The 2025 VSCA SportsCar Championship reached its third round with the Engine59 12 Hours of Sebring. One of the most prestigious races on the calendar, 3.70-mile long Sebring International Raceway hosted the event, testing both endurance and strategic mastery under the sweltering Florida sun and through the cool night air. With a challenging layout of 17 turns the track is known for its unpredictable conditions and so the fourth annualy edition of this endurance classic once again delivered excitement, drama, and a close finish. Ultimately, it was Vulture Motorsports' #65 Ford Mustang GT3 that clinched the victory, securing a hard-fought win in a field of highly competitive teams.
Race Start and Early Incidents
The race kicked off at 10:45 am under clear skies, with Michael Garrone of Off in the Esses Racing securing pole position in the #83 McLaren 720S GT3 EVO. The early laps were action-packed, with several teams jostling for position, but a spin on the opening lap by the #65 Mustang, caused by contact with the #157 iRacing Today Motorsports Mercedes, put them on the back foot. Despite this, the team managed to recover and stay in contention throughout the day.
Early pit strategies were crucial as the race unfolded, some of them affected by the Endurance Cup points awarded at the 4-hour mark, 8-hour mark and the finish. Three full-course yellow flags also emerged at key moments in the contest. The first yellow came just under two hours in, stretching longer than expected for a variety of reasons, including the pacing line not forming as quickly as usual and several cars running out of fuel. The extended caution period gave teams a chance to reassess their fuel strategies, but also disrupted the rhythm of the race. With the McLaren 720S of Off in the Esses Racing leading for much of the first half, the battle for positions remained tight, especially in the GT AM class, where 30 lead changes were recorded.
Mid-Race Drama and Pit Strategies
As the race entered its second half, the #65 Mustang began to show its true potential, thanks in part to excellent pit strategies and a bit of luck in the caution periods. The #515 Wolf Motorsport Simracing Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) made a strong charge from 14th on the grid to reach second place, demonstrating impressive recovery and resilience. However, it was Vulture Motorsports' tactical execution during the full-course yellows and their ability to navigate the tight GT AM field that ultimately gave them the edge.
But it wasn’t all smooth sailing for the leaders. Full-course yellow flags came out at two more intervals, further complicating race strategies. The second caution occurred around the seven-and-a-half-hour mark, followed by a third caution with just under three hours left. These disruptions made it difficult for teams to settle into a rhythm and forced many to adapt to the changing track conditions. Vulture Motorsports capitalized on these yellows, maintaining a consistent pace while keeping their competitors at bay.
The Final Stint and Finish
As the race neared its conclusion, the fight for the lead tightened dramatically. The final stint saw the #94 SWF Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) charge forward, with Jason RR Smith driving aggressively to chase down the #515 Porsche. However, Erol Ureksoy in the #65 Vulture Motorsports held on, crossing the finish line first with a margin of just 12.902 seconds, marking the ninth-closest GT AM class finish in history.
Third place went to the #94 SWF Motorsports Porsche, with Jason RR Smith, Jonathan Foote, and Rich Wright combining for an impressive performance. Despite some difficulties with front-end grip and the frustration of blue-flag violations in the final stint, they managed to maintain a strong presence throughout the race.
The #33 Wastegate Racing Corvette Z06 GT3.R and #555 PULSAR eSports McLaren rounded out the top five while pole sitters, the #83 Off in the Esses Racing McLaren finished in sixth place, leading the most laps in the race. Series veterans, the #312 Real Pixel Motorsport Acura NSX GT3 EVO and the #532 Pandemonium eSports McLaren followed. The #34 Wastegate Racing Corvette and #90 Race Spec Dynamics Porsche completed the top ten, though several teams suffered penalties that affected their final result.
Post-Race Quotes
Gary Brown, #64 Vulture Motorsports Ford: "It was a real gut punch to be honest [the post-race penalty for exceeding max drive time, that cost the win]. But after my initial reaction, my teammate and I realized that this was our mistake, so we cannot blame anyone but ourselves. We did not realize that with two equally rated drivers that this was an issue, but again, not knowing the rule is on us, so we take full responsibility."
"It helps that we only dropped two spots in the season standings so we will put our heads down and try to recover for the season. Also, we will make sure that we continue to finish ahead of the #65 car [laughing]."
