By: Trans Am 11 hours ago Rafa Matos enjoyed sweet revenge in Trans Am presented by Pirelli competition at Sebring International Raceway on Sunday, leading flag to flag to win the 25-lap season-opening event in TA2 powered by AEM competition.The race was the first of a double-header Trans Am event at Sebring, with the second race featuring TA, SuperGT, and GT classes set for Sunday afternoon.One year after losing the TA2 race at Sebring to Marc Miller in the closing minutes, Matos kept the field in his rear-view mirror to win in the No. 88 3Dimensional.com Chevrolet Camaro after being chased all the way by Miller’s No. 40 Prefix/Stevens-Miller Racing Dodge Challenger. Miller finished second, with Scott Lagasse coming home in third ahead of two-time Sebring Trans Am winner Doug Peterson, as Tony Buffomante finished fifth in the No. 12 Mike Cope Racing Mustang“Today was a redemption race, definitely,” said Matos, the defending TA2 champion. “I was determined I was not going to lose the race this year. I knew that Marc was saving his tires — he was being smart like he did last year. I did everything I could did in the middle of the race to save my car in case I needed it at the end. And when I needed to push the 3Dimensional car, it responded perfectly. It was a great day for everyone on our team. It’s been an amazing time.”Debuting a new No. 40 machine, numbered to celebrate the 40th anniversary for sponsor partner Prefix, Miller was hoping to replicate his last-lap pass for the victory from 2018 but was still pleased to bring home a podium to start the season.“When the yellow came out, I was thinking back to last year — and had to laugh thinking that Rafa was thinking the same thing!” said Miller. “But we didn’t have the balance that we needed with the car to get him. It is a new car and we learned a lot this weekend with it, we are just getting everything sorted. I’m really happy with the show we put on — we have a lot of Stevens-Miller guests here from Prefix, Liqui-Moly and Piper Aircraft, which is right up the road. The team did an awesome job with this car!”Lagasse ran fifth in the early laps but worked his way up to third by Lap 10 in the No. 92 SLR/Fields Tacing/M1 Racecars Camaro. He maintained that position the rest of the way for a podium finish.“It was solid; it was what we needed,” said the second-generation driver from St. Augustine, Fla. “I owed it to the guys, because I gave up a little too much too early. That’s my fault, because we were just as good — or better — than anybody at the end. It’s what we needed. Last year, Sebring was hands-down my worst racetrack. I still have some things to work on as a driver, but we did a lot better and I’ll keep working.” Peterson finished fourth in the No. 87 3Dimensional.com Camaro, improving his position throughout the event to earn Masters honors.“I wasn’t happy with 11th place in qualifying, because the car was better than that,” Peterson said. “I knew I would be able to move up a little bit in the opening laps and I got a good launch. I kept moving up and moving up. Fourth place is amazing, but Sebring is my kind of track. You have to save the tires, and the only driver aids are your right foot and the steering wheel. It was amazing to see my teammate win. Rafa is a racer’s racer.”

More Trans Am!

Speeding penalty costs Kyle Busch a three-race weekend sweep

Loshak flag to flag in Sebring Trans Am opener

Loud and Loshak - video highlights from the Trans Am opener

Elias Anderson, a 17-year-old from Driftwood, Texas, finished 11th in his TA2 debut driving the No. 31 AccioData/Sampson/Harris Hill Mustang. The forward progress earned the youngster a new Coolsuit after earning the “Cool Move of the Race” award.“It was pretty cool,” Anderson said. “ It is great to win a Coolsuit, because I had to borrow one for this race! I rented this car, and I couldn’t be happier with the result. Now I need a sponsor so I can continue. My only other time at Sebring was at 2 a.m, in a Porsche 935 (in the Classic 12 Hours), and it’s quite a bit different today driving a front-engined car against such great competition.”B C Race Car driver Misha Goikhberg missed the pre-race grid and was forced to start at the back of the 27-car field in the No. 10 BC Race Cars Camaro. He was up to 10th by the 39-minute mark, when he suddenly slowed in the Gurney Bend on Lap 18 following a puncture.The first full-course caution waved on Lap 20. Three laps after the restart, Curt Vogt had an off course excursion entering the Hairpin in the No. 23 Cobra Automotive Mustang, causing the race to end under caution.While the opening round win puts Matos in the championship lead, that was the last thing on his mind after a champagne shower as he congratulated his teammate Peterson on the Masters win: “We can’t be thinking about the championship, it is way too early to be thinking about that.“It is a long season — there are 13 races. Our approach is race by race, qualifying by qualifying. If you start looking at the big picture you lose your focus. That man (teammate Doug Peterson) is very special — the way he is driving and pushing himself and improving his skills is really impressive,” said Matos.Later today, Lawrence Loshak will start from the pole with Burtin Racing’s Chevrolet Camaros sweeping the front row for the TA/SGT/GT event, which takes the green flag at 3:25 p.m. ET.

