Following a third-place finish at Daytona, CORE Autosports aims to defend its Sebring crown, having won by more than 2.5 seconds last year with drivers Jon Bennett, Colin Braun, and George Kurtz.
The same trio will once again be behind the wheel of the #54 CrowdStrike/Flex-Box Ligier JS P320 for this year’s running of the Twelve Hours of Sebring. The CORE team currently has eight podium finishes and four wins at the track to their record.
Despite being half the distance of the prior race, the Rolex 24 at Daytona, Sebring is just as, if not more, challenging for both cars and drivers. The track was originally paved in the 1950s, so time and repairs have resulted in a bumpy and rough surface for race cars.
Sebring not only features less lighting than Daytona, but it also lacks Daytona’s banking. Without the long banks, drivers will find little to no take to take a quick breather or perform easy, high-speed overtakes.
Bennett commented on these struggles, “The bumpy nature of the Sebring circuit can certainly grind away at the physical aspect of going fast and maintaining focus during long stints. Inmany ways, this race requires a similar effort to a 24-hour race.”