"We just had a great race, [we were] pretty clean for the whole race and that was our goal. We finished with only 18 incident points and all damage that we did get through the race in the two contacts we had were not of our fault, were repaired in the normal pit stops. So yeah, we feel great about our pace and we look forward to the next race. And we will make sure not to exceed driver times."
"We keep our heads down, practice, and minimize the mistakes going forward. This was a big disappointment, but we can recover."
John T Jones, #65 Vulture Motorsports Ford: "I've have been trying to win one of these [VSCA races] since 2022. I say it every year: Don't mention points to me, if we don't win a race the season was a failure. But yeah, it was a weight off my shoulder to finally win one of these races in VSCA. Now I want another one, I feel like Laguna Seca owes me one."
Jonathan Foote, #94 SWF Motorsports Porsche: "I’m really happy with the result here today. We got put on the back foot with some pit lane penalties, but Jason, Rich, and myself never gave up and kept plugging away at it and, thankfully, the race came back to us. Rich joining us for this race was great and he did a fantastic job in his two and a half straight stints, and Jason drove the wheels off the car at the end trying to chase down Wolf Motorsports. I couldn’t be prouder."
"Our season start is extremely encouraging! We didn’t expect this when we joined this series but we go into each race with the mindset of keeping out of trouble and damage limitation and a little luck and, so far, I feel we’ve executed that well and the results show. We know it’s a long season and the sprint races are coming up, so we’re enjoying each race as it comes."
"It was unfortunate what happened to Off In The Esses but I’m glad we were able to capitalize. Leading by 68 points is nice but, again, it’s a long season and they’re a strong team. But we’re just going to keep approaching the remaining races as we have been. It’s been working so far!"
"I was in the car for the second full course yellow and handed it over to Rich [Wright] under yellow. Rich really handled his first FCY in VSCA like a pro and quickly caught up with the competition. The last FCY was a total mess for us. Jason was in the car when it went green, but he lost a lot of time to the PRO cars with blue flags after the restart. It was super frustrating, but he managed to get back up to the 515 [Wolf Motorsport Simracing] and put some pressure on them at the end."
"For sure the McLaren was very fast all day but our Porsche was struggling with front end grip during the day when the track temperatures were climbing, forcing us to take it easy on new tires and bring them in slowly so we didn’t lose them completely at the end of the stint."
"Once the clouds came in, and the track started cooling, the car really came back to us and we were able to push a lot harder to bridge the gap to the other teams. As far as the rest of our competition, Vulture Motorsports Mustangs were running really well but all of the competitors are strong in this class."
Rich Wright, #94 SWF Motorsports Porsche: "It feels awesome [to get the podium], especially after the hard work the team put in before race day."
"It's actually very cool to see. Unfortunately I was unable to race in Daytona due to family plans, but I still worked with the team to help them prepare for the 24 hours. I was excited and nervous about my first team race being at Sebring, but with the help of Jason and Jon I was able to calm down and drive."
"The #83 Off in the Esses Racing guys are a phenomenal team and I am sure they will always be in the hunt for a top finish in each race. As for my approach in the upcoming racing, I plan on doing what I do for every race. Training and working with the team on getting our car set so we can get the best possible outcome for each race."
"I just got in the car after pitting in the second FCY. When the race went back to green I didn't see too much happen. We had a rough time with the third FCY when it went green. Jason was dealing with "Blue Flags" while trying to fight for position with the team that was right in front of us."
Erol Ureksoy, #65 Vulture Motorsports Ford: "We are thrilled at the result! The car felt great all day. We were worried early on with our spin on lap one after qualifying P2, but all in all a huge win for us in the #65 Vulture Motorsports Mustang GT3!"
"I'm gutted for our sister car losing their P1 finish, but great day for the team overall and a great comeback for us after a disappointing Daytona."
"We have been so pleased with the performance of the Ford Mustang GT3 since its debut at VIR in VSCA 2024! Sebring is our fifth race in a row, putting at least one of them on the podium! The more we race the car, the more we learn about it, and it just keeps getting better for us! The Mustang GT3 seems to perform consistently over the long runs, so the endurance races seem to suit it well – and it sounds great too. Also, we feel like we have an obligation to do well being the only Mustangs on the grid."
"Jeff [Carollo] had a great qualifying run. On lap one we got spun by the #157 into turn 3. We saw that it was just bad luck, no real contact, so no hard feelings there. We were lucky it was early on, so we had plenty of time to claw our positions back. After that, it was just about keeping our heads on swivels and managing traffic."
