# Sebring International Raceway

Sebring International Raceway is a road course auto racing facility in the southeastern United States, located near Sebring, Florida.
Sebring Raceway is one of the oldest continuously operating race tracks in the U.S., its first race being run in 1950. Sebring is one of the classic race tracks in North American sports car racing, and plays host to the 12 Hours of Sebring.
The raceway occupies a portion of Sebring Regional Airport (an active airport for private and commercial traffic that was originally built as Hendricks Army Airfield, which was a World War II training base for the United States Army Air Forces).

## History

Sebring Raceway occupies the site of Hendricks Army Airfield (a training base for B-17 pilots in operation from 1941 to 1946), in the middle of southern Florida, 70 mi (110 km) south and southeast respectively of Orlando and Tampa, and 140 mi (230 km) northwest of Miami. After the war, Russian-American aeronautical engineer Alec Ulmann was seeking sites for converting military aircraft to civilian use when he discovered potential in Hendricks' runways and service roads to stage a sports car endurance race similar to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, a race Ulmann was inspired to somewhat re-create in the United States. Sebring's first race was held on New Year's Eve of 1950, attracting thirty race cars from across North America. The Sam Collier 6 Hour Memorial race was won by Frits Koster and Ralph Deshon in a Crosley Hot Shot that had been driven to the track by Victor Sharpe.
The first 12 Hours of Sebring was held on March 15, 1952, shortly growing into a major international race. In 1959, the track hosted the U.S.' first Formula One race (the successor to historic European Grand Prix motor racing), held as that year's instalment of the historic United States Grand Prix competition (although the Indianapolis 500 was an official part of the Formula One World Championship from 1950 to 1960, the 500 was never considered a true Grand Prix by the European and British based teams who largely ignored it at the time). However poor attendance and high costs relocated the next U.S. Grand Prix to Riverside International Raceway in southern California.
For much of Sebring's history, the track followed a 5.200 mi (8.369 km) layout. After a disastrous 1966 12 Hours with five fatalities, the track was widened in parts and also lengthened a total of 50 yd (46 m) for 1967 with the removal of the Webster Turn between the hairpin and the top of the track and replacement with the faster Green Park Chicane, further down the track. This was closer to the hairpin and allowed a flat-out run through a very fast corner to the top of the track and the runway. This was done to move the track off the dangerous Warehouse Straight and the warehouses, hangars and airplanes flanking it; a crash during that 1966 12 Hours involved a privately-entered Porsche that went into one of the warehouses (this area was off-limits to non-track personnel) and into a crowd, killing four spectators.
The circuit was changed and shortened in 1983 to allow simultaneous use of the track and one of the runways, and major changes in 1987 allowed use of another runway. Further changes in 1991 accommodated expansion of the airport's facilities, allowing the entire track to be used without interfering with normal airport operations and bringing it close to its current configuration. The hairpin was removed in 1997 due to a lack of run-off, and replaced with what became known as the "safety pin". Gendebien Bend was also 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 via its purchase of the Panoz MSG in September 2012. It is currently leased by the Sebring International Raceway, LLC, which acquired the facility from Andy Evans in 1997.
The track is often recognized for its famous, high-speed "Turn 17", a long, bumpy, fast right-hander that can make or break a car's speed down the front straight. The corner can fit up to three cars wide.
Skip Barber Racing School held numerous programs at the facility, including a scholarship opportunity for young racers.
From 2019 to 2023 (with no races run in 2020 or 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic), the World Endurance Championship ran a round called the 1000 Miles of Sebring, run concurrently with the famed 12 Hours. The first race in 2019 was won by Toyota Gazoo Racing. When the event returned after the pandemic in 2022 it was won by the French Alpine Elf Team. Toyota then won their second race at Sebring in 2023. The FIA dropped the race from the WEC calendar in 2024 and 2025, its place being taken by the Lone Star Le Mans race at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas..
On October 30, 2021, the first-ever 24-hour race at Sebring took place, hosted by the World Racing League, an amateur endurance championship series, with W2W Racing winning the overall race by four laps on the field in their #983 Porsche Motorsports type 981 Cayman GT4 Clubsport MR.

