The tides of March.

By Peter M. De Lorenzo

Sebring. The central Florida road racing extravaganza - otherwise known as the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida - lived up to its billing as America's premier endurance road race, at least in every class but the top-ranked P1 class. The factory Audi R18 e-tron quattros used the punishing airport-based Sebring circuit as a twelve-hour live-fire test for all intents and purposes, as they had no competition in their class. It would have been nice had the factory Toyota prototypes showed up but that group is focusing on the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where they will square-off against Audi in the world's most prestigious endurance race. The GT race was plenty spectacular enough, so racing enthusiasts on-site were pleased (we'll have more Sebring coverage in "The Line" - WG).

But then again, this 61st running of the 12 Hours of Sebring was significant beyond its usual place in American sports car racing lore (and central Florida headquarters for Spring Break revelry), because last Saturday's event served as the beginning of the end of the American Le Mans Series era in North American sports car racing, as the blending of the ALMS and NASCAR's Grand-Am series begins next February at the Daytona 24 Hour race in the form of USCR, or United SportsCar Racing. (Not a catchy name or logo to put it charitably, but then again this new road racing series must be all about the on-track product, so I am choosing to not dwell on the less-than-inspiring name and logo at this juncture.)

Much was made of the looming 2014 series as Jim France and other Grand-Am operatives were highly visible throughout the weekend at Sebring. The biggest news to emerge was the fact that the French racing officials from the ACO - the people in charge of the 24 Hours of Le Mans - were officially endorsing the new USCR racing entity as being eligible to supply entries to the annual French endurance classic, thus continuing the role that the ALMS had fought hard to establish and nurture over the years of its existence. (It also didn't hurt that IMSA was announced last Thursday as the sanctioning body for USCR, a move that everyone acknowledged was key for any number of reasons.)

I was asked plenty of times over the weekend if I thought that USCR would succeed and my comments always revolved around the fact that having one, unified, major league sports car racing series was huge. People tend to forget how debilitating and counterproductive having two road racing series was in the North American market, and just how precarious the entire sport of road racing had become because of it. It simply could not have continued and the fact that the two sides got together will ultimately be beneficial for all.

The connection to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, plus the sanctioning by IMSA, ensures that this new road racing series will have the legitimacy that it needs going forward, but it will not guarantee its success. The existing events that were successful in the past - Daytona, Sebring and Petit Le Mans - will be successful again right out of the gate, but building up true momentum and burgeoning fan interest will take time. I see it taking at least two full seasons for USCR to find its footing with sponsors and racing fans alike and by the third season, I expect to see real dividends in terms of increased fan attendance, sponsor interest and television viewing numbers. Anything less will be a crushing disappointment for all involved.

All that said, I'm happy to report that Sebring was well and truly Sebring, thankfully, with packed spectator areas and swarms of people everywhere, and there was a real sense of optimism in the air that was well-founded.

The bickering had stopped and the focus had returned to making the racing - now and in the future - as good as it can possibly be.

And for a warm weekend in mid-March, it really doesn't get any better than that.

Publisher's Note: As part of our continuing series celebrating the "Glory Days" of racing, we're proud to present another noteworthy image from the Ford Racing Archives. - PMD

(Dave Friedman, courtesy of the Ford Racing Archives and Wieck Media)
Indianapolis, Indiana, 1963. Dan Gurney confers with crew chief Bill Fowler while others crowd around his Lotus-Ford during a test session at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in preparation for that year's Indianapolis 500.

Publisher's Note: Like these Ford racing photos? Check out www.fordimages.com. Be forewarned, however, because you won't be able to go there and not order something. - PMD