12 Hours of Sebring
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IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship | |
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Venue | Sebring International Raceway |
Corporate sponsor |
Mobil 1 |
First race | 1950 |
Duration | 12 hours |
Most wins (driver) | Tom Kristensen (6) |
Most wins (team) | Scuderia Ferrari/SpA Ferrari (8) |
Most wins (manufacturer) | Porsche (18) |
The 12 Hours of Sebring is an annual motorsport endurance race for sports cars held at Sebring International Raceway, on the site of the former Hendricks Army Airfield World War II air base in Sebring, Florida. The event is the second round of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and in the past has been a round of the now defunct World Sportscar Championship, IMSA GT Championship and American Le Mans Series. In 2012, the race was the opening event of the FIA World Endurance Championship.
Contents
1 History
2 Race results
3 Statistics
4 Overall winners
5 References
6 External links
History
The track opened in 1950 on an airfield and is a road racing course styled after those used in European Grand Prix motor racing. The first race was a six-hour race on New Year's Eve 1950, with the next race held 14 months later as the first 12 Hours of Sebring.[1] The race is famous for its "once around the clock" action, starting during the day and finishing at night. From 1953 to 1972 the 12 Hour was a round of the FIA’s premier sports car series which was contested under various names including the World Sportscar Championship and the International Championship for Makes.
In its early years, the Sebring circuit combined former airport runways with narrow two-lane service roads.[citation needed] The 1966 event was a turning point in Sebring history, as the facilities and the safety of the circuit were heavily criticized. Five people were killed during the race, which was more people killed than in the race's prior 15-year history combined.[citation needed]Bob McLean crashed while approaching the hairpin; his car rolled several times, struck a utility pole and then exploded, landing in a ditch and killing McLean.[citation needed]
In another incident Mario Andretti in his Ferrari 365 P2 tangled with Don Wester's Porsche 906 on the Warehouse Straight near the Webster Turns, killing four spectators and then crashing into a warehouse next to the track. Subsequent to these events, the facilities were upgraded and the circuit layout was changed, including eliminating the Webster Turns and creating the Green Park Chicane further down the track to move the straight further away from the airport warehouses.[citation needed] The circuit was made safer and there were no fatalities until 1980.
It is known as preparation for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, as the track's extremely bumpy surface, combined with south-central Florida's perennial hot weather, is a test of a car's reliability. In recent years, six overall victories have been achieved by the Audi R8, one fewer than the record seven wins of the Porsche 935.
Tom Kristensen has won the race more times than anyone else, with six victories—in 1999–2000, 2005–2006, 2009 and in 2012.
Race results
The Ford Mk IV which won the 1967 Sebring 12 Hour

2008 overall winner Porsche RS Spyder.
The 1966 race had Dan Gurney leading at the last lap, when his engine of his Shelby American Ford GT40 Mk II seized near the end. Gurney pushed his car over the finish line, beaten only by Ken Miles and Lloyd Ruby. However, his actions were ultimately determined to be against the rules and he did not receive credit for his finish.[2]
In 2005, the Chevrolet Corvette C6.R and Aston Martin DBR9 made their race debut in the hotly contested GT1 class, with Aston Martin winning its class for the first time in 49 years at Sebring ahead of the two Corvettes. Corvette had dominated the class the past three years with its previous generation C5R.

Nissan Onroak DPi #22, 2018 overall winner.
The all-new Audi R10 TDI won the 2006 edition of the race, the car's first ever run in competition. The victory set the stage for an even more momentous win by the R10 in its next race, the Le Mans 24 Hours later in the year. The much-hyped Porsche RS Spyder campaigned by Penske Racing dropped to take 2nd place in its LMP2 class, behind the Intersport Lola car. The GT1 Corvette C6R team got their revenge against the Aston Martin, although the second Corvette came within 1/3 of a second of the podium in the closing laps of the race.
2007 saw Audi again winning in the R10 TDI despite requiring more frequent refueling due to changes in American Le Mans series rules intended to even the field between gasoline and diesel powered engines. In addition to an overall win, Audi also set a track record in 2007 with Marco Werner behind the wheel in qualifying.