## Track configuration

Sebring International Raceway consists of three tracks: the Full Circuit, the Short Circuit, and the Club Circuit. The course of the track itself is 3.741 mi (6.021 km) long. It is a seventeen-turn road course with long straights, several high-speed corners, and very technical slower corners. Many of the turns and points along the track are named for the early teams and drivers. Due to Florida's flat nature there is very little elevation change around the track and little camber on the surface, providing a challenging track for drivers, especially when it rains.
Sebring is renowned for its rough, bumpy and changing surfaces. The course still runs on old sections of World War II-era landing fields that were constructed of concrete sections with large seams. The transitions between sections are quite rough and often, sparks fly from the undercarriages of the cars as they traverse them. Much of the track has intentionally been left with its original concrete runway surface. The 12 Hours of Sebring is renowned as a race that is even harder on machinery and drivers than Le Mans, and is seen as an ideal preparation run for the famed French race.
The track surface has 3.04 mi (4.89 km) of asphalt and 0.7 mi (1.1 km) of concrete. Mario Andretti, a 3-time 12 Hours winner, said that one of the hardest parts about the original Sebring track was "finding the track to begin with." There had been many accounts of drivers retiring due to accidents at night, quite simply because they got lost on the runway sections and couldn't find the track again. Some drivers got lost even during the day, mostly because the track was poorly marked down with white lines and cones.

### Layout history

* The track layout from 1952 to 1966 (1st variation)
* The track layout from 1967 to 1982 (2nd variation)
* The track layout from 1987 to 1990 (5th variation)
* The track layout from 1999 (8th variation)

## Events

Sebring is most notable for hosting the 12 Hours of Sebring, sanctioned by the FIA and IMSA, as part of many major endurance racing series, including the World Sportscar Championship, Intercontinental Le Mans Cup, ALMS, and now, the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. This race is the second of four races in the Michelin Endurance Cup. It has also hosted the final round of the 24H Series in 2021.
The track also hosts the Legends of Motorsport and Historic Sportscar Racing series, and is the winter home of the Skip Barber Racing School. Many IndyCar, sports prototype, and Grand Touring teams use Sebring for winter testing due to the warm climate.
The track is used numerous times each year by the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) and the National Auto Sport Association (NASA) for amateur events that draw participants from all over the country.
IndyCar regularly holds tests at the top half of the facility to simulate street circuits on its calendar.

### Current events

* January: SCCA Super Tour
* February: Trans-Am Series Sebring SpeedTour, Sportscar Vintage Racing Association
* March: IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship 12 Hours of Sebring, Michelin Pilot Challenge, Porsche Carrera Cup North America, Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America, IMSA Ford Mustang Challenge, Porsche Sprint Challenge North America, Historic Sportscar Racing Sebring Spring Fling
* May: GT World Challenge America, GT America Series, GT4 America Series, TC America Series, Toyota Gazoo Racing Cup North America
* June: ChampCar Endurance Series
* December: Historic Sportscar Racing Sebring Pistons and Props, ChampCar Endurance Series

### Former events

* 24H Series
** 24 Hours of Sebring (2021)
* American Le Mans Series (1999–2013)
* Barber Pro Series (1992–2002)
* Ferrari Challenge North America (2019–2020)
* FIA GT Championship
** Sebring 3 Hours (1997)
* FIA World Endurance Championship
** 12 Hours of Sebring (2012)
** 1000 Miles of Sebring (2019, 2022–2023)
* Formula 4 United States Championship (2019–2020)
* Formula One
** United States Grand Prix (1959)
* Formula Regional Americas Championship (2019–2020)
* Global MX-5 Cup (2012–2014, 2021, 2024)
* IMSA GT Championship (1973, 1975–1998)
* IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge (2023)
* IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship
** Grand Prix of Sebring (2020)
* Lamborghini Super Trofeo World Final (2015)
* LATAM Challenge Series (2014)
* SCCA Continental Championship (1969–1970)
* Sprint Race Brasil (2019)
* USF2000 Championship (1999, 2001–2004, 2011–2013, 2023)
* USF Juniors (2023)
* USF Pro 2000 Championship (1999, 2001–2010, 2023)
* World Sportscar Championship (1953–1972, 1981)

