

The65th Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring fueled by Fresh from Florida was anendurancesports car racing event held atSebring International Raceway nearSebring, Florida from 16 to 18 March 2017. The race was the second round of the2017 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, as well as the second round of theNorth American Endurance Cup.
The race was won byWayne Taylor Racing'sCadillac DPi-V.R driven byRicky Taylor,Jordan Taylor, andAlex Lynn, ahead ofMustang Sampling Racing's Cadillac DPi-V.R andWhelen Engineering Racing's Cadillac DPi-V.R. The PC class winners were Performance Tech Motorsports with driversJames French,Patricio O'Ward, and Kyle Masson driving anOreca FLM09.Corvette Racing won the GTLM class for the third straight year withAntonio García,Jan Magnussen, andMike Rockenfeller taking the win in theirChevrolet Corvette C7.R. The GTD category was won byRiley Motorsports - WeatherTech Racing'sBen Keating,Jeroen Bleekemolen, andMario Farnbacher in aMercedes-AMG GT3.[1][2]

International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) president Scott Atherton confirmed that the race was part of the2017 IMSA SportsCar Championship schedule in August 2016. It was the fourth year in a row that the race was part of the series calendar, and the 65th 12 Hours of Sebring. The race was the second of 2017's twelve scheduled IMSAautomobile endurance races, and the second of four North American Endurance Cup (NAEC) events.[3] It was held at the 17-turn, 3.741-mile (6.021 km)Sebring International Raceway inSebring, Florida on March 18, 2017.
After the24 Hours of Daytona 7 weeks earlier,Jordan Taylor,Ricky Taylor,Max Angelelli, andJeff Gordon were leading the Prototype Drivers' Championship with 35 points.[4] With 36 points,James French,Patricio O'Ward,Kyle Masson, andNicholas Boulle led the PC Drivers' Championship.[4] GTLM was led byJoey Hand,Dirk Müller, andSébastien Bourdais with a three-point advantage overFrédéric Makowiecki,Patrick Pilet, andDirk Werner.[4] In GTD, the Drivers' Championship was led byMichael Christensen, Carlos de Quesada, Michael de Quesada, Jesse Lazare,Daniel Morad with 35 points ahead ofConnor De Phillippi,Jules Gounon,Christopher Mies, and Jeffrey Schmidt.[4]Cadillac,Ford, andPorsche were leading their respective Manufacturers' Championships, whileWayne Taylor Racing, Performance Tech Motorsport,Ford Chip Ganassi Racing, and Alegra Motorsports each led their own Teams' Championships.[4]
On March 8, 2017, IMSA issued the latest technical bulletin outlining theBalance of Performance for the event.[5] In P, theCadillac DPi-V.R received a 20 kilogram weight increase and a 0.6 mm smaller air restrictor. In GTLM, theBMW M6 GTLM andPorsche 911 RSR were given fuel capacity increases of 4 and 3 liters, respectively. In GTD, theAcura NSX GT3 received a 20 kilogram weight increase as well an increase in turbo boost, and 1 extra liter of fuel capacity. TheAudi R8 LMS received a 5 kilogram weight increase. TheMercedes-AMG GT3 received a 20 kilogram weight increase as well as a 1.5 mm larger air restrictor, and 2 extra liters of fuel capacity. ThePorsche 911 GT3 R received a fuel capacity increase of 2 liters while theLexus RC F GT3 lost 1 liter of fuel capacity.
A total of 46 cars took part in the event split across four classes. 10 cars were entered in P, 4 in PC, 10 in GTLM, and 21 in GTD.[6] In P,Alex Lynn replacedMax Angelelli in the #10Wayne Taylor Racing entry after Angelelli retired from racing after Daytona.[7][8]DragonSpeed were absent.Marino Franchitti joinedTom Long andJoel Miller in the #70Mazda Motorsports entry.[9] In PC,Starworks Motorsport scaled down to one entry.[6]Garett Grist, Max Hanratty, andSean Rayhall shared the #8Starworks Motorsport entry.[10]Gustavo Yacamán joined Marc Drumwright, Chapman Ducote, andColin Thompson in the #26 BAR1 Motorsports entry.[11] In GTLM,Ford Chip Ganassi Team UK scaled down to one entry.[12] In GTD,Konrad Motorsport,Spirit of Race,Manthey Racing,Aston Martin Racing, andTRG were absent.GRT Grasser Racing Team scaled down to one entry.Spencer Pumpelly joinedDaniel Morad,Michael Christensen, and Michael de Quesada in the #28 Alegra Motorsports entry.[6]
