1959 12 Hours of Sebring
The 1959 12-Hour Florida International Grand Prix of Endurance for the Amoco Trophy was a motor race for sportscars, staged on 21 March at the Sebring International Raceway, Florida, United States. It was the opening round of the 1959 World Sportscar Championship and was the eighth running of the 12 Hours of Sebring.
![](../I/Ferrari_250_TR_Fantuzzi.jpg.webp)
The race was won by Dan Gurney, Phil Hill, Chuck Daigh and Olivier Gendebien driving a Ferrari 250 TR 59 for Scuderia Ferrari.
Report
Entry
A massive total of 81 racing cars were registered for this event, of which 74 arrived for practice. Only these, 65 qualified for, and started the race. Reigning champions, Ferrari had eight of their new 250 TRs in Florida, of which three were works machines (1959 model) for their squad of drivers; Phil Hill, Dan Gurney, Chuck Daigh, Olivier Gendebien, Jean Behra and Cliff Allison. Their main opposition would come from a single works Aston Martin.[1]
David Brown sent just one Aston Martin DBR1/300 over from England for Carroll Shelby and Roy Salvadori. Also on the entry list were some quick looking Lister-Jaguar entered by Briggs Cunningham with himself, Walt Hansgen and Stirling Moss amongst their squad. The work outfit also brought a car for Moss and paired him with Ivor Bueb.[2]
Qualifying
Because there were no qualifying sessions to set the grid, the starting positions were decided according to engine size with the 3.0 litre Aston Martin DBR1 of Shelby and Salvadori being given first place.[3]
Race
Most of the 40,000 spectators expected a battle for sole Aston Martin and the Ferrari. Although early on, there was a great scrap, the Aston retired after just 32 laps with gear lever problems. This meant it really was a Ferrari battle at the front of the field for almost all the race. The official result lists the winner as the no. 7 Ferrari of Gurney, Daigh, Hill and Gendebien, but that's not the whole story.[4][5]
For the opening four and half hours, the Ferrari of Hill and Gendebien led until suffering from a broken differential. That put the Gurney/Daigh car in front. Behra/Allison were in second, followed by Moss/Bueb. And then the heavy rain arrived and the race became intriguing. With cars sliding off all over the place, one of the most dramatic accidents come just after the six-hour mark when Robert Rollason’s Stanguellini 750 Sport collided with a pole that supported a bridge. The car hit the pole while sideways throwing it up into the air before splitting in half, and ending up on its roof. It required a number of track marshals to flip it back onto its wheels, so that Rollason could escape uninjured.[6][7][8]
The conditions made it difficult for even the very best to keep their cars under control. The works Lister-Jaguar with Moss behind the wheel, despite struggling for most of the race, came alive and moved up through the field passing both the Ferraris. After five hours, Moss led Behra and by now the little Porsche of Wolfgang von Trips and Jo Bonnier had moved into third. At this time, Scuderia Ferrari decided to call on the experience of Hill and Gendebien and added them the Gurney/Daigh car. Although the fans were not happy, this was a team event and Ferrari wanted to win. Then Moss was disqualified for illegal refuelling.[9][10]
With the better drivers now driving the no.7, Hill passed Behra for the lead and the car held on to first place until the flag dropped. After 12 hours of racing, the Scuderia Ferrari of Gurney, Daigh, Hill and Gendebien won ahead of their team-mates Behra and Allison. Car number 7, took an impressive victory, completing 188 laps, covering 977.6 miles after 12 hours of racing, averaging a speed of 81.181mph. Second place went to the second Ferrari, albeit one lap adrift. The podium was complete by works Porsche of von Trips and Bonnier who were four laps behind the winners.[11][12]
Official Classification
Class Winners are in Bold text.
