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Monday, March 14, 2011 at 01:07PM

March 16, 2011

Why Sebring remains America's greatest sports car race.

By Peter M. De Lorenzo

Detroit. This Saturday marks the 59th running of America's most prestigious road racing event, the 12 Hours of Sebring. Run on an a complex of runways and access roads attached to an active airport in central Florida, the 12 Hours of Sebring remains the greatest endurance sports car race in this country. Why is that, exactly? Especially when casual observers might attach more significance to the twice-around-the-clock contest in February held in Daytona Beach?

The answer lies in historical context. Sebring is the oldest event of its kind in this country, and prestige was attached to it almost from the outset in 1952, as European manufacturers brought teams and star drivers over here to make an impression on American consumers and their burgeoning interest in sports cars. It was Sebring that the first national reports acknowledging the growing popularity of sports car racing in the U.S. emanated from, courtesy of Walter Cronkite who was reporting for CBS radio back in 1959 (while he himself was competing in the event). So to European manufacturers and their teams and drivers Sebring has always held sway as the American endurance event that's most prestigious to win.

(The fact that Sebring was close to or around that other annual rite of spring - Spring Break - and college students found it to be the perfect confluence of visual stimulation on and off the track didn't hurt either. Attendance for the weekend at Sebring has hovered around 100,000 for many years now, even during leaner times.)

On the other hand, the 24-hour event at Daytona International Speedway was late to the party - though it, too, drew the attention of American and European factory teams over the years, particularly in the 60s - and it never found its place on the world stage when it came to endurance racing, especially in terms of reputation or prestige. This fact has been exacerbated over recent years with the NASCAR-centric France family turning the Grand-Am-affiliated Daytona 24 Hour into a glorified club race in their never-ending quest of trying to make life miserable for the American Le Mans Series even though for all intents and purposes Grand-Am begins and ends at Daytona, with the series' other races basically being relegated to non-spectator shows with little or no meaning, and negligible fan interest. (This is always glaringly apparent at Daytona for the 24 Hour when the stands remain empty year after year and the infield is filled with campers positioning themselves for the NASCAR events to come later in the month of February, in stark contrast to the happening atmosphere at Sebring the following month.)

The fact that Sebring and the ALMS have a direct connection to the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans, which stands tall as the spiritual home of endurance road racing around the world, makes the credibility that surrounds the 12 Hours of Sebring that much stronger and more enduring.

And by the way, for those of you out there hoping that cooler heads will prevail and that the ongoing split in sports car racing in this country will come to an end soon, don't count on it. Through its unstated but readily apparent mission - which is to cater to wealthy sportsman who can't get their fill in amateur sports car racing - Grand-Am has clearly carved a niche for itself as a decidedly second-tier road racing series, with no connection to manufacturer interest in advanced technology or relevance to their ongoing future product development programs for that matter.

And for that reason - and the fact that the France family appears to want to shore up its Grand-Am series indefinitely financially - an accommodation with the ALMS is highly unlikely, as in it's nevergonnahappen.com. The ALMS connection to and fundamental understanding of these manufacturers' need for relevance in their racing endeavors, in terms of overall operating efficiency and the embracing of advanced technological development, will ensure that the twain shall never meet.

It's too bad, but it's the reality of the situation.

At any rate, if you've never made the trek through the orange groves in central Florida to attend the 12 Hours of Sebring I'd highly recommend it and you owe it to yourself to go just once. It's history, it's superb racing, and it's why we keep coming back for more of this sport every year.

The 59th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida is set for 10:30 a.m. ET on Saturday, March 19. The race will be shown live and in its entirety on ESPN3.com starting at 10 a.m. ET. ABC will provide highlight coverage from 12:30 to 2 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 20.

(Courtesy of the Ford Racing Archives)
Sebring, Florida, March 21, 1964. The No. 12 Bob Bondurant/Lew Spencer Shelby American-entered 289FIA Cobra makes a night pit stop at the 12 Hours of Sebring that year. They would finish fifth overall behind the Shelby American-entered, GT class-winning Cobra Daytona Coupe driven by Bob Holbert and Dave MacDonald.

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

(Courtesy of the Ford Racing Archives)
Sebring, Florida, March 1, 1967. The 12 Hours of Sebring gets underway that year with the traditional "Le Mans" start. The pole-winning 427 cu. in. V8-powered No. 1 Ford Mk-IV of Mario Andretti and Bruce McLaren can be seen in the foreground, with McLaren getting the start and running toward it. The dynamic driving duo would spank the field by 12 laps. Finishing in second was the No. 2 Ford Mk IIB 427 driven by A.J. Foyt/Lloyd Ruby, and the No. 36 Porsche 910 driven by Scooter Patrick/Gerhard Mitter would finish third. The high-winged No. 6 Chaparral 2F 427 which was driven by Jim Hall and Mike Spence can be seen starting from the second grid position, although they would not finish the race due to rear differential problems.

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

See another live episode of "Autoline After Hours" with hosts John McElroy, from Autoline Detroit, and Peter De Lorenzo, The Autoextremist, and guests this Thursday evening, at 7:00PM EDT at www.autolinedetroit.tv.