The legend lives on.

By Peter M. De Lorenzo

Detroit. I first attended the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1968. My most vivid memory of the event was standing next to the pit wall while giving my brother Tony pit signals in his No. 4 Sunray DX Corvette during the race, as the factory Porsche 907s - their roofs peeking just slightly above the top of the pit wall - screamed by just inches away from me. The sound was mesmerizing and the visceral thrill was indescribable. Needless to say, it was a spectacular introduction to big-time major league sports car racing.

Sebring retains its place as America's premier sports car race simply because of its historical legacy as the oldest endurance event conducted on these shores and the fact that it has provided so many iconic moments in American sports car racing over the years. Back in those days the track configuration was over five miles long, and the track itself was a brutal layout comprised of "mixed" concrete and asphalt surfaces that originally made up runways for an abandoned World War II Army flight training facility, some of which were in such poor condition that it would jar the cars right off the ground at speed, on the straightaways.

Racing at Sebring was a true test of endurance, a monumental grind for both drivers and machines. Races were either run under brutally hot and humid conditions or there was torrential rain, like in the 1965 race when five inches of rain fell in an hour late in the day, leaving wheels and tires floating down the pit lane, with cars taking as many as twelve minutes to lap the circuit. And it was not uncommon for racing drivers back in the day to become disoriented in the pitch blackness - the track is in orange grove country - and lose their way on the course as well.

Sebring ushered in the era of "sprint" endurance racing, too, as the factory teams figured out early on in the 60s that the cars could basically take twelve hours of flat-out racing, and that fact changed the game forever. From that point on, Sebring went beyond being just an endurance test, transforming itself into a twelve-hour sprint.

Over the years the Sebring circuit became shorter, but there are still parts of it that will chatter a driver's teeth it is so rough, and even though car preparation has become an exact science - more or less - even the most well-prepared teams of the modern era can fall victim to the brutal nature of the Sebring circuit.

With the 2014 edition of the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring coming up this weekend, I think it's important to realize that this singular endurance event has survived because it has consistently transcended the political rancor that seems to swallow the sport whole on a regular basis. And given the turmoil that has defined major league sports car racing here in America over the last eighteen months (see last week's "Fumes" here - WG), that's saying something. It will be refreshing to see the race that has always managed to rise above the political divide run again this Saturday, and it's good to know that at least one legendary race continues on with its legend earned and intact.



Tune-in to FOXSports1 at 10:00 a.m. EDT, when the first three hours of the race will be broadcast.

Watch a series of excellent videos presented by Shell Oil from the 1965 12 Hours of Sebring here, here, here, here and here.

And check out a couple of cool videos from the 1968 12 Hours of Sebring here and here and see other images here.

Publisher's Note: As part of our continuing series celebrating the "Glory Days" of racing, we're proud to present another noteworthy image from the Ford Racing Archives. - PMD

(Photo by Dave Friedman courtesy of the Ford Racing Archives)
Sebring, Florida, April 2, 1967. Bruce McLaren and Mario Andretti pose with the race-winning Ford Mk IV the morning after their dominant win in the 12 Hours of Sebring. Andretti put the car on the pole and the duo led the entire way, winning by a margin of twelve laps. The A.J. Foyt/Lloyd Ruby Ford Mk IIB finished second that year, with Scooter Patrick/Gerhard Mitter (No. 36 Porsche 910) finishing third overall, first in P2.0. This was the final racing shakedown of the Mk IV in preparation for the upcoming 24 Hours of Le Mans in June, a race that Ford would win in memorable fashion.

Publisher's Note: Like these Ford racing photos? Check out www.fordimages.com. Be forewarned, however, because you won't be able to go there and not order something. - PMD