Series newcomers Twisty Bits Racing and their No. 511 Dallara P217 with driver Jesse Miettinen earned VR7UAL Pole honors for the 12 Hours of Sebring, leading the field to the green flag.
While the early headlines were dominated by the newcomers, the endurance classic at Sebring ultimately came down to two series regulars Trading Paints Racing Team and their No. 19 LMP2 and Daytona winners Race Factory and their No. 199 LMP2.
On lap 346 of 348 Jordan Erickson in the No. 19 car held the lead, with Alex Caruso in the No. 199 right behind, navigating through turns three through five.
But in the braking zone into the turn seven hairpin, Caruso made a daring move under braking to the inside of Erickson’s car.
The two cars made contact and banged each other’s sides a couple of times, Caruso squeezed through the inside while Erickson went wide, seeing the lead slip away with just minutes remaining in the race.
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| The 12 Hours of Sebring came down to contact between the two contenders, the No. 19 and No. 199 Dallara for the win, in the final four minutes of the event - © 2023 VSCAracing.com / Benjamin Fischer |
However, race control decided to issue a post-race penalty against the No. 199 LMP2 of Caruso for the incident and so even though Race Factory were once again the first car to cross the finish line, it was Trading Paints Racing Team credited with the official race win as tempers between the two teams flared well until after the checkers. Due to the penalty, the No. 199 LMP2 wound up third, behind pole sitters No. 511 Twisty Bits Racing, who completed a very successful series debut by scoring the second-highest amount of championship points in the 12 Hours of Sebring.
Series veterans Albrecht Motorsports and the No. 96 Dallara P217 took fourth place once again, just like at Daytona and the No. 11 machine of Vision 1 Motorsports rounded out the top-five finishers.
The No. 14 Fischer Motorsport Dallara could not follow up on its strong run in the season opener last month and placed only a P7 finish, five laps down.
VRG Sport and their No. 66 car was involved in a huge turn one crash earlier in the race and received a big penalty in a very atypical race for one of the more popular veteran teams on the grid. In the end, the team out of Los Angeles, California wound up seventh, in a race that ultimately came down to damage control.
The No. 86 GSE Racing eSports Dallara finished in eighth place - the team’s best performance in the new season so far.
Race Factory in firm control in LMP2 championship
With one win, two top-fives in the first two races of the season, Race Factory and the No. 199 Dallara P217 hold a solid lead in the LMP2 championship standings.
Fischer Motorsport and their No. 14 team hang on to second place in the points by a mere two points over Albrecht Motorsports and their No. 96 machine.
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| Series newcomers Twisty Bit Racing and their No. 511 Dallara left a lasting impression in the 12 Hours of Sebring by winning VR7UAl Pole and second place in the race - © 2023 VSCAracing.com / Benjamin Fischer |
Sebring winners Trading Paints Racing Team and their No. 19 Dallara P217 now sit in fourth, 83 points back.
Then there is a bit of a gap, as VRG Sport and their No. 66 team round out the top-five in points at 128 points behind the leaders.
Endurance Cup looks like it may be Race Factory’s to lose
With half of the 2023 VSCA Endurance Cup completed, the No. 199 Race Factory Dallara LMP2 holds an impressive 17-point lead over the competition in the official Endurance Cup points standings.
Trading Paints Racing Team sit in second and have moved up an impressive eight spots by way of their 12 Hours of Sebring victory.
With third place tied between Albrecht Motorsports, Vision 1 Motorsports and Fischer Motorsport, it looks like with only two Endurance Cup races remaining at Watkins Glen in June and Road Atlanta in October, the in-series championship may be Race Factory’s to lose.
Series next stop at Long Beach
The next stop for the VSCA SportsCar Championship is at Long Beach, California for the Sports Car Challenge of Long Beach on April 8. The third race of the season marks the first street circuit race in VSCA history and will also be the shortest one on record in the series’ young history at only one hour and 40 minutes.