## Lap records

As of March 2025, the fastest official race lap records at the Sebring International Raceway for different classes are listed as:
| Category | Time | Driver | Vehicle | Event |
| Current Grand Prix Road Course Layout: 6.019 km (1999–present) |||||
| LMP1 | 1:41.800 | Kamui Kobayashi | Toyota TS050 Hybrid | 2019 1000 Miles of Sebring |
| DPi | 1:46.151 | Felipe Nasr Renger van der Zande | Cadillac DPi-V.R | 2021 12 Hours of Sebring |
| LMP2 | 1:46.638 | Romain Dumas | Porsche RS Spyder Evo | 2007 12 Hours of Sebring |
| LMH | 1:47.885 | Sébastien Buemi | Toyota GR010 Hybrid | 2023 1000 Miles of Sebring |
| LMDh | 1:48.311 | Renger van der Zande | Cadillac V-Series.R | 2023 12 Hours of Sebring |
| LMP900 | 1:48.418 | Tom Kristensen | Audi R8 | 2002 12 Hours of Sebring |
| LMP675 | 1:50.953 | James Weaver | Lola EX257 | 2003 12 Hours of Sebring |
| LMP | 1:51.608 | Tomáš Enge | Riley & Scott Mk III | 1999 12 Hours of Sebring |
| DP | 1:52.134 | Ryan Dalziel | HPD ARX-03b | 2014 12 Hours of Sebring |
| LMPC | 1:54.549 | Pato O'Ward | Oreca FLM09 | 2017 12 Hours of Sebring |
| LM GTE | 1:55.642 | Antonio García | Chevrolet Corvette C8.R | 2021 12 Hours of Sebring |
| Formula Atlantic | 1:55.942 | John Edwards | Swift 016.a | 2009 Sebring Formula Atlantic round |
| LMP3 | 1:56.166 | Colin Braun | Ligier JS P320 | 2021 12 Hours of Sebring |
| GT1 (GTS) | 1:56.473 | Tomáš Enge | Aston Martin DBR9 | 2006 12 Hours of Sebring |
| Trans-Am | 1:58.645 | Brent Crews | Chevrolet Camaro Trans-Am | 2025 Sebring Trans-Am round |
| USF Pro 2000 | 1:59.0703 | Jace Denmark | Tatuus IP-22 | 2023 Sebring USF Pro 2000 round |
| GT3 | 1:59.775 | Neil Verhagen | BMW M4 GT3 | 2023 Sebring GT World Challenge America round |
| Formula Regional | 2:01.200 | Jacob Abel | Ligier JS F3 | 2019 Sebring F3 Americas round |
| Lamborghini Super Trofeo | 2:02.445 | Hampus Ericsson [sv] | Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo Evo2 | 2025 Sebring Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America round |
| US F2000 | 2:02.860 | Neil Alberico | Van Diemen DP08 | 2013 Sebring USF2000 round |
| Porsche Carrera Cup | 2:02.999 | Sebastian Priaulx | Porsche 911 (992) GT3 Cup | 2021 Sebring Porsche Carrera Cup North America round |
| GT | 2:04.353 | Jon Fogarty | Porsche 911 (996) GT3 RSR | 2004 12 Hours of Sebring |
| GT2 (GTS) | 2:05.527 | Andy Pilgrim | Chevrolet Corvette C5-R | 1999 12 Hours of Sebring |
| Ferrari Challenge | 2:05.781 | Cooper MacNeil | Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo | 2020 Sebring Ferrari Challenge North America round |
| SRO GT2 | 2:05.803 | Elias Sabo | Audi R8 LMS GT2 | 2021 Sebring GT America round |
| Barber Pro | 2:06.677 | Nilton Rossoni | Reynard 98E | 2000 Sebring Barber Pro round |
| TA2 | 2.06.779 | Connor Zilisch | Chevrolet Camaro Trans-Am | 2024 Sebring Trans-Am round |
| GT4 | 2:10.378 | Robby Foley | BMW M4 GT4 Gen II | 2023 Alan Jay Automotive Network 120 |
| USF Juniors | 2:10.884 | Nicolas Giaffone | Tatuus JR-23 | 2023 Sebring USF Juniors round |
| TCR Touring Car | 2:12.905 | Tim Lewis Jr. | Honda Civic Type R TCR (FL5) | 2025 Alan Jay Automotive Network 120 |
| Formula 4 | 2:13.343 | Hunter Yeany | Crawford F4-16 | 2020 Sebring F4 United States round |
| Mustang Challenge | 2:13.624 | Robert Noaker | Ford Mustang Dark Horse R | 2025 Sebring Mustang Challenge round |
| Mazda MX-5 Cup | 2:25.432 | Jeremy Fletcher | Mazda MX-5 (ND) | 2024 Sebring Mazda MX-5 Cup round |
| Toyota GR Cup | 2:25.665 | Tyler Gonzalez | Toyota GR86 | 2023 Sebring Toyota GR Cup North America round |
| Grand Prix Road Course: 5.794 km (1996–1998) |||||
| WSC | 1:51.867 | Andrea Montermini | Ferrari 333 SP | 1997 12 Hours of Sebring |
