1000 Miles of Sebring

The 1,000 Miles of Sebring is a sports car race that is held at the Sebring International Raceway, on the site of the former Hendricks Army Airfield World War II Air Base, in Sebring, Florida. It was created for the FIA World Endurance Championship, and was held for the first time on 15 March 2019 as the sixth round of the 2018–19 FIA World Endurance Championship.

1,000 Miles of Sebring
FIA World Endurance Championship
VenueSebring International Raceway
First race2019
Distance1,002.32 mi (1,613.078 km)
Laps268
Duration8 Hour time limit

Race History

The FIA/ACO announced a provisional schedule on 1st September 2017 that shifted the FIA World Endurance Championship calendar from a spring to autumn layout with the 24 Hours of Le Mans marque event held in the middle of the championship, and include two runnings of Le Mans. This "super season" of eight races spanned more than a year instead of the usual eight months. The shift allowed the following 2019–20 season to return to a shorter length by starting in the autumn and concluding at Le Mans in the summer. The Provisional Calendar saw a raft of changes, with several races dropped, but included a return to Sebring for the first time since 2012. [1] In the provisional calendar issued, the race was originally planned to be run as a second 12-hour race after the IMSA Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring on the same weekend, and would start at midnight after the conclusion of the IMSA 12 hours.[2] On 21st September 2017, the race became known as the 1,500 Miles of Sebring, to avoid confusion between the 2 events, at the FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting in Paris.[3] On 4th April 2018, it was announced that the race would become shortened to 1,000 Miles or 268 laps, have a time limit of 8 Hours, and would take place on March 15 instead, prior to the start of the 12 Hours of Sebring, rather than after the race. A new pit lane would also be built for the race. [4]

The second race, originally scheduled for 20th March 2020, was cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. On 11th March, United States president Donald Trump announced a suspension of travel by non-US citizens from Europe to the United States. Many of the drivers and team personnel were in Europe, and thus would be unable to travel to the United States for the race. The next day, the WEC announced the cancellation of the race.[5] The 2020 race was also planned to include a schedule change. Previously, the race had run from 4 p.m. to midnight, with the short duration between the 1,000 Miles and the 12 Hour race causing challenges for both track and support personnel, as well as drivers who were competing in both the WEC race and the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring on the following day. This change ensured a 15-hour break between the 2 races.[6]

Winners
Year Drivers Team Car Tyre Time Laps Distance Championship Report
2019 Sébastien Buemi
Fernando Alonso
Kazuki Nakajima		 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota TS050 Hybrid M 8:00:38.186 253 946.23 miles (1522.807 km) FIA World Endurance Championship Report
2020 Race cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021 Race cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic

References List
  1. "FIA WEC Shifts To Winter Calendar For 2018/19 – dailysportscar.com". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 2019-01-12.
  2. Dagys, John. "WEC Reveals Shift to Winter Schedule; Sebring for 2019 – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 2019-01-12.
  3. Dagys, John. "1500 Miles of Sebring Confirmed – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 2019-01-12.
  4. Dagys, John. "Sebring WEC Race Moves to Friday in Revised 1,000-Mile Format – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 2019-01-12.
  5. Miller, Fiona. "Cancellation of the FIA WEC "Sebring 1000 Miles" race scheduled for March 20 – World Endurance Championship". fiawec.com. Retrieved 2020-03-15.
  6. Dagys, John. "New Start Time for 1000 Miles of Sebring – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 2020-02-08.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.