The 2025 VSCA SportsCar Championship returned to Sebring International Raceway for the Engine59 12 Hours of Sebring, marking Round 3 of the 11-round season and the second event of the five-race Endurance Cup. The legendary 3.70-mile, 17-turn bumpy concrete circuit played host to a highly competitive race filled with strategic battles, caution periods, and dramatic incidents with the #51 World Of SimRacing Team Cadillac and defending Endurance Cup champions claiming their first victory of the season.
Early Strategy and a Fierce Opening Stint
Christian Campregher in the #46 Rising Panda Racing Acura ARX-06 GTP started from pole position after setting a blistering lap of 1:41.309 in qualifying. The early stages of the race saw intense battles throughout the GTP field, with 32 lead changes recorded throughout the event. However, a flurry of incidents in the opening hours led to the first full-course yellow at the 1-hour and 57-minute mark, with the race resuming at 2 hours and 43 minutes.
A notable incident in the early going saw the #88 PULSAR Torrensee eSports Team Porsche make contact with the #32 Cadillac of Wastegate Racing in Turn 7 when latter self-spun on the exit. Another controversial moment unfolded at 18 minutes and 17 seconds into the race when the #48 Velocity Racing Ferrari forced car the #151 World Of SimRacing Team GT PRO Porsche wide in turn one, earning a 30-second post-race penalty from race control.
Mid-Race Chaos and the Changing Tide
As the race progressed into its middle stages, another full-course yellow was triggered at 7 hours and 33 minutes, staying in effect until 8 hours and 11 minutes. The race continued with a high level of attrition as multiple teams found themselves involved in penalties and on-track incidents. One of the most chaotic moments of the race occurred at 8 hours and 11 minutes, on the restart following the second full-course yellow, when the #88 PULSAR Torrensee eSports Team Porsche self-spun under the bridge in turn 6, directly in front of oncoming traffic from the field. As the other cars approached, the #88 car rejoined the racing line, which resulted in a multi-car pileup involving four competitors and led to further penalties for the #88 car.
The penalties continued to mount for multiple teams, with car #70's actions standing out in particularly. The team’s driver, Christian van den Burg, was involved in multiple incidents, including one at 9 hours and 45 minutes where the Dutchman collided with the LMP2 leader at the time, the #89 Keystone Simsport Dallara P217, causing heavy damage to the latter. In combination with several other penalties, van den Burg ultimately was suspended from competition in the series after the race's conclusion.
Final Hours and a Hard-Fought Victory
The third and final caution of the race was deployed at 9 hours and 58 minutes, and the action resumed with just under two hours remaining. The #51 World Of SimRacing Team Cadillac V-Series.R GTP, driven by Carlos Hernandez G, Dani Fonte, and Álvaro Martínez, had been making steady progress throughout the race, gaining seven positions from their starting position of P8. Their consistent pace and clean execution ultimately saw them take the lead in the closing stages. Despite a late charge from the #79 Digital Chicane Acura ARX-06 GTP, piloted by Colton Salek, Wilson Brewer, Matthew Oravecz, and Quinn Mitchell, the #51 team held firm to secure victory by a margin of 4.901 seconds, also benefiting from a 30-second post-race penalty to the #79 car in the process.
Finishing in third was the #48 Velocity Racing Ferrari 499P, with drivers Ryan Reader, Mark de Lange, and Justin Cook delivering a strong performance. The #88 PULSAR eSports Team Porsche 963 GTP, despite multiple penalties, managed a fourth-place finish, while the #47 Velocity Racing Ferrari 499P rounded out the top five.
Rising Panda see race collapse late, finish in Top Ten
The top ten finishers also included the #32 Wastegate Racing Cadillac V-Series.R GTP in sixth, the #70 Soleil Racing Project Porsche 963 GTP in seventh, and the pole-sitting #46 Rising Panda Racing Acura ARX-06 GTP in eighth, who suffered a devastating and highly controversial incident involving the #37 W2 e-ProGP Ferrari, who was multiple laps down, in the final stages of the race. The #37 W2 e-ProGP Ferrari 499P and the #577 Valkyrie Exype Cadillac V-Series.R GTP completed the top ten.
Post-Race Quotes
Quinn Mitchell, #79 Digital Chicane Acura: "Losing a win due to a penalty is really tough, especially in team events when it was really my fault and not the team's. I think the decision was right by race control and it was my fault. One of the hardest parts of driving GTPs compared to GT3 is having to not only identify how slower class cars drive corners, but how specific teams and drivers take corners. Typically, in that spot I would expect the GT3 to run wide, but I hadn't run near that car in that corner, and they drove it differently and I attempted a move that wasn't possible, and it turned out bad. So goes racing."
"We identified one of the reasons we had been performing poorly to be the clean driving points, so in this race it was a much larger focus for us, and it has really helped us in the season points. Even with the mistakes we have made so far, we think we have a consistent car and that is the best we can aim for the rest of the season."
"One of the key moments for us was our strategy decision to stay out for endurance points at the 8-hour mark rather than pit under caution. That decision alone gained us some endurance cup points and put us in the lead of that championship. The rest of the race was pretty good for us too, staying where we needed to when the time was right and taking advantage of cautions and pit strategy made a huge difference."
"Sebring is a track I can always pick up fast and be competitive at, it might be one of the tracks I have run the most at in my time sim racing. The 12 hour is very different to a sprint though, the car can't be tuned for one track state, it needs to be fast over a wide range of temperatures. In this race the track went from 80 F at the start up to over 100 F, and back down to 70 F at night. It's those temperature changes that mean some cars are dominant at certain hours and having a fast car at the end could mean nothing if you struggled in the mid-day."