There were four practice sessions preceding the start of the race on Saturday, three on Thursday and one on Friday. The first two one-hour sessions were on Thursday morning and afternoon. The third held later that evening ran for 90 minutes; the fourth on Friday morning lasted an hour.[13]
The first practice session took place at 11:10 amET on Thursday and ended withStephen Simpson topping the charts forJDC-Miller MotorSports, with a lap time of 1:49.516.[14] The PC class was topped by the #38 Performance Tech Motorsports Oreca FLM09 ofPatricio O'Ward with a time of 1:55.172.[15]Frédéric Makowiecki was fastest in GTLM whileBryan Sellers set the fastest time in GTD.[16][15]
| Pos. | Class | No. | Team | Driver | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | P | 85 | JDC-Miller MotorSports | Stephen Simpson | 1:49.516 | _ |
| 2 | P | 5 | Mustang Sampling Racing | Christian Fittipaldi | 1:49.557 | +0.041 |
| 3 | P | 31 | Whelen Engineering Racing | Mike Conway | 1:49.608 | +0.092 |
| Sources:[17][18] | ||||||
The second practice session took place at 3:15 pmET on Thursday and ended withJordan Taylor topping the charts forWayne Taylor Racing, with a lap time of 1:49.888.[19]Colin Thompson set the fastest time in PC.[20] The GTLM class was topped by the #4Corvette RacingChevrolet Corvette C7.R ofTommy Milner with a lap time of 1:57.206.Sébastien Bourdais was second in the #66Ford Chip Ganassi Racing car andAntonio García rounded out the top 3.[21] Andrew Davis was fastest in GTD.[21]
| Pos. | Class | No. | Team | Driver | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | P | 10 | Wayne Taylor Racing | Jordan Taylor | 1:49.888 | _ |
| 2 | P | 5 | Mustang Sampling Racing | João Barbosa | 1:50.103 | +0.215 |
| 3 | P | 31 | Whelen Engineering Racing | Mike Conway | 1:50.370 | +0.482 |
| Sources:[22][23] | ||||||
The night practice session took place at 7:30 pmET on Thursday and ended withMike Conway topping the charts forWhelen Engineering Racing, with a lap time of 1:49.815.[24]Gustavo Yacamán set the fastest time PC by 0.257 seconds ahead ofSean Rayhall in the #8Starworks Motorsport entry.[24]Sébastien Bourdais set the fastest time in GTLM with a time of 1:57.166.[25] The GTD class was topped by the #57 Stevenson MotorsportsAudi R8 LMS ofLawson Aschenbach with a lap time of 2:00.964.[26]
| Pos. | Class | No. | Team | Driver | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | P | 31 | Whelen Engineering Racing | Mike Conway | 1:49.815 | _ |
| 2 | P | 10 | Wayne Taylor Racing | Ricky Taylor | 1:50.072 | +0.257 |
| 3 | P | 5 | Mustang Sampling Racing | Filipe Albuquerque | 1:50.169 | +0.354 |
| Sources:[27][28] | ||||||
The fourth and final practice session took place at 9:20 amET on Friday and ended withChristian Fittipaldi topping the charts forMustang Sampling Racing, with a lap time of 1:49.211.[29]Gustavo Yacamán set the fastest time in PC.[29]Dirk Müller was fastest in GTLM whileMichael Christensen set the fastest time in GTD.[30]
| Pos. | Class | No. | Team | Driver | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | P | 5 | Mustang Sampling Racing | Christian Fittipaldi | 1:49.211 | _ |
| 2 | P | 13 | Rebellion Racing | Neel Jani | 1:49.329 | +0.118 |
| 3 | P | 2 | Tequila Patrón ESM | Pipo Derani | 1:49.405 | +0.194 |
| Sources:[31][32] | ||||||
On Friday afternoon's 90-minute four-group qualifying, each category had separate 15-minute sessions. Regulations stipulated that teams nominate one qualifying driver, with the fastest laps determining each class' starting order. IMSA then arranged the grid to put Prototypes ahead of the PC, GTLM and GTD cars.[33][13]

The first was for cars in GTD class.Tristan Vautier qualified on pole for the class driving the #75SunEnergy1 Racing car.[34]
The second session of qualifying was for cars in the GTLM class. Ryan Briscoe qualified on pole driving the #67 car forFord Chip Ganassi Racing, bestingDirk Müller in the sister #66 entry.[34]
The third session of qualifying was for cars in the PC class.Gustavo Yacamán set the fastest time driving the #26 BAR1 Motorsports car.[35]
The final session of qualifying was for the P class.Neel Jani qualified on pole driving the #13 car forRebellion Racing, beatingChristian Fittipaldi in the #5Mustang Sampling Racing by less than one tenth of a second.[36]
Pole positions in each class are indicated inbold and by ‡.