Statistics

Audi R8 winner 2000-2007
Rank | Constructor | Wins | Years |
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1 | ![]() |
18 | 1960, 1968, 1971, 1973, 1976–1988, 2008 |
2 | ![]() |
12 | 1956, 1958–1964, 1970, 1972, 1995, 1997–1998 |
3 | ![]() |
11 | 2000–2007, 2009, 2012–2013 |
4 | ![]() |
5 | 1989–1991, 1994 2018 |
5 | ![]() |
3 | 1966–1967, 1969 |
6 | ![]() |
2 | 1992–1993 |
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1975, 1999 |
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2010–2011 |
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12 | ![]() |
1 | 1950 |
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1952 |
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1953 |
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1954 |
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1955 |
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1957 |
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1965 |
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1996 |
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2014 |
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2015 |
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2016 |
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2017 |
Rank | Driver | Wins | Years |
---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() |
6 | 99–00, 05–06, 2009, 2012 |
2 | ![]() |
5 | 01–02, 2006, 2009, 2012 |
3 | ![]() |
4 | 2000, 03–04, 07 |
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2004, 2006, 2009, 2012 |
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5 | ![]() |
3 | 1959, 1960, 1961 |
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1967, 1970, 1972 |
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1975, 1986, 1988 |
Overall winners
Year |
Drivers |
Team |
Car |
Tires |
Distance |
Championship |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
3.3 mile/5.31 km circuit | ||||||
1950 D |
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Crosley HotShot |
613.84 km (381.42 mi) (Sam Collier Memorial Sebring Grand Prix of Endurance Six Hours)[3] |
Non-championship |
|
1951 |
Not held |
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5.382 mile/8.6 km circuit | ||||||
1952 |
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Frazer-Nash Le Mans Replica |
D |
1,213.445 km (754.000 mi) |
American Automobile Association (AAA) |
1953 |
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Cunningham C4R-Chrysler |
F |
1,447.766 km (899.600 mi) |
World Sportscar Championship |
1954 |
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O.S.C.A. MT4 |
P |
1,405.923 km (873.600 mi) |
World Sportscar Championship |
1955 |
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Jaguar D-Type |
D |
1,523.083 km (946.400 mi) |
World Sportscar Championship |
1956 |
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Ferrari 860 Monza |
E |
1,623.506 km (1,008.800 mi) |
World Sportscar Championship |
1957 |
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Maserati 450S |
P |
1,648.612 km (1,024.400 mi) |
World Sportscar Championship |
1958 |
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Ferrari 250 TR 58 |
E |
1,673.718 km (1,040.000 mi) |
World Sportscar Championship |
1959 |
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Ferrari 250 TR 59 |
E |
1,573.295 km (977.600 mi) |
World Sportscar Championship |
1960 |
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Porsche RS-60 |
D |
1,640.243 km (1,019.200 mi) |
World Sportscar Championship |
1961 |
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Ferrari 250 TRI/61 |
D |
1,740.666 km (1,081.600 mi) |
World Sportscar Championship |
1962 |
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Ferrari 250 TRI/61 |
D |
1,723.929 km (1,071.200 mi) |
International Championship for GT Manufacturers |
1963 |
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Ferrari 250P |
D |
1,749.035 km (1,086.800 mi) |
International Championship for GT Manufacturers |
1964 |
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Ferrari 275P |
D |
1,790.878 km (1,112.800 mi) |
International Championship for GT Manufacturers |
1965 |
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Chaparral 2-Chevrolet |
F |
1,640.243 km (1,019.200 mi) |
International Championship for GT Manufacturers |
1966 |
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Ford X-1 Roadster |
G |
1,908.038 km (1,185.600 mi) |
International Championship for Sports-Prototypes International Championship for Sports Cars |
5.4 mile/8.66 km circuit | ||||||
