12 TO GO POWERED BY JAGUAR - Issue 22
With a tradition of dynamic grids over the years, next month's Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida may top them all. An impressive list of full-season entrants in the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón will combine with the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup field for a 60-car grid, setting the stage for one of the most anticipated editions of America's greatest sports car race.
The Automobile Club de l'Ouest - sanctioning body for the Le Mans 24 Hours - recently announced the teams that will participate in the seven-round ILMC. Concurrently, ALMS sanctioning body IMSA released its list of full-season entrants for 2011. Together, it gives Sebring one of the largest and most diverse gatherings of sports cars it has seen. The Sebring classic takes the green flag at 10:30 am on Saturday, March 19th.
"The Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida has never been more in the spotlight than it will be in 2011," said Scott Atherton, President and CEO of the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón. "The collection of world-class talent - drivers, teams and manufacturers - that will test themselves in one of the world's most grueling endurance challenges ranks alongside only Le Mans in both quality and quantity. The start of the 2011 American Le Mans Series season - and the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup - will be one for the ages and certainly one worth the devotion and following this great race has enjoyed for nearly 60 years."
Tickets to the Sebring 12-hour classic are available online or by calling 800-626-7223. Gates open on Wednesday, March 16, and remain open 24 hours a day through Saturday.
A wide variety of manufacturers will compete in legendary enduro. The battle at the head of the grid will be fascinating once again. In LMP1 alone, Peugeot will defend against the likes of Audi and representatives fromAston Martin, Honda, Toyota, Mazda and Pescarolo.
The entry in GT is even more expansive with marques such as Aston Martin, BMW, Corvette, Ferrari, Ford,Jaguar, Lamborghini, Panoz and Porsche. In addition, the LMP and GT Challenge classes that debuted in 2010 will compete alongside ILMC entries at both Sebring and Petit Le Mans.