Five Crazy Moments for Corvette Racing at the Twelve Hours of Sebring

To say that Saturday’s 64th Annual Twelve Hours of Sebring was eventful would be an understatement. Rain, crashes, near misses and the back and forth of pitting for slicks vs wet tires seemed to be the norm. And for the 10 cars racing in the GTLM class, the playbooks went out the window following a one hour rain delay only a quarter of the way into the race.

Corvette Racing’s strategy for the twelve hour endurance race was to run the cleanest race possible and be in contention at the end so you can race for the win. And when that fails, you hope lady luck is on your side. On Saturday, she was Corvette Racing’s co-pilot.

Here are our top five crazy moments from Mobil 1’s Twelve Hours of Sebring that will make this race one for the ages.

Change Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Spins Out in Front of the No. 3 C7.R:

Antonio Garcia was piloting the No.3 Corvette C7.R when the first heavy rains started coming down. Racing down the backstretch towards Turn 17, he suddenly encounters the GTD No. 11 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 spinning out directly in front of him. Garcia is able to slow enough so that the Lamborghini misses the Corvette, but the sudden braking pulls the Corvette off its line. As the Lambo goes into (and under) the tire barrier, Garcia throws the Corvette into a quick spin to reduce his speed and he avoids the same fate of the Huracan.

Marcel Fässler Collects some Sebring Signage

Following the red flag rain delay, Marcel Fässler took over for Tommy Milner in the No.4 Corvette C7.R. With the rain starting to let up, a decision to go with Michelin slicks was ordered. Marcel says he’s never driven Sebring in the wet and he said later that finding the correct line was very difficult with the track still wet. Fässler had an off-track moment and he collected a souvenir – some track signage that affixed itself right in front of the radiator. Fässler immediately hit the pits and the debris was removed.

On Sunday morning following the race, a piece of Marcel’s signage was discovered to be wedged under the C7.R.

No. 911 Porsche and the No. 3 Corvette C7.R Crash in Turn 1

Jan Magnussen must have the lives of a cat as he once again is involved in a spectacular crash that wasn’t his fault. Kévin Estre and Magnussen were the leaders in GTLM when Mags took the dry line into Turn 1 but was hit by Estra who was passing a GTD car on the inside and then couldn’t slow in time to make the turn. The impact sent both cars spinning into the tire wall. Amazingly, Magnussen is able to free himself from the barrier and starts to drive back to the pits before stopping to take a closer look at the damage.

The No.3 Corvette C7.R is Repaired and Finishes the Race

In the ultra-competitive GTLM class, every point matters for the championship. Despite being knocked out of contention for the win from the crash with the No. 911 Porsche, Corvette Racing’s pit crew leaped into action and repaired the No.3 Corvette in under 40 minutes. The car and its drivers would go on to get those important points for finishing the race. This was a statement for all teams in GTLM – Jake Never Gives Up!

Corvette Racing Wins Sebring Despite Pitting the Most in GTLM

Again we turn to Corvette Racing’s Doug Fehan who will tell you in most circumstances, the race car that spends the least amount of time in the pits will be in contention for the win at the end. Not only did the No.4 Corvette C7.R pit more times than any of the other GTLM competitors, they were running P6 and was one lap down off the lead following Jan’s crash with the Porsche. It took nearly two hours before Tommy Milner passed the No. 100 BMW to take the class lead and then another two hours to hold it. Despite a late yellow flag which shrunk the Corvette’s lead to just a couple of seconds, Tommy was able to hold off his former team and win the Twelve Hours of Sebring.

And allow me to make this observation to the those screaming about BoP. The winning Corvette C7.R wasn’t even the fastest GT car on the track – that would be the No. 25 BMW. The No.4 Corvette’s fastest lap of the race happened on lap 11 of the 235 laps run.

Related:
Corvette Racing at Sebring: Second Straight Win for Corvette C7.R to Start 2016
Corvette Racing at Sebring: Red Flag Halts Race Near Three-Hour Mark
[VIDEO] Mobil 1 Previews Corvette Racing’s Strategy for Sebring