#02 heads Cadillac Podium Sweep At 70th Sebring 12 Hours
A frantic chase back from Earl Bamber saw him catch and pass Richard Westbrook quickly after a drive through penalty at the top of the 11th hour had cost the #02 the lead.
Seconds later though the Kiwi tried to bustle by the #21 Ferrari and was tagged into a spin, losing the lead and around 7 seconds – The chase began once again, and again Bamber caught and passed the #5, this time with just 41 minutes remaining.
The leading five DPis were all still in the hunt, but the #60 Meyer Shank Acura was running slightly hobbled after contact with the #31 earlier in the race sent the Acura over the kerbs, damaging the floor.
30 minutes left – with a race that has been green now for over 4 hours – and Tristan Vautier, now in the #5 was closing again on the leader.
In fourth and fifth the Acuras were battling in the final 25 minutes, Ricky Taylor making his way by Tom Blomqvist, the Konica Minolta car running out of time to break down a 15 second gap to a podium slot.
A splash of fuel for the LMP2 leading #52 PR1 Mathiesen Oreca with Mikkel Jensen saw the long-time leader in the class away and still clear.
In LMP3 it was coming down to whether the #33 Sean Creech Ligier, Malthe Jakobsen at the wheel, could eke out its fuel to the end, the chasing JrIII JS P320 of Garrett Grist definitely OK on fuel and under 30 seconds in arrears.
GTD Pro seemed to have the Corvette on control, 10 seconds clear with Antonio Garcia at the wheel, Mirko Bortolotti pushing very hard in the #63 TR3 Lamborghini
In GTD Antonio Fuoco was powering home for Cetilar racing, a comfortable margin over Daniel Juncadella in the #32 AMG with Toni Vilander chasing hard in the 3rd placed #21 AF Corse Ferrari.
At the flag it was a win for the #02, Earl Bamber and late supersub for Kevin Magnussen, Neel Jani both first time Sebring 12 Hours winners, with Alex Lynn taking a second 12 Hours win after tasting victory in 2017 with Wayne Taylor Racing, again in a Cadillac. The trio completed 351 laps – a record distance in the DPi era after the race ran green for the final 4 hours plus.
The winning trio celebrated on the podium with team owner Chip Ganassi
They were followed home by the #5 JDC Miller and #31 Whelen/ Action Express Cadillacs – A clean sweep for GM in the last Sebring for the DPis.
OW SPECIAL IS THIS?
Earl Bamber: “It’s right up there. Chip Ganassi Racing and Cadillac was amazing this weekend. We had such a good lead and I managed to throw it away twice. I’m just exhausted. To everyone from the team and Cadillac, thank you.”
WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE DAY, WAS IT THE TRAFFIC, THE HEAT, THE TRACK?
“It was all of it. Just the competition between the Cadillacs. I’m just so happy to get the first win for the 02. Thank you to Alex and Neel, who came in and did a great job.”
A dominant performance from PR1 Mathiesen saw the win in LMP2 for Mikkel Jensen, Ben Keating and Scott Huffaker, a second consecutive Sebring win for the team – Racing Team Nederland and Era Motorsport completed the class podium.
LMP3 saw a fine win for Sean Creech Motorsport – Malthe Jakobsen a fine finishing stint to seal the victory for himself with once Willsey and Joao Barbosa, the JR III and Performance Tech Ligiers complete that class podium.
GTD PRO saw Corvette take their first win in GTD spec, Antonio Garcia bringing it home in the #3 C8.R shared with Nicky Catsburg and Jordan Taylor. The #63 TR3 Lamborghini and 397 Weathertech AMG completed the podium
GTD saw drama on the final lap – but not for the winners Cetilar Racing, the #47 Ferrari home safely in the hands of Antonio Fuoco, Roberto Lacorte and Giorgio Sernagiotto share the spoils.
Second was the #32 Gilbert Korthoff AMG with the #14 Lexus losing out on a podium finish on the final lap, apparently out of fuel, the final step on the podium claimed by the #21 Ferrari.
2022 Sebring 12 Hours Provisional Result
More to follow
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