| GT1 (Prototype) | 1:57.453 | David Brabham | Panoz Esperante GTR-1 | 1998 Sebring Classic |
| GT2 | 2:08.448 | Philippe Gache | Chrysler Viper GTS-R | 1997 FIA GT Sebring 3 Hours |
| IMSA GT3 | 2:12.242 | Bill Auberlen | BMW M3 (E36) | 1998 Sebring Classic |
| Grand Prix Road Course: 5.954 km (1991–1995) |||||
| IMSA GTP | 1:49.616 | Geoff Brabham | Nissan NPT-91 A | 1992 12 Hours of Sebring |
| IMSA GTP Lights | 2:01.271 | Ruggero Melgrati | Spice SE89P | 1991 12 Hours of Sebring |
| WSC | 2:03.423 | Andy Evans | Spice WSC94 | 1994 12 Hours of Sebring |
| IMSA GTS | 2:03.993 | Irv Hoerr | Oldsmobile Cutlass | 1992 12 Hours of Sebring |
| IMSA GTO | 2:04.230 | Price Cobb | Mazda RX-7 | 1991 12 Hours of Sebring |
| IMSA GTU | 2:14.772 | Jim Pace | Nissan 240SX | 1994 12 Hours of Sebring |
| IMSA Supercar | 2:20.725 | Sean Roe | Greenwood Corvette | 1995 12 Hours of Sebring |
| Grand Prix Road Course: 6.614 km (1987–1990) |||||
| IMSA GTP | 1:58.582 | Geoff Brabham | Nissan GTP ZX-T | 1990 12 Hours of Sebring |
| IMSA GTO | 2:12.457 | Pete Halsmer | Mazda RX-7 | 1990 12 Hours of Sebring |
| IMSA GTP Lights | 2:12.499 | Ruggero Melgrati [pl] | Spice SE89P | 1990 12 Hours of Sebring |
| IMSA GTU | 2:22.988 | Stu Hayner | Dodge Daytona | 1990 12 Hours of Sebring |
| Grand Prix Road Course: 7.821 km (1984–1986) |||||
| IMSA GTP | 2:13.857 | Derek Bell | Porsche 962 | 1986 12 Hours of Sebring |
| IMSA GTO | 2:30.536 | Jack Baldwin | Chevrolet Camaro | 1986 12 Hours of Sebring |
| IMSA GTP Lights | 2:33.571 | Kelly Marsh | Argo JM16 | 1986 12 Hours of Sebring |
| IMSA GTU | 2:43.072 | Tom Kendall | Mazda RX-7 | 1986 12 Hours of Sebring |
| Grand Prix Road Course: 7.644 km (1983) |||||
| IMSA GTP | 2:22.750 | Bill Whittington | March 83G | 1983 12 Hours of Sebring |
| IMSA GTO | 2:35.130 | Carl Schafer | Pontiac Firebird | 1983 12 Hours of Sebring |
| IMSA GTU | 2:48.400 | Joe Varde | Mazda RX-7 | 1983 12 Hours of Sebring |
| Grand Prix Road Course: 8.369 km (1967–1982) |||||
| IMSA GTP | 2:28.630 | John Paul Jr. | Porsche 935 JLP-3 | 1981 12 Hours of Sebring |
| Group 5 | 2:30.460 | Jo Siffert | Porsche 917 K | 1971 12 Hours of Sebring |
| Group 4 | 2:43.860 | Marc Surer | BMW M1 | 1981 12 Hours of Sebring |
| IMSA GTX | 2:47.444 | Peter Gregg | Porsche 934/5 | 1977 12 Hours of Sebring |
| IMSA GTO | 2:49.200 | Hans-Joachim Stuck | BMW 3.0 CSL | 1975 12 Hours of Sebring |
| IMSA GTU | 2:54.180 | Lee Mueller | Mazda RX-7 | 1981 12 Hours of Sebring |
| American Challenge | 3:06.336 | Gene Felton | Buick Skylark | 1978 12 Hours of Sebring |
| Grand Prix Road Course: 8.356 km (1952–1966) |||||
| Group 4 | 2:54.800 | Dan Gurney | Ford GT40 Mk.II | 1966 12 Hours of Sebring |
| Group 6 | 2:59.300 | Jim Hall | Chaparral 2A | 1965 12 Hours of Sebring |
| F1 | 3:05.0 | Maurice Trintignant | Cooper T51 | 1959 United States Grand Prix |
| Sports car racing | 3:06.200 | John Surtees | Ferrari 330 P | 1964 12 Hours of Sebring |
| Group 2 | 3:30.8 | Bob Tullius | Dodge Dart | 1966 4 Hours of Sebring |
| Short Road Course: 3.540 km (1969–1970) |||||
| Formula 5000 | 1:04.800 | David Hobbs | Surtees TS5 | 1969 Sebring F5000 round |

## Sebring in pop culture

Sebring Raceway is featured in the video games rFactor 2,Pitstop II, iRacing, The Crew, Forza Motorsport 2, Forza Motorsport 3, Forza Motorsport 4, Forza Motorsport 5, Forza Motorsport 6, Forza Motorsport 7, Forza Motorsport (2023), Le Mans Ultimate, Total Immersion Racing and Sports Car GT. There are also end-user created versions for rFactor, GTR2, GTR Evolution, GT Legends, Grand Prix Legends and NASCAR Racing 2003 Season. In board gaming, Sebring was also featured in the first expansion for the Formula D board game by Asmodee games. People have also recreated this track using the course maker in Gran Turismo 6.