TheTransAmSeries

By: Stephen Kilbey 10 hours ago Three-time Le Mans winner and 2013 FIA WEC champion Allan McNish will serve as grand marshal at Sebring, March 13-16, for both the IMSA WeatherTech and FIA World Endurance Championship races.McNish, a four-time winner of the 12 Hours of Sebring (2004, ’06, ’09 and ’12) enjoyed his last victory at Sebring in 2012 (photo above), the first-ever (and until this year the only other) FIA WEC race at the fabled south Florida circuit.“It’s a great honor to be named grand marshal, and I look forward very much to the entire weekend,” said McNish. “Sebring is a great old-school track with fantastic fans and always-amazing races. I was lucky enough to have won the 12 Hours four times, and have so many memories of great battles through the years.“When you win at Sebring, you know you’ve achieved a significant victory, overcoming many challenges, both technical and physical.”

More IMSA!

Le Mans rejection stuns MSR/Heinricher team

More IMSA entries in final 60-car Le Mans 24 Hours field

McLaren playing the waiting game with sports car plans

Said Gérard Neveu, CEO of the WEC: “There are few drivers who can match Allan’s career as an endurance competitor, not to mention his additional, considerable skills as a commentator and journalist, and now his success as a team boss.“His successes at Sebring makes his return here all the more meaningful to fans and competitors alike, and we are delighted that he has agreed to serve as grand marshal for this great weekend ahead. “We can’t think of anyone better for the role.”Scott Atherton, President of IMSA added: “As part of our IMSA 50th Anniversary Celebration in 2019, the selection of Allan McNish as the grand marshal for the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours represents a perfect fit. Allan’s name and accomplishments with Audi are etched in Sebring lore.“As IMSA co-headlines the Super Sebring event with the WEC, Allan is the embodiment of excellence in both championships. And he’s a fan favorite and a genuinely nice guy — the perfect grand marshal for this epic combined weekend.”

By: Marshall Pruett | 4 hours ago The second round of IMSA’s WeatherTech SportsCar Championship coincides with the first appearance of the FIA World Endurance Championship at Sebring this week for its sixth round, as the WEC goes racing for 1000 miles on Friday and IMSA takes over for its traditional Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring on Saturday.Be sure to follow @RACERmag and @MarshallPruett for regular updates on Twitter, and RACER.com for photos, videos, session reports and feature stories from the IMSA+WEC weekend, and use the resources below to follow along:IMSA Radio: Click here

Entry list: Click here

Tickets: Click here

Weather: Click here

Spotters guide: Click here

IMSA live timing & scoring: Click here

WEATHERTECH CHAMPIONSHIP EVENT SCHEDULE:

Thursday, March 14 (all times Eastern)

9:45–11:00 a.m., Free Practice 1

2:40—3:40 p.m., Free Practice 2

7:45–9:15 p.m., Free Practice 3

Friday, March 15

8:00—9:25 a.m., Free Practice 4

9:55—11:00 a.m., Qualifying

Saturday, March 16

8:00—8:20 a.m., Warp Up

10:40 a.m.—10:40 p.m., WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Round 2 (14 Hours)

TV tune-in info (all times Eastern)





FIA WEC

IMSA Radio: Click here

Entry list: Click here

Tickets: Click here

Weather: Click here

WEC live timing & scoring: Click here WORLD ENDURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP EVENT SCHEDULE:

Wednesday, March 13 (all times Eastern)

3:00—4:30 p.m., Free Practice 1

7:45–9:15 p.m., Free Practice 2

Thursday, March 14

4:15—5:15 p.m., Free Practice 3

9:30–10:20 p.m., Qualifying

Friday, March 15

4 p.m.—12:00 a.m., FIA World Endurance Championship Round 6 (1000 Miles or 8 Hours)

TV tune-in info (all times Eastern)

MotorTrend; coverage starts Friday at 3:30pm.

By: Stephen Kilbey 4 hours ago While the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar teams are yet to arrive at Sebring International Raceway, the FIA World Endurance Championship paddock is a hive of activity ahead of tomorrow’s free practice.All 34 cars are on site, with pit tents set up and ready to go in the new WEC-specific pit lane paralleling the back straight.Tuesday’s big news is that Team Project 1 (photo above) has successfully sourced a new Porsche for race week, its primary 911 RSR having burned to the ground in Sunday pre-event testing.The team told RACER it will use the 911 RSR ordered from Porsche for its European Le Mans Series assault later this year. The car is due to arrive tonight and be should be ready to run tomorrow, although it will almost certainly miss the opening track session as the team must first complete various engine and sensor tasks. While the car is brand new, it was shaken down before being air-freighted to the U.S. from Germany.