1967 |
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Ford Mk IV |
F |
1,991.724 km (1,237.600 mi) |
International Championship for Sports-Prototypes International Championship for Sports Cars |
1968 |
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Porsche 907 |
D |
1,983.356 km (1,232.400 mi) |
International Championship for Makes |
1969 |
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Ford GT40 MkI |
F |
2,000.093 km (1,242.800 mi) |
International Championship for Makes |
1970 |
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Ferrari 512S |
F |
2,075.410 km (1,289.600 mi) |
International Championship for Makes |
1971 |
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Porsche 917K |
F |
2,175.833 km (1,352.000 mi) |
International Championship for Makes |
1972 |
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Ferrari 312PB |
F |
2,167.465 km (1,346.800 mi) |
World Championship for Makes |
1973 |
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Porsche Carrera RSR |
G |
1,891.301 km (1,175.200 mi) |
IMSA GT Championship |
1974 |
No race due to energy crisis |
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1975 |
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BMW 3.0 CSL |
D |
1,991.724 km (1,237.600 mi) |
IMSA GT Championship |
1976 |
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Porsche Carrera RSR |
G |
1,924.775 km (1,196.000 mi) |
IMSA GT Championship |
1977 |
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Porsche Carrera RSR |
G |
1,958.450 km (1,216.924 mi) |
IMSA GT Championship |
1978 |
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Porsche 935 |
G |
2,008.461 km (1,248.000 mi) |
IMSA GT Championship |
1979 |
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Porsche 935 |
G |
2,000.093 km (1,242.800 mi) |
IMSA GT Championship |
1980 |
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Porsche 935 K3 |
G |
2,117.253 km (1,315.600 mi) |
IMSA GT Championship |
1981 |
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Porsche 935/80 |
G |
2,050.304 km (1,274.000 mi) |
IMSA GT Championship World Endurance Championship |
1982 |
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Porsche 935 JLP-3 |
G |
2,041.936 km (1,268.800 mi) |
IMSA GT Championship |
4.7 mile/7.52 km circuit | ||||||
1983 |
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Porsche 934A |
F |
1,765.853 km (1,097.250 mi) |
IMSA GT Championship |
1984 |
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Porsche 935J |
G |
2,057.031 km (1,278.180 mi) |
IMSA GT Championship |
1985 |
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Porsche 962 |
G |
2,197.817 km (1,365.660 mi) |
IMSA GT Championship |
1986 |
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Porsche 962 |
Y |
2,244.745 km (1,394.820 mi) |
IMSA GT Championship |
4.2 mile/6.85 km circuit | ||||||
1987 |
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Porsche 962 |
G |
1,971.092 km (1,224.780 mi) |
IMSA GT Championship |
1988 |
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Porsche 962 |
G |
2,103.380 km (1,306.980 mi) |
IMSA GT Championship |
1989 |
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Nissan GTP ZX-Turbo |
G |
2,182.753 km (1,356.300 mi) |
IMSA GT Championship |
1990 |
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Nissan GTP ZX-Turbo |
G |
1,990.936 km (1,237.110 mi) |
IMSA GT Championship |
3.72 mile/5.99 km circuit | ||||||
1991 |
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Nissan NPT-90 |
G |
1,774.463 km (1,102.600 mi) |
IMSA GT Championship |
1992 |
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Eagle MkIII-Toyota |
G |
2,143.646 km (1,332.000 mi) |
IMSA GT Championship |
1993 |
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Eagle MkIII-Toyota |
G |
1,369.552 km (851.000 mi)B |
IMSA GT Championship |
1994 |
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Nissan 300ZX |
Y |
1,947.145 km (1,209.900 mi) |
IMSA Exxon World Sportscar Championship |
1995 |
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Ferrari 333 SP |
P |
1,548.189 km (962.000 mi)B |
IMSA Exxon World Sportscar Championship |
1996 |
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Riley & Scott Mk III-Oldsmobile |
P |
1,935.075 km (1,202.400 mi) |
IMSA Exxon World Sportscar Championship |
1997 |
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Ferrari 333 SP |
G |
1,628.012 km (1,011.600 mi)B |
Professional Sports Car Exxon World Sportscar Championship |
1998 |
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Ferrari 333 SP |
