Gradient Racing Targets Strong Comeback in Sebring

Austin, Texas (March 10, 2025) – Gradient Racing will be back under the Florida sun with their #66 Ford Mustang GT3 as Till Bechtolsheimer, Tatiana Calderón, and Joey Hand reunite for the second round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.

Ford Performance Pro, Joey Hand, leads the GT pack at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona in the #66 Mustang.

Although the opening race of the season in Daytona did not yield the desired outcome the team had been aiming for, it provided valuable experience and newfound knowledge as they continue to learn the ins and outs of their Mustang. Ford Performance and Multimatic have been contributing a great deal of support, and the group collectively looks forward to tackling the bumpy terrain of Sebring International Raceway.

The twelve-hour race is one of the most challenging endurance races in the world, and the team successfully completed a couple of days of testing at the historic track in the weeks leading up to the event.

“Sebring is always a special challenge, and I can’t wait to get back on track,” said Till Bechtolsheimer. “After Daytona, we’ve learned a lot as a team, and I think we’re in a great position to take another step forward. It’s such a demanding circuit, between the bumps and the hot temperatures, but that’s what makes it so rewarding. I think we’re coming in well-prepared. The team has been fantastic to work with, I’m looking forward to pushing hard with Tatiana and Joey to see what we can achieve.”

A night-time stop at the 2025 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona.

“I’m really looking forward to Sebring,” added Tatiana Calderón. “Now that we have a race under our belt, we’ve gained experience and we know what to expect, as well as the areas we really need to focus on to show the competitiveness we had in Daytona. I’m very motivated as we have a great team. It’s been a pleasure to work with Till and Joey, and I’m glad to be sharing the car again with them soon. Now, Sebring is of course going to be a very different track to Daytona, but I think we will be much better prepared. It should be lots of fun to go and discover how the Mustang feels on a bumpy and hot track.”

“Sebring here we come,” exclaimed Joey Hand. “I always look forward to going to Sebring, I’ve had some pretty awesome and memorable races, including some wins. I’m excited to be back with Gradient and to have another shot at a big race. Sebring is one of those places that always puts on a show, with a great fan turnout with very passionate people. It's always a spectacle just to walk through all the campgrounds and see how everybody spends their weekend.”

Joey Hand is twice a GT Class Winner at the 12 Hours of Sebring.

“On track, it's always a fight,” he went on. “It continues to amaze me how it can come down to that last pitstop, and in the final 20-30 minutes it is so action-packed and everybody is going for it as we fight it out in the dark. We’re hoping to have a good result here. We had a good time at Daytona and now we’re moving forward and getting after it again.”

The action will begin on Thursday, March 13th, with three practice sessions throughout the day. The Qualifying session will follow on Friday morning, March 14th, with the Autograph Session being held later in the afternoon. The main event, the 12 Hours of Sebring, is scheduled for Saturday, March 15th, starting at 10:10 AM ET.