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Matt McMurry grabs pole - but barely

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GTLM class - veteran Patrick Pilet was the rabbit in the P-4 practice in the # 911 Porsche 911 RSR for Porsche GT Team, besting the # 67 Ford GT, and that transleted well in qualifying, as Patrick took the car to pole with a time of 01:55.899s for a speed of 114.942mph. Making it even sweeter for Porsche GT Team, the P2 spot was taken by Laurens Vanthoor in the # 912 Porsche 911 RSR, missing pole by 0.146 seconds to Patrick and locking out the front row with Porsches. P3 at the start will be the # 3 Corvette C7.R for Corvette Racing, thanks to the qualifying efforts of Antonio Garcia.

Patrick shares the # 911 with Nick Tandy and Freddie Makowiecki, while Laurens shares the # 912 with Earl Bamber and Mathieu Jaminet. 2018 class Champion Garcia’s co-drivers are Mike Rockenfeller and fellow 2018 Champion Jan Magnussen. GTLM class will be a war, as all 8 cars qualifying were within a second of each other.

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Patrick Pilet grabs yet another pole

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GTD class - IndyCar driver Katherine Legge TOPPED the P-4 session in the # 57 Acura NSX GT3, showing the speed of the other Meyer Shank Acura, but when it came time to qualify, on pole was the # 86 Meyer Shank Acura NSX GT3, which has performed well all weekend. Trent Hindman posted a time of 01:55.899s for a speed of 114.942mph. He beat out Robby Foley in the # 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M6 GT3 by 0.382 seconds. P3 on the grid is the # 9 Porsche 911 GT3 R for PFAFF Motorsports, thanks to the efforts of Zacharie Robichon.

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Trent’s co-drivers will be Mario Farnbacher and Justin Marks, while Robby’s co-drivers are Dillon Machavern and Bill Auberlen. Zacharie shares the PFAFF Porsche with Road to Indy ace Scott Hargrove and Lars Kern.

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Trent Hindman on pole for Meyer Shank and Acura

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The race is scheduled for broadcast on Saturday, on CNBC, starting at 10:30am EASTERN time and running to 1:00pm EASTERN time. It then switches to the NBC Sports app until 3:00pm EASTERN time.

Then, it closes out on NBC-SN from 3:00pm EASTERN time until 11:00pm EASTERN time. Every hour can also be viewed at IMSA TV:

https://imsatv.imsa.com/

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Next, the Michelin Pilot Challenge hold their race…

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Friday Noon at Sebring - the Michelin Pilot Challenge hold Season Round 2…

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…and the Grand Sport class saw two first-time WINNER in the series, as Tyler McQuarrie and Jeff Westphal WON the 2-hour Alan Jay Automotive Network 120 in the # 39 Audi R8 for Carbahn Motorsports. P2 was the # 82 BimmerWorld Racing BMW M4 GT4 driven by James Clay and Devin Jones. Rounding out the podium was the # 69 McLaren GT4 for Motorsports In Action, driven by USF2000 alum Jesse Lazare and fellow Canadian Corey Fergus - their 2nd P3 of the season.

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Tyler McQuarrie (left) and Jeff Westphal - first WIN is always sweet.

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The WINNERS pretty much won the race on the opening lap, as Tyler went from P3 to P1, past Kuno Wittmer in the Compass Racing McLaren and pole-sitter Owen Trinkler in the Team TGM Mercedes. The Audi was never out of the lead from that point on, except to pit. The BimmerWorld car started P7 and the Motorsports in Action car started P8, so both teams also enjoyed great progress in the race.

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In the Touring Car class the WINNERS were familiar names, as Tom O’Gorman and Indy Lights driver Shelby Blackstock repeated their WIN at Daytona for LA Honda World Racing in the series opener. Their # 37 Honda Civic TCR took the lead from a P4 start in the heavy-attrition race that saw only 6 Touring Car contender on the lead lap at the end. P2 was the pole-sitting car of Britt Casey Jr and Mikey Taylor, the # 17 JDC-Miller MotorSports Audi RS3 LMS TCR. P3 was the # 89 HART Honda Civic TCR, driven by Ryan Eversley and Chad GIlsinger, from a P9 start - a great effort.

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Shelby Blackstock (left) and Tom O’Gorman - another WIN and the series points lead

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The next round for the MPC series will be at MId-Onio Sports Car Course, May 3-5 for the Mid-Ohio 120, in support of the Acura Sports Car Challenge at Mid-Ohio. This was the last IMSA activity for the day, as the WEC takes over the track to do the 1000 Miles at Sebring.

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Friday at Sebring - Indy Car guys do great in the 1000 Miles of Sebring…

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There were 5 IndyCar guys competing in the WEC’s 1000 Miles of Sebring on Friday and all but 1 of them made podiums finishes, including a WIN.

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The WINNERS - overall and in LMP1 were Sébastien Buemi, Kazuki Nakajima and Fernando Alonso in the # 8 Toyota TS050 - Hybrid for Toyota Gazoo Racing. We don’t have the chutzpah to claim Alonso as an IndyCar driver, though he was in the 2017 Indy 500 and will be in the 2019 Indy 500.

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Left to right, Buemi, Alonso and Nakajima - LMP1 and overall

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But we absolutely claim Mike Conway, who with Kamui Kobayashi and Jose Maria Lopez came in P2 in LMP1 in the other Toyota TS050 - Hybrid for Toyota Gazoo Racing, the # 7.

Mike Conway - a P2

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Coming in P3 in LMP1 was the # 11 BR Engineering BR1 - AER for SMP Racing, and that was driven by IndyCar driver Mikhail Aleshin, with Vitaly Petrov and Brendon Hartley.