Y |
1,925.178 km (1,196.250 mi) |
Professional Sportscar Exxon World Sportscar Championship |
3.74 mile/6.02 km circuit | ||||||
1999 |
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BMW V12 LMR |
M |
1,863.781 km (1,158.100 mi) |
American Le Mans Series |
2000 |
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Audi R8 |
M |
2,143.646 km (1,332.000 mi) |
American Le Mans Series |
2001 |
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Audi R8 |
M |
2,203.192 km (1,369.000 mi) |
American Le Mans Series European Le Mans Series |
2002 |
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Audi R8 |
M |
2,060.282 km (1,280.200 mi) |
American Le Mans Series |
2003 |
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Audi R8 |
M |
2,185.328 km (1,357.900 mi) |
American Le Mans Series |
2004 |
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Audi R8 |
M |
2,084.101 km (1,295.000 mi) |
American Le Mans Series |
2005 |
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Audi R8 |
M |
2,149.601 km (1,335.700 mi) |
American Le Mans Series |
2006 |
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Audi R10 TDI (Diesel) |
M |
2,078.145 km (1,291.299 mi) |
American Le Mans Series |
2007 |
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Audi R10 TDI (Diesel) |
M |
2,165.8 km (1,345.8 mi) |
American Le Mans Series |
2008 |
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Porsche RS Spyder |
M |
2,088.45 km (1,297.70 mi) |
American Le Mans Series |
2009 |
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Audi R15 TDI (Diesel) |
M |
2,278.85 km (1,416.01 mi)C |
American Le Mans Series |
2010 |
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Peugeot 908 HDi FAP (Diesel) |
M |
2,185.328 km (1,357.900 mi) |
American Le Mans Series |
2011 |
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Peugeot 908 HDi FAP (Diesel) |
M |
1,975.4 km (1,227.5 mi) |
American Le Mans Series Intercontinental Le Mans Cup |
2012 |
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Audi R18 TDI (Diesel) |
M |
1,933.8 km (1,201.6 mi) |
FIA World Endurance Championship American Le Mans Series |
2013 |
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Audi R18 e-tron quattro (hybrid diesel) |
M |
2,191.3 km (1,361.6 mi) |
American Le Mans Series |
2014 |
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Riley Mk XXVI-Ford Ecoboost |
C |
1,751.1 km (1,088.1 mi) |
United SportsCar Championship |
2015 |
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Coyote-Corvette DP |
C |
2,046.4 km (1,271.6 mi) |
United SportsCar Championship |
2016 |
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Ligier JS P2-Honda |
C |
1,432.51 km (890.12 mi)B |
IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship |
2017 |
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Cadillac DPi.V-R |
C |
2,094.59 km (1,301.52 mi) |
IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship |
2018 |
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Nissan DPi |
C |
2,070.88 km (1,286.79 mi) |
IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship |
^A The car was in fact, a Porsche 935 K3 that has been modified with a single plug cylinder head and a front nose to resemble a Porsche 934 to comply to IMSA GTO specification.[4]
^B These races were stopped for a period of time due to heavy rain and/or accidents. The race clock was not stopped for these periods and counted towards the 12 Hours.
^C Race record for most distance covered.
^D Technically the race "winner" in 1950 was the Crosley Hot Shot of Fritz Koster / Ralph Deshon, entered by Victor Sharpe Jr. of Tampa. While the Wacker / Burrell Allard did cover more distance, the race was run under the "Index of Performance" handicapping rules and the Crosley, with a much smaller engine than the Cadillac-powered Allard, is listed in the Official Sebring Record Book as the winner.
References
^ McCluggage, Denise (February 20, 2012). "Racing Through History". Autoweek. 62 (4): 66–67..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
^ "Sebring countdown: The 20 greatest battles countdown, Nos. 8 through 5 | Autoweek". 2016-04-06. Archived from the original on 2016-04-06. Retrieved 2018-03-17.
^ Sam Collier Memorial Sebring Grand Prix of Endurance Six Hours, www.racingsportscars.com Retrieved on 31 July 2012
^ Starkey, John. 930 to 935: The Turbo Porsches. Renwick & Starkey Ltd. ISBN 0-9665094-1-2.
External links
- Official Homepage
- United SportsCar Championship official site
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