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2005 Twelve Hours of Sebring
By: Drew Phillips
Photos by the author
April 06, 2005

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Anticipation for this year's 12 Hours of Sebring started well before the cars lined up on the starting grid. The GT1 class had the most newcomers with Aston Martin announcing its plans to compete in the ALMS series with a racing version of its beautiful DB9, and Corvette Racing was busy preparing its next generation car to continue the racing dominance of the C5-R. In addition, Maserati was invited to participate at Sebring with its Enzo-based MC12, although not for series points. The other classes (GT2, P1, P2) didn't seem to build as much excitement, partly due to the same familiar faces that showed up on the entry list.

Practice/Qualifying

The Thursday qualifying session was cut short because of rain, and so the Wednesday practice sessions determined the starting grid. The front row was made up of the two Champion Audi R8's, followed by Dyson in third. Corvettes took the two top spots in GT1 just ahead of a surprisingly quick Saleen S7R. The Aston Martins started fourth and fifth in class, and Maserati, despite its success in the FIA GT in Europe, qualified last in GT1. Porsche continued its usual dominance of GT2 with the Petersen Motorsports/White Lightning Racing qualifying first. Hopes were also high for the Panoz team who had its best ever starting position in GT2 by qualifying second in an Esperante GTLM.

P1

With a wealth of experience, one of the most reliable racing cars ever built, and a collection of some of the most successful drivers in endurance racing history, Audi looked like they were set for a sixth consecutive victory. Despite a few setbacks, the Audis dominated most of the race. The number 2 Audi was black flagged twice early in the race for collisions on the tracks that helped the number 1 Audi build a lead that it held through most of the race. Dyson, which has been Audi's closest competitor, couldn't seem to catch a break. A flat tire on the number 20 Dyson on the first lap started a string of troubles that ended Dyson's day before the end of the twelve hours. The other Dyson suffered from mechanical troubles despite the team's efforts to keep the car running smoothly throughout the race.

With Dyson out of the picture, Champion had only itself for competition, which turned out to be more than enough. Midway though the race, the two Audis were only six seconds apart, and the gap didn't widen much through the rest of the race. The deciding factor in the race came in the last hour when both Audis came in for pit stops. The leading number 1 Audi, driven by Kristensen, changed tires along with adding fuel. McNish, driving the number 2 Audi, hoped to take the lead by only adding fuel, but he overshot his spot in pit lane and wasted several seconds while his team pushed his car back into position. Kristenen was able to retain his lead coming out of the pits with new tires. Coming in for the last pit stop, Kristensen only needed fuel and was able to once again come out of the pits ahead of McNish who this time needed to take on new tires. Kristenen held the lead for the rest of the race, crossing the finish line ahead of McNish by just over six seconds, making it the closest finish in the race's fifty-three year history. Kristensen said after the race, "It's Champion's first win. That's all that matters. We had a sterling battle and the No. 2 car can be just as proud for being 2nd as we are for winning it. It was really tough and in the end the battle I had with Allan McNish was really good. I just stayed focused and we got the win."

P2

The small P2 class consisted of only five cars, and in a tough race where many cars were having mechanical problems, only one car in the class finished the race. The Miracle Motorsports team finished twelfth overall behind several GT1 cars and even the leading GT2 Porsche. The other Miracle Motorsports car dropped out with engine problems and finished 21st overall.

GT1

With so many new cars, much of the attention for this year's race was focused on the GT1 class. Corvette Racing was an obvious favorite, even though this was the C6-R's debut. There were also high expectations for the Maserati because of its sucess in Europe. The C6-R's qualified first and second ahead of a surprisingly quick Saleen S7-R run by the ACEMCO team. Aston Martin wasn't far behind, qualifying fourth and fifth, followed closely by a privateer C5-R and a Dodge Viper GTS-R. The Corvettes lead early at an extremely fast pace, even setting the lap record for the class. Aston Martin wasn't too far behind, though, and the number 57 DBR-9 took the lead when the two Corvettes spent several minutes in the pits with troubles. Aston Martin maintained a tight lead for the rest of the race, and despite the Corvette team's best efforts to catch up, Aston Martin finished a lap ahead at the checkered flag. Aston Martin driver David Brabham said at the end of the race, "Aston Martin is back! This is just such a fantastic achievement for everyone involved in the program. The team were just superb - to come here and beat such a strong Corvette team is a massive achievement for Aston Martin Racing." The ACEMCO Saleen S7-R ran an excellent race and was running strong in 3rd place near the end, only to suffer an oil leak in the remaining minutes that allowed number 4 Corvette take the final podium spot. The Maserati finished in fifth place.

GT2

Porsche, and Alex Job Racing in particular, has been the dominating force in GT2 for the last several years. The team has won the 12 Hours of Sebring the last four years. It was no surprise, then, when the #23 Alex Job 911 GT3 RSR took the lead early in the race. Then, in uncharacteristic fashion, the number 23 car began to have engine problems that forced the team to pull the car after just four hours. The number 24 sister car suffered a similar fate with a transmission problem. Despite the team's troubles, team owner Alex Job maintained a positive attitude after the race. "This is a tough one to give up. It will be difficult to make up the Sebring bonus points. We will have to start our Sebring winning streak over in 2006."

With both Alex Job Porsches gone, that left the door open for the Peterson Motorsports/White Lightning team who finished second in last year's race and was first in class at last year's 24 Hours of Le Mans. They beat out the second place L3 Racing Porsche by a sold seven lap margin. Panoz, who started with the second best position in GT2, finished in 5th place.

Speed World Challenge

The Speed World Challenge races act as support races for the ALMS, but provide just as much or more racing entertainment in a one hour span. In the Speed GT race, 2004 champion Tommy Archer started second behind Wolf Henzler's Porsche but captured the lead before the first turn and led for the rest of the race. Archer commented after the race, "To me, the key was the start. If I could get Wolf [Henzler] at the start and not have to deal with him being faster than me in the corners, then I could control the race." That he did, and Archer was able to set the pace while the rest of the cars fought for position behind him. Second and third place were taken by Andy Pilgrim in a Cadillac CTS-V and Robin Liddell in a Porsche 911 Cup when they both passed Henzler in the same turn.

In the touring car race, there was much more competition for the lead than in the GT race. Jeff Altenburg started from poll in his Tri-Point Motorsport Mazdaspeed 6, but a collision in the first turn dropped him several spots. The lead then changed hands several times before Randy Pobst held the lead for most of the race in the other Mazda 6. A mechanical failure in Pobst's car then gave the lead to Peter Cunningham, who was in fourth position most of the race but took advantage of driver errors of the two cars ahead of him. "I certainly thought I was in contention for the podium," Cunningham said. "But I was happy to find out that in the second half of the race that my car stayed underneath me pretty well, and I was able to keep pressure on the guys ahead of me." The win extended Cunningham's record of all time wins in the World Challenge racing series. Altenburg, who lost the lead on the first lap, made his way through the field and regained a podium position on the last lap. Bill Auberlen finished second in his BMW 325i.