Mikhail Aleshin - a P3

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In LMP2 the WINNERS were the guys in the # 37 ORECA 07 - Gibson for Jackie Chan DC Racing, and that includes IndyCar driver Jordan King, David Heinemeier Hansson and Will Stevens. This was Jordan’s WEC debut - good start!

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Jordan King, here flanked by Will Stevens (left) and David Heinemeier Hansson

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P2 in LMP2 was the # 36 Alpine A470 - Gibson for Signatech Alpine Matmut, driven by IndyCar driver André Negrão, with Nicolas Lapierre and Pierre Thiriet.

André Negrão - a P2

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In fact, the only IndyCar guy with no luck was Ben Hanley, whose LMP1-class # 10 BR Engineering BR1 - Gibson for DragonSpeed only completed 143 laps of the 253-lap event.

Ben Hanley - no joy

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The others all had a great day, by any measure. Congrats!! Proud of you all.

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Saturday at Sebring - Another great 12 Hours is in the books…

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…and this one will be remembered for the terrific robustness of the field, as only two cars failed to finish the 12-hour iconic event. In the end the guys from Action Express did it again for the overall WIN and WIN in the DPi class, as Felipe Nasr, Eric Curran and IndyCar driver Pipo Derani took the checkers in the # 31 Whelen Cadillac DPi-V.R. This is Pipo’s 3rd WIN at Sebring in 4 years.

The Whelen car beat the # 10 Cadillac for Wayne Taylor Racing by just 1.4 seconds, handing Jordan Taylor, Matthieu Vaxiviere and Renger van der Zande the P2. P3 was the other Action Express Caddy, the # 5 with Brendan Hartley, Filipe Albuquerque and Joao Barbosa.

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Left to right, Eric Curran, Pipo Derani and Felipe Nasr

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In GTLM class, the race came down to two Fords going after a Porsche and the Porsche WON, with Nick Tandy, Fredric Makowiecki and Patrick Pilet in the # 911 Porsche 911 RSR for Porsche GT Team taking the checkers. IN the final laps Ryan Briscoe in the # 67 Ford GT tried to chase Patrick down but spun after touching the # 44 Magnus Racing GTD car. That left the other Ford GT, the # 66 for Ford Chip Ganassi, to try to grab the win, but Joey Hand ran out of time and took P2 for himself, Dirk Mueller and IndyCar driver Sebastien Bourdais. P3 was the # 3 Corvette C7.R for Corvette Racing, with Jan Magnussen, Antonio Garcia and Mike Rockenfeller.

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GTLM class: (left to right), Nick Tandy, Freddie Makowiecki and Patrick Pilet

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The LMP2 class was decided very early in the race, as the # 52 car for PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports had trouble and went several laps down, handing the race to the # 38 ORECA 07 for Performance Tech Motorsports, with Kyle Masson, Cameron Cassells and Andrew Evans taking the WIN by 13 laps over Anders Fjorback, Gabriel Aubrey and Matt McMurry in the # 52. Following their P2 at Daytona, the Perf Tech boys now top the points.

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LMP2 - (left to right), Andy Evans, Kyle Masson and Cameron Cassells

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GTD class was WON by the boys on the GRT Grasser Racing Team, Mirko Bortolotti, Rik Breukers and Rolf Ineichen, in their # 11 Lamborghini Huracan GT3. Trying to run Mirko down to the very end was Andy Lally in the # 44 Magnus Racing Lambo Huracan GT3, but he came up short. Co-drivers are John Potter and Spencer Pumpelly. P3 was the # 63 Ferrari 488 GT3 for Scuderia Corsa, with Toni Vilander, Jeff Westphal and Cooper MacNeil. The GRT boys also WON Daytona in January, so they are on a roll.

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GTD class - (left to right), Rik Breukers, Mirko Bortolotti and Rolf Ineichen

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This was another great 12 Hours, with everyone seemingly getting a chance to lead at one point or another and all kinds of weather to contend with, including a lot of rain early on. And, as usual, most of the WINS were earned in the closing minutes of the race.

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The next race for the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship will be the Bubba Burger Sports Car Grand Prix at Long Beach, in support of the IndyCar race, April 12-13. This one will feature only the DPi class and the GTLM class.

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NBC has released a highlight reel from the Mobile 1 12 Hours of Sebring…
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IMSA: 12 Hours of Sebring | EXTENDED HIGHLIGHTS | 3/16/19 | Motorsports on NBC

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We’re still waiting for Road to Indy TV to release their first episode of the season…

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…which will be the report from St.Petersburg, where all three series that make up the Road to Indy ladder system had their first races for 2019. In the mean time, we have a number of quick vids that will introduce a few of our favorite drivers (Oh, jeez, they are all favorites, really), and also impart some information.

Let’s start with a fenetic recap from Indy Pro 2000 driver Sting Ray Robb, who drives for Juncos Racing:

https://twitter.com/RoadToIndyTV/status/1104820966419582976

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continued…

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We’re still waiting for Road to Indy TV to release their first episode of the season…(part 2)…

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Here is the production quick re-cap with some great video, in two parts.

First, part 1:

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https://twitter.com/RoadToIndyTV/status/1105262188699226112

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And here is part 2:

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https://twitter.com/RoadToIndyTV/status/1105262192155377664

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continued…

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We’re still waiting for Road to Indy TV to release their first episode of the season…(part 3)…

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In this quick vid you meet the 2018 Indy Pro 2000 Champion Rinus VeeKay, who is now driving for Juncos Racing in Indy Lights, thanks to his Road to Indy scholarship of almost $800,000 for taking the 2018 title.

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https://twitter.com/RoadToIndyTV/status/1105947922666012674

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As we detailed, Rinus spent the off-season driving in the Asian F3 Winter Series, where he took the 2019 Championship, as well, driving for Dragon Hitec GP. This kid’s a comer, in all respects.

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