The 57th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida is the crown jewel of the American LeMans Series. This is the tenth anniversary of their birth (from the ashes of IMSA) and their first race at Sebring. This blog (an idea wholeheartedly stolen from my friend Bill Zahren a.k.a. Pressdog) and ESPN’s Bill Simmons (who I don’t know) is chronicling SPEEDTV’s coverage of this historic event. The 12 Hours of Sebring is a long race, but remember that only an hour or two longer than a NASCAR Sprint Cup telecast.
PRERACE – Nice historic shot of the start of the 1999 Sebring event, remember those BMW prototypes? Neat cars. Wow, extreme close up of Aussie media dynamo Leigh Diffy, must be tight quarters in pit lane. On my 52″ TV his head is huge! Pit reporter Justin Bell interviewing Audi driver Allan McNish, Justin seems to have a lot of technical difficulties, real or imagine, however he is entertaining. It’s been all Commonwealth so far. American pit reporter Jamie Howe interviews Peugeot driver Sebastien Bourdais. Dorsey Schroeder is joining Diffy in “the booth.” I hear a flyby but don’t see it, I hate that. Bodacious pit reporter Kelli Stavast interviewing Acura hotshoe Adrian Fernandez actually asks a follow up question, a rarity in auto racing. The third pit reporter is steady Chris Neville. Scott Dixon on the pole, the Iceman is unstoppable, if he wins this today, what’s next, Kentucky Derby? One can only think what he could’ve done in F-1 in the right equipment. Hold on Brian Till and Calvin Fish are in the booth, looks like they’ll split duties today with Diffy and Schroeder. No fancy eyeglasses for Calvin today. How many people know that Brian Till is an Indy 500 veteran? Looks like seasonable spring Florida weather, sunny and temps in the mid-80’s. Bobby Rahal is looking very racy in his Nomex overalls. It’s frustrating seeing Patrick Long in GT2. The talented American kid should be in Indy Cars or P1. Porsche needs do something with him! Why do I hear stuff falling down off camera? Very distracting. Nice interviews regarding the last ten years of ALMS, however need to have names on screen so we know who they are. Is Tom Kristensen the most successful driver ever that most Americans have no idea who he is? Have you noticed how Justin Bell interviews people at a 45 degree angle?
START-Hour 1-The new BMW is not starting or is broken, a driver’s worst nightmare. The No. 08 Peugeot is starting from the back. Did I say I don’t like cars with the numeral “0” in front of the number? That BMW is one of the best looking racecars for its class, now if it would only run. Green flag. McNish makes a nice jump on de Ferran at the start. Here is the breakdown of the classes. For the prototypes, we have eight cars in P1, three in P2. Two cars in GT1 is a joke, the only two are the factory Corvettes. 13 cars in GT2 are more credible. 26 cars total. During the video highlight package before the commercial break the missed flyby is shown. Two Russian Yakovlev Yak – 50’s (single radial-engine World War II era plane) fly over in formation. That would not be acceptable at a NASCAR race, the ‘necks might start firing at them. The Flying Lizard Porsche of J
Steve Zautke, a Milwaukee, WI native, was raised in the sport of auto racing. His father, Bill, was a movie photographer that shot racing footage at tracks such as the Milwaukee Mile and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the 1960’s and 1970’s Steve’s first professional job in racing was as an Emergency Medical Technician at tracks such as Angell Park and Hales Corners Speedway (1988-1991). Steve has also worked for the Milwaukee Mile as videographer, in media relations and historian (1993-2011). Steve also has worked as a reporter for Racing Information Systems (RIS) and has written features for ‘Vintage Oval Racing’ and ‘Victory Lane’ magazines. Most recently, Steve has written a book on Road America for Arcadia Publishing. ( http://www.amazon.com/Road-America-Nascar-Library-Collection/dp/1467111457 ) Steve co-hosts “Sparky’s Final Inspection” a motorsports-based radio show with hosts, Steve “Sparky” Fifer and “NASCAR Girl” Summer Santana on Sports Radio 1250AM in Milwaukee and is also available on the internet at www.Sportradio1250.com. A member of the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame Induction Committee, Steve follows all types of racing from the dirt tracks to Formula One.
Around The BendSteve ZautkeUnited SportsCar Championship