"The car felt great - stable and predictable all race. We timed the FCY’s just right, caught a few lucky breaks in traffic and kept up a consistent pace all race. We also had excellent support on our race engineering side from John Jones who gave us great guidance on fuel strategy, pitstop/FCY management. Sadly, this is his last race with Vulture Motorsports since he is moving on to a new team on the grid, and we’re sad to see him go but we were lucky to have had him as a teammate and wish him the best of luck."
"Daytona [Disqualification] hurt us a lot in the points standings and driver morale, but there is still a lot of racing left to do this season and we think we have some more race wins in us this season. This is a huge win for the team and has boosted our spirits and given us some much-needed morale for the upcoming races."
"Our goal for the upcoming races is to stay on our program, get the car dialed in early, turn more laps and learn as much as we can about the car. We are focused on Laguna coming up in April and looking forward to seeing what the Vulture Motorsports Mustang GT3 can do around there!"
Jason RR Smith, #94 SWF Motorsports Porsche: "It feels pretty good, still got that adrenaline pumping that last stint was all out. The team did some great stints to get us here, I'd like to say hi to my family back home [waves at camera]. We are happy to be back up on the podium. We needed two more laps and we could have been one step higher I think."
"Well we have been working together as a team for about a year now, doing regular iracing races but it's great competing in VSCA the competition is definitely challenging and with the possibilities of FCYs' strategy has played a big part of our success."
"Like the poster in my break room says "it's not how you start it's how you finish" So we know we still have a long way to go but we're up for the challenge."
"The FCY definitely made it challenging. We were ready to make some moves but with several gt pro cars behind on restart we did lose quite a bit of time to the cars ahead."
"The Porsche worked out great here at Sebring, but we know the McLarens are very slippery and quick on the straights so there is definitely going to be a challenge at some tracking coming later in the season. The Mustangs looked very balanced as well and we are keeping our eye on several teams in the GT Am class."
Justin DeLano, #64 Vulture Motorsports Ford: "It’s a bit disappointing [to lose the win due to the post-race penalty], especially after what was practically a mistake free race on our end. Can’t blame anyone but ourselves for that. I personally didn't think anything of it because we were equally rated drivers. On the flip side I think we showed our real pace and what we can’t do when bad luck doesn’t catch us. But I guess at the end of the day it still did."
"Absolutely [it makes it easier that the other Vulture Motorsports Ford won]. They thought they had the win based on pit strategy but I assured them we knew what we were doing. The friendly competition between our AM cars pushes us to drive harder, but at the end of the day we still win and lose together. All around it was a good day for the team still retaining the win in gt am as well as LMP2."
"I’m pretty excited for this race. Gary killed it on track and I felt like it was one of my better drives. I felt like traffic management was the key for us here. Some of the other competitors in the AM class had a pace advantage but being able to not loose time around the protos helped us close gaps ahead and close them behind us."
"I think if we keep our heads down we can close the gap [in the championship]. We have the pace we have just lacked a lot of luck in the past. Our races has been determined a number of times by small contacts ending up as meatballs, getting screwed on a caution, or lack of focus. This team is full of talented drivers and I think if we can put everything together on a consistent basis we will be fighting for the championship till the end."
Championship Standings
After the race, the series standings saw some significant shifts. The #94 SWF Motorsports Porsche moved up to first place in the GT AM SportsCar Championship standings with 868 points, while the #83 Off in the Esses Racing McLaren fell to second, trailing by 68 points. The #515 Wolf Motorsport Simracing Porsche now occupies third place in the standings, 125 points behind the leader.
In the Endurance Cup standings, the #83 Off in the Esses Racing McLaren remains in first, but the #515 Wolf Motorsport Simracing Porsche has closed the gap to just 6 points behind.
Looking Ahead
With Sebring in the rearview mirror, the VSCA SportsCar Championship moves to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca next, where GTP, LMP2 and GT AM teams and drivers are preparing for a challenging yet exciting race. Laguna Seca's tight corners and famous Corkscrew turn will test both driver skill and car performance in Round 4 of the 2025 season. With several teams closely matched in the GT AM championship standings, this race could be a crucial turning point in the battle for the title. After the series experienced its wildest race in history at the track last year, fans once again expect high drama to unfold in the California desert. The Course De Monterey will take place on April 5th and will go a distance of two hours and 40 minutes.
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