| Pos. | Class | No. | Team | Driver | Time | Gap | Grid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | P | 13 | 1:48.178 | _ | 1 ‡ | ||
| 2 | P | 5 | 1:48.273 | +0.095 | 2 | ||
| 3 | P | 31 | 1:48.314 | +0.136 | 3 | ||
| 4 | P | 52 | 1:49.056 | +0.878 | 4 | ||
| 5 | P | 22 | 1:149.103 | +0.925 | 5 | ||
| 6 | P | 10 | 1:49.541 | +1.363 | 6 | ||
| 7 | P | 85 | 1:49.587 | +1.409 | 7 | ||
| 8 | P | 55 | 1:49.907 | +1.729 | 8 | ||
| 9 | P | 90 | 1:49.919 | +1.741 | 9 | ||
| 10 | P | 70 | 1:50.284 | +2.106 | 10 | ||
| 11 | PC | 26 | 1:53.506 | +5.328 | 11‡ | ||
| 12 | PC | 38 | 1:53.575 | +5.397 | 12 | ||
| 13 | PC | 20 | 1:55.846 | +7.668 | 13 | ||
| 14 | GTLM | 67 | 1:55.939 | +7.761 | 16‡ | ||
| 15 | GTLM | 66 | 1:56.175 | +7.997 | 17 | ||
| 16 | GTLM | 4 | 1:56.252 | +8.074 | 451 | ||
| 17 | GTLM | 912 | 1:56.319 | +8.141 | 18 | ||
| 18 | GTLM | 3 | 1:56.368 | +8.190 | 19 | ||
| 19 | PC | 8 | 1:56.433 | +8.255 | 14 | ||
| 20 | GTLM | 68 | 1:56.441 | +8.263 | 20 | ||
| 21 | GTLM | 911 | 1:56.487 | +8.309 | 21 | ||
| 22 | GTLM | 24 | 1:56.617 | +8.439 | 22 | ||
| 23 | GTLM | 25 | 1:56.660 | +8.482 | 23 | ||
| 24 | GTLM | 62 | 1:57.475 | +9.297 | 24 | ||
| 25 | GTD | 75 | 1:59.738 | +11.560 | 25‡ | ||
| 26 | GTD | 29 | 2:00.490 | +12.312 | 26 | ||
| 27 | GTD | 16 | 2:00.967 | +12.789 | 27 | ||
| 28 | GTD | 15 | 2:00.998 | +12.820 | 28 | ||
| 29 | GTD | 14 | 2:01.158 | +12.980 | 29 | ||
| 30 | GTD | 57 | 2:01.222 | +13.044 | 30 | ||
| 31 | GTD | 33 | 2:01.284 | +13.106 | 31 | ||
| 32 | GTD | 50 | 2:01.358 | +13.180 | 32 | ||
| 33 | GTD | 11 | 2:01.385 | +13.207 | 33 | ||
| 34 | GTD | 63 | 2:01.628 | +13.450 | 34 | ||
| 35 | GTD | 93 | 2:01.687 | +13.509 | 35 | ||
| 36 | GTD | 28 | 2:01.752 | +13.574 | 36 | ||
| 37 | GTD | 73 | 2:01.966 | +13.788 | 37 | ||
| 38 | GTD | 86 | 2:02.096 | +13.918 | 38 | ||
| 39 | GTD | 23 | 2:02.234 | +14.056 | 39 | ||
| 40 | GTD | 96 | 2:02.256 | +14.078 | 40 | ||
| 41 | GTD | 48 | 2:02.345 | +14.167 | 41 | ||
| 42 | GTD | 46 | 2:03.201 | +15.023 | 42 | ||
| 43 | GTD | 54 | 2:03.672 | +15.494 | 462 | ||
| 44 | GTD | 18 | 2:04.154 | +15.976 | 43 | ||
| 45 | GTD | 27 | 2:08.569 | +20.291 | 44 | ||
| 46 | P | 2 | Disqualified | 15 | |||
| Sources:[37][38] | |||||||
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With a total of 70 points, Jordan Taylor and Ricky Taylor's victory allowed them to increase their advantage over Fittipaldi, Barbosa, and Albuquerque in the Prototype Drivers' Championship to 5 points. Cameron, Curran, and Conway advanced from sixth to third.[41] In the PC Drivers' Championship, Rayhall advanced from fourth to second while Boulle dropped from first to fifth.[41] The result kept Hand, Müller, and Bourdais atop the GTLM Drivers' Championship. García, Magnussen, and Rockenfeller advanced from fourth to second.[41] As a result of winning the race, Bleekemolen, Keating, and Farnbacher advanced from third to first in the GTD Drivers' Championship.[41] Cadillac, and Ford continued to top their respective Manufacturers' Championships while Mercedes-AMG took the lead of the GTD Manufacturers' Championship. Wayne Taylor Racing, Performance Tech Motorsports, and Ford Chip Ganassi Racing kept their respective advantages in their of Teams' Championships. Riley Motorsports Team AMG took the lead of the GTD Teams' Championship with ten rounds remaining.[41]
Class winners are denoted inbold.[42]
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| IMSA SportsCar Championship | ||
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| Previous race: 24 Hours of Daytona | 2017 season | Next race: Grand Prix of Long Beach |