Matthew Oravecz, #79 Digital Chicane Acura: "Sebring was a good race for us in the #79 Digital Chicane Acura ARX-06. Endurance races are always tough, you have to be ready for anything at all times."
Regarding the incident [with the #77 Adrenaline Motorsports Lamborghini], it was just a misjudgment by Quinn on the GT's line through turn 5. A little bit of rear contact just spins the other car around and there is nothing you can do after it’s done. I did a similar thing to a LMP2 in the international horseshoe at Daytona earlier in the season, so I can sympathize with him. It happens."
"It’s very exciting to see that our result gave us good points to be second in the championship by the skin of our teeth right behind the fault proof WOSR team. It is going to be a year long battle with them as they are so good at keeping their nose clean at any race."
"The key point for me was definitely my last stint in the car, I was the one who took the car home across the finish line. Me and Colton saw there was a chance that we could maybe save enough fuel to run to the end after the final safety car with only 1 more pit stop. I was saving so much fuel but also trying to keep the pace up so we could try and get a 30+ second lead ahead of WOSR since we knew there was a high chance of a 30 second post race penalty. I was not quite able to accomplish that, but I was super proud of our strategy and our execution."
"There is more to come from us and we will be fierce throughout the whole season. We are currently leading the endurance championship. I was also a part of the #80 Ferrari GT3 AM that won the championship last year. So I know what it takes to fight for the #1 spot in the SportsCar Championship at Road Atlanta."
Justin Cook, #48 Velocity Racing Ferrari: "The car and team have been performing better than expected. We have been together as a team for a while but this is our first year in a new car together. We all knew the car was good and we are still trying to find some grip in low-speed cornering but we have no complaints at all."
"If anything, we are trying to contain our passion as a team during races. We all want to push every lap. But as primarily an endurance racing team, we all know it's about consistency and staying out of trouble that wins Championships. Not just raw speed. Any podium is a big win for us. There is fantastic competitipn for us in this series."
"It's always interesting to see who can throw down the fastest laps and we focus on those tenths for bragging rights but with the traffic here the tenths turned into seconds. We were turning good laps but fumbling with traffic at times. The FCYs were not an issue for us but we weren't able to capitalize on restarts as much as we wanted."
"I was definitely holding back some this race. I just didn't have the seat time to have full confidence coming here. Last week we had the car at the 6hrs of Lemans where we won by a large margin, so we had spent quite a bit of energy focusing on that race."
Remy Loesch, #46 Rising Panda Racing Acura: "We felt like we were right in the mix for a top finish after taking the pole, but everything changed after the restart. We struggled to get our tyres up to the right temperature, and then the #37—despite being 12 or 13 laps down—got unexpectedly aggressive, making contact that cost us valuable time and ultimately our chance at a win. It was incredibly frustrating to see that extra aggression, especially after we let them pass a few laps before, expecting them to ease off."
"Although our season has had its early challenges, we're not letting those setbacks define us. With Piers back in the lineup after some time away from the track, and feeling the raw pace of our car, our confidence is high and we're determined to learn from our mistakes. We came back from worst last season and we will push hard until the last lap to turn things around."
"Besides the incident with the #37, the race was full of wild moments—navigating GT3 traffic brought its own set of challenges and led to a few errors on our side also. On the upside, our preparation and strategy in the heat, combined with smart calls from the pitwall and strong performances from Chris on pole and the others guys behind the wheel, helped us secure crucial endurance cup points today. It was a mixed bag of highs and lows, but the overall effort from the team keeps our spirits high as we look ahead to Laguna."
Mark de Lange, #48 Velocity Racing Ferrari: "It's incredible to be standing on the podium again!! Im afraid its a bit of a mixed feeling since there was contact with our sister car this race. Without that we might have a shot at a double podium. But apart from that its a great feeling to be competitive in this amazing grid."
"Sebring always is a tough one. With the crazy bumps and all the different corners its a hard one to keep focus. Especially while navigating through traffic. But apart from that; the car felt amazing and i think we nailed the setup."
"It was a very very long one [the first full-course yellow, which lasted 48 minutes]. Fortunateley the FCY came out at a moment where we had plenty of fuel aboard so we didnt have to deal with those issues. But it has become clear that anticipating on a potential FCY is a must. If not you might be the unlucky team that need to pit for fuel while the pits is closed."
Championship Standings
"With this victory, the #51 World Of SimRacing Team Cadillac V-Series.R GTP maintains its lead in the GTP SportsCar Championship standings with 1300 points. The #79 Digital Chicane Acura ARX-06 GTP moves up to second, trailing by 115 points, while the #48 Velocity Racing Ferrari 499P remains in third, 129 points back."
"In the Endurance Cup standings, the #79 Digital Chicane Acura now leads with 23 points, moving ahead of the #577 Valkyrie Exype Cadillac, which sits just two points behind. The #46 Rising Panda Racing Acura also climbs to third, two points off the top spot."
Looking Ahead
"With the conclusion of the 12-hour endurance classic, the championship picture remains highly competitive as the VSCA SportsCar Championship heads toward its next round. The next round of the 2025 VSCA SportsCar Championship takes GTP, LMP2 and GT AM teams to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca for the Course De Monterey on April 5. The race, notorously known to bring with it some of the wildest, most incident-prone racing of the entire season, is set to begin at 16:00 GMT."
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