12 Hours of Sebring Live Blog

CHEQUERED FLAG

MAKING THE FINISH

HOURS SEVEN TO ELEVEN

A RACE WITHIN THE RACE

Mario Farnbacher and Kyffin Simpson keep a close eye on Till Bechtolsheimer’s progress.

The lost laps due to the repairs to the car naturally put the podium out of reach. The team had to re-focus and set new goals for the second half of the race. The priority was, of course, to make it to the Chequered Flag at 10:10pm ET.

It soon became apparent that the race to make the Top 1O was going to involve and extended battle against the Wright Motorsport Porsche which, having had early issues, was on the same lap as the #66 Invest Cayman/Cayman Islands/Unit Nutrition HPD Acura NSX GT3 Evo22. Both Mario Farnbacher and Kyffin Simpson set about the task of catchingand passing the Porsche

As we approach the final hour of the race, the German was less than four seconds behind Robichon in the #16 car.

Bruised and battered but certianly not out!

HOUR SIX

KEEP PUSHING

The run to the half-way mark has smooth and uneventful. The repaired #66 Invest Cayman/Cayman Islands/ Unit Nutrition HPD Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 was able to run competitive times in the hands of Mario Farnbacher. At the end of his double stint, Till Bechtolsheimer climbed back aboard and immediately began battling for position with the #16 Porsche of Zachary Robichon who was on the same lap.

HOUR FIVE

TARGET ACQUIRED

Each of the major endurance races in the USA present its own unique challenge. But no matter which race it is, the primary objective is to get to the Chequered Flag. That is now the only realistic goal for the drivers and crew of the #66 Acura NSX GT3 Evo22. If that is the first priority, the second will be to finish in the Top 10. The car currently sits in P12 seventeen laps behind the tenth place car. The attritional nature of this extraordinary track means that is not an unrealistic goal.

Mario Farnbacher leaves the paddock area after an incredible effort by the Gradient crew.

Mario Farnbacher is now in the middle of a double stint in the car and it is showing considerable speed despite the damage done in the crash. We will push on.

HOUR FOUR

TURN 17 BITES HARD

The bumps through Turn 17 have tested the greatest drivers in the World for decades. Kyffin Simpson was their victim today. Getting slightly off line was enough to put the teenager into the tire barriers on the outside of the 180 degree final turn. The damage was not terminal but driving a full to get to the pits caused more damage to the stricken Acura.

It took 18 laps to get the car back to the hauler, repaired and back on track but our unbelievable crew did a phenomenal job and the chances of a Top 10 finish at the end of the 12 Hours is still possible.

HOUR THREE

THE TOP THREE IN SIGHT

The first Full Course Yellow of the race came not long before the end of Simpson’s opening stint and it allowed him to pit the car under yellow in an excellent 3rd position in the GTD Class. We have no indication if his dog is watching at home at this point. The restart came on Lap 75 with Kyffin lined up fourth in the class.

HOUR TWO

RACING TO THE FRONT

The second half of Till’s stint was entirely unremarkable insofar as he kept up the form from the opening laps. The big news from the Hour Two was that his dog, Wilma, decided it was time to support him.

The opening drive came to an end with a solid pit stop from the Gradient crew. Kyffin Simpson then climbed aboard for his own double-stint as we head into the heat of the afternoon in Central Florida.

HOUR ONE

GREEN FLAG

After a slightly fraught qualifying session Till Bechtolsheimer qualified tenth in GTD for the 70th running of the historic 12 Hours of Sebring. The start was incident free and Till was able to steadily move forward through the opening laps, eventually settling down into a solid P6 in the Class. The Miami based Englishman settled down and ran a number of consistent laps to consolidate his position in the Top 10 and stay comfortably on the lead lap.

Bechtolsheimer’s efforts have impressed everyone in the #66 pit. Sadly, further afield his is creating slightly less of an impression in his household.

As the first hour came to a conclusion, Till pitted for fuel and Michelin Tires. The pre-race plan was for Bechtolsheimer to do a double-stint. After the first round of pit stops, he sat in P8.

Declan Brennan