This past week was a very busy and exciting (and warm!) 12 Hours of Sebring. The 12-hour race on Saturday had a spectacular finish, with lead changes in the top GTP class with just minutes remaining and one-second margins of victory throughout the other classes. That made it an intense battle to the finish as the checkered flag waved under the lights Saturday night.
Not only was the 12 Hours full of excitement, but so were the support races that filled the week with nearly 200 cars on site for what looked like the busiest IMSA paddock I’ve ever witnessed.
In addition to the action on the track, we also got a surprise announcement from IMSA with the 2025 racing schedule! This is incredibly early in the year to do this, but it shows the strength and momentum that IMSA has with its teams and stakeholders.
Sebring was the second round for Mazda MX-5 Cup after their exciting opening at Daytona just over a month ago. We saw another photo finish at Sebring in race two, which brought 2023 Mazda Shootout winner and rookie Westin Workman his first victory of the season. He had a brilliant last-lap, last-turn pass for the win.
In addition to being a thrilling race, it was also rewarding to see the Mazda Ladder program working. Westin Workman was a part of the Spec Miata Community before moving into Spec MX-5, and now he has launched into MX-5 Cup this season with his Shootout scholarship. He really took full advantage of the opportunity by winning in only his second race weekend.
We also had special guest Jesse Love join the MX-5 cup races on behalf of Whelen. He is currently running in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with two poles and a runner-up finish so far this season, and it was fun getting to work with Jesse in helping him come up to speed with the nuances that the MX-5 Cup car presents.
Not only did Westin Workman pick up his first win of the season, but he beat his teammate Connor Zillisch to the line in a photo finish. Connor went on to win LMP2 the following day during the 12 Hours. This is Connor’s second win in the class after winning the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona just over a month ago—and he’s just 17 years old!
Another support series running at Sebring was Carrera Cup, which was making its 2024 season debut. I’m working with the JDX racing team once again this season, specifically 18-year-old Elias De La Torre, who is beginning his second season in the series.
We had high hopes coming back for this season because we knew we could build on everything we learned last year and continue to progress following a successful winter testing program. With a full field of 40 cars, Elias had a solid qualifying result inside the top 15 for both races at Sebring. He put together two extremely clean and proficient drives to advance up to 11th place in both races.
In addition to finishing 11th in race two, Elias also had some of the fastest lap times as the race transitioned from day to night racing. That added an element that these drivers rarely see in this series! Coming away from the first event with solid results and a clean race car was absolutely our goal, and it gives us something to build on as the season picks up momentum. Next up for Carrera Cup will be an exciting round at the Miami Grand Prix in just over a month’s time.
It was rewarding to be a part of so many facets of the event at Sebring, and I came away from the week feeling impressed by the state of sports car racing, from both the team side and from the incredible fan engagement.