More Le Mans/WEC!

Huge run on Sebring tickets

RACER’s 2019 12 Hours of Sebring resource guide

Toyota continues record-breaking pace at Sebring test

Elsewhere, at least two teams will have new color schemes for the Sebring 1000. Clearwater Racing’s Ferrari will run in black for the sponsors of its returning driver Luis Perez Companc, having removed the chrome Shanghai livery marking the retirement of veteran Weng Sun Mok.Corvette Racing will also fly new colors in central Florida — well, sort of. Out is the silver-black-red the team ran at Shanghai; in is the traditional yellow used in its IMSA program.Corvette’s WEC GTE Pro C7.R will be paddocked in the team’s IMSA WeatherTech space, alongside the pair of GTLM C7.Rs that will compete in Saturday’s 12 Hours.As a side note, a number of Greaves Motorsport personnel, including Jacob Greaves, are in Sebring assisting Corvette Racing with its WEC effort. Greaves’ team bring a wealth of experience, having won the ELMS LMP2 title in 2015 and their class at Le Mans in 2011.The paddocks for both FIA WEC and IMSA WeatherTech entries are located along the back straight, in a long line separated by the massive Michelin tire compound which will service WEC and IMSA, along with all of the latter’s supporting series.On the subject of tires, it will be an interesting week in the ongoing WEC LMP2 tire war. Dunlop will debut the new ‘C’ spec LMP2 tire destined for the 2018/19 FIA WEC ‘Super Season’ and carrying its hopes of securing a 46th consecutive class win.The move comes after Michelin released its ‘C’ spec tire late last year and enjoyed an uptick in performance in the ELMS – particularly on the Ligier JS P217 chassis – prompting some teams to switch ahead of the new season.Dunlop tested its new LMP2 tire alongside its ‘A’ and ‘B’ spec rubber through the offseason at several circuits in Europe and at Sebring with ORECA, Ligier and Dallara chassis, and chose Sebring to debut its new compound, not only because of commercial benefits but also because of the circuit’s uniquely challenging surface.Jackie Chan DC Racing and TDS Racing will field the new Dunlops in Florida, while after completing a back-to-back test of Michelin and Dunlop in preparation for its title defense, 2018 ELMS LMP2 champion G-Drive Racing seems likely to remain on Dunlops. Signatech Alpine, Dragonspeed, Racing Team Netherlands and Larbre Competition will all run Michelins.That means not only will Michelin supply every car in the three IMSA championships this weekend at Sebring, but also 21 of the 24 WEC entries, with Dunlop the only other tire manufacturer represented and supplying just three cars.Official on-track action begins tomorrow for the FIA WEC runners, with the first two practice sessions. The IMSA teams all will hit the track for the first time on Thursday.

By: RACER Staff 6 hours ago AIM Vasser Sullivan has added the experienced Philipp Frommenwiler to the lineup of its No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3 for this weekend’s Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. The 29-year-old Swiss joins regulars Jack Hawksworth and Richard Heistand in the GTD-class contender, which finished fifth in last month’s Rolex Daytona 24 Hour.Frommenwiler has considerable Lexus experience, appearing three times in IMSA endurance events last year as a follow-up to a winning 2017 season in Europe’s International GT Open with Emil Frey Racing.“I’m very much looking forward to racing for [AVS] and I’m really excited to be back for the 12 Hours of Sebring,” said Frommenwiler. “It’s my third Sebring race so I have experience at the track, and I look forward to the new partnership.“The Lexus showed good pace last year at Sebring, so if we can repeat that we should be in a good position for the race. The team was really strong at Daytona, so I’m looking forward to being a part of it and being back in IMSA racing.”

More IMSA!

Huge run on Sebring tickets

RACER’s 2019 12 Hours of Sebring resource guide

Rayhall to make racing return – in sprint cars

AVS’ pair of Lexus RC F GT3s will be at all 11 rounds of the 2019 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Hawksworth and Heistand the regulars in the No. 14, and NBC commentator Townsend Bell and Frankie Montecalvo paired in the No. 12 which finished second at Daytona.Aaron Telitz assisted in that runner-up finish, joining Bell and Montecalvo as third driver in the four longer-distance Michelin Endurance Cup events, including Sebring this weekend.“I haven’t raced at Sebring in a long time,” Telitz said, “but I’ve done a lot of testing in Indy Lights and USF2000 cars on the shorter track, and it’s great to be going there with the Lexus. It’s just an exciting track. It’s flat in the middle of Florida, but in my opinion, it’s one of the more exciting tracks in North America.”“Sebring is one of my favorite tracks,” added Bell. “Rough, old school, and a challenge day and night. [Our] team had a very productive test day there, working through a number of items, and we’re ready to go [this weekend].”