Russian-American aeronautical engineer Alec Ulmann discovered the potential of Hendricks Army Airfield's runways and service roads while seeking sites to convert military aircraft to civilian use. Inspired by the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Ulmann sought to stage a comparable sports car endurance race in the United States. The first race was held on New Year's Eve 1950, attracting thirty cars from across North America. Frits Koster and Ralph Deshon won the inaugural Sam Collier 6 Hour Memorial race in a Crosley Hot Shot that had been driven to the track by Victor Sharpe.
The first 12 Hours of Sebring was held on 15 March 1952. In 1959, the track hosted the United States Grand Prix, the country's first Formula One race; poor attendance and high costs led to the relocation of the following year's event to Riverside International Raceway in California.
The current circuit is 3.741 mi (6.021 km) long, a seventeen-turn road course with long straights, several high-speed corners, and technical slow corners. For much of Sebring's history the track measured 5.200 mi (8.369 km). The track surface consists of 3.04 mi (4.89 km) of asphalt and 0.7 mi (1.1 km) of concrete. Much of the track deliberately retains its original World War II-era concrete runway surface, with large seams between sections producing a rough, bumpy ride. The transitions cause cars to spark visibly as undercarriages contact them.
The circuit is particularly notable for "Turn 17," a long, bumpy, fast right-hander capable of accommodating three cars abreast and critical for speed onto the front straight. Due to Florida's flat terrain, there is very little elevation change and minimal camber on the surface. Mario Andretti, a three-time winner of the 12 Hours, noted that one of the hardest aspects of the original Sebring track was "finding the track to begin with," as drivers sometimes became lost on the runway sections at night due to poor markings.
The 12 Hours of Sebring is considered even harder on machinery and drivers than Le Mans, and is regarded as useful preparation for the French race.
After five fatalities during the 1966 12 Hours of Sebring — including four spectators killed when a privately entered Porsche crashed into a warehouse adjacent to the Warehouse Straight — the track was widened and lengthened by 50 yd (46 m) for 1967. The Webster Turn was removed and replaced with the faster Green Park Chicane, relocating the circuit away from the warehouses and hangars flanking the Warehouse Straight.
Further changes followed in 1983 to allow simultaneous use of the track and a runway, and in 1987 to accommodate a second runway. Alterations in 1991 allowed the entire track to be used without interfering with normal airport operations, bringing the circuit close to its current configuration. In 1997 the hairpin was removed due to insufficient run-off and replaced with the "safety pin," and Gendebien Bend was re-profiled to slow the cars' entry to the Ullman straight.
The track is currently owned by IMSA Holdings, LLC through its subsidiary Sebring International Raceway, LLC, following the purchase of the Panoz Motor Sports Group in September 2012. The facility is leased by Sebring International Raceway, LLC, which had acquired it from Andy Evans in 1997.
Sebring's signature event is the 12 Hours of Sebring, sanctioned by the FIA and IMSA and part of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. It forms the second of four races in the Michelin Endurance Cup.
From 2019 to 2023, with no races in 2020 or 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Endurance Championship held a concurrent round called the 1000 Miles of Sebring. Toyota Gazoo Racing won the first edition in 2019; the French Alpine Elf Team won when the event returned in 2022; Toyota won again in 2023. The FIA removed the race from the WEC calendar for 2024 and 2025. In 2021, the track hosted its first 24-hour race, organised by the World Racing League, with W2W Racing taking the overall win.
The facility is the winter home of the Skip Barber Racing School and hosts regular events for the Sports Car Club of America and the National Auto Sport Association. IndyCar regularly conducts tests at the top half of the facility to simulate street circuits. The track has also featured in numerous motorsport video game titles including iRacing, rFactor 2, Le Mans Ultimate, Forza Motorsport, and others.
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