Pos | No | Class | Driver | Entrant | Chassis | Laps | Reason Out | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st | 7 | S3.0 | ![]() ![]() |
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Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari 250 TR 59 | 12hr 02:31.8, 188 | |
2nd | 9 | S3.0 | ![]() |
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Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari 250 TR 59 | 187 | |
3rd | 31 | S2.0 | ![]() |
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Porsche Auto Co. | Porsche 718 RSK | 184 | |
4th | 34 | S1.5 | ![]() |
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Cyrus L. Fulton | Porsche 718 RSK | 182 | |
5th | 32 | S1.5 | ![]() |
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Porsche Auto Co. | Porsche 718 RSK | 181 | |
6th | 12 | S3.0 | ![]() |
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Edwin D. Martin | Ferrari 250 TR 58 | 174 | |
7th | 14 | S3.0 | ![]() ![]() |
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James Johnston | Ferrari 250 TR 58 | 174 | |
8th | 35 | S1.5 | ![]() |
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Precision Motors | Porsche 718 RSK | 173 | |
9th | 70 | GT3.5 | ![]() |
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Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari 250 GT California | 171 | |
10th | 37 | S1.5 | ![]() |
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Chester J. Flynn | Porsche 7118 RSK | 170 | |
11th | 33 | GT1.6 | ![]() |
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Porsche Auto Co. | Porsche 356A Carrera GT | 164 | |
12th | 3 | S3.0 | ![]() |
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B.S. Cunningham | Lister-Jaguar | 164 | |
13th | 19T | S2.0 | ![]() ![]() |
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North American Racing Team | Ferrari 500 TRC | 164 | |
14th | 25 | GT2.0 | ![]() ![]() |
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A.C. Cars, Ltd. | AC Ace | 164 | |
15th | 4 | S3.0 | ![]() ![]() |
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B.S. Cunningham | Lister-Jaguar | 164 | |
16th | 44 | GT1.3 | ![]() |
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Jake Kaplan | Alfa Romeo Giuletta Spider Veloce | 162 | |
17th | 59 | S750 | ![]() |
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Deutsch & Bonnet | DB-Panhard HBR4 | 162 | |
18th | 60 | S750 | ![]() ![]() |
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Alejandro de Tomaso | Osca S750 | 161 | |
19th | 48 | S1.1 | ![]() ![]() |
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Elva Engineering Co. | Elva-Climax Mk IV | 160 | |
20th | 15 | GT3.5 | ![]() |
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Auto Sport Club, Havana | Ferrari 250 GT LWB | 160 | |
21st | 45 | GT1.3 | ![]() ![]() |
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Team Lotus | Lotus Elite | 160 | |
22nd | 24 | GT2.0 | ![]() ![]() |
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A. C. Car Ltd | AC Ace | 159 | |
23rd | 49 | S1.1 | ![]() ![]() |
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Elva Engineering Co. | Elva-Climax Mk IV | 158 | |
24th | 23T | GT2.0 | ![]() |
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A. C. Car Ltd | AC Ace | 158 | |
25th | 26 | GT2.0 | ![]() ![]() |
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S. H. Arnolt | Arnolt Boldie | 155 | |
26th | 22 | GT2.0 | ![]() |
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Fergus Motors (Morgan M.) | Morgan Plus 4 | 155 | |
27th | 28 | GT1.6 | ![]() |
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Hambro Auto Corp. | MG A Twin Cam | 155 | |
28th | 64 | GT750 | ![]() ![]() |
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Roosevelt Auto Co. Inc. | Fiat-Abarth 750 Record Monza | 152 | |
29th | 62 | GT750 | ![]() |
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Roosevelt Auto Co. Inc. | Fiat-Abarth 750 Record Monza | 150 | |
30th | 65 | GT750 | ![]() |
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George F. Schrafft | Fiat-Abarth 750 Record Monza | 149 | |
31st | 54 | GT1.0 | ![]() |
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Hambro Auto Corp. | Austin-Healey Sebring Sprite | 149 | |
32nd | 63 | GT750 | ![]() |
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Roosevelt Auto Co. Inc. | Fiat-Abarth 750 Record Monza | 147 | |
33rd | 40 | S1.5 | ![]() |
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Charles Moran, Jr. | Lotus-Climax Eleven | 145 | |
34th | 29 | GT1.6 | ![]() |
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Hambro Auto Corp. | MG A Twin Cam | 145 | |
35th | 51 | GT1.3 | ![]() |
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Harry C. Blanchard | Lancia Appia Zagato | 144 | |
36th | 53 | GT1.0 | ![]() |
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Hambro Auto Corp. | Austin-Healey Sebring Sprite | 142 | |
37th | 58 | S750 | ![]() |
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Deutsch & Bonnet | DB-Panhard HBR4 | 141 | |
38th | 55 | GT1.0 | ![]() ![]() |
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Hambro Auto Corp. | Austin-Healey Sebring Sprite | 141 | |
39th | 43 | GT1.3 | ![]() ![]() |
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Louis Comito | Alfa Romeo Giuletta Veloce | 140 | |
40th | 52 | GT1.3 | ![]() ![]() |
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Charles Kreisler | Lancia Appia Zagato | 140 | |
41st | 18 | S2.0 | ![]() |
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Carroll Shelby Sports Cars | Maserati 250S | 138 | |
42nd | 42 | GT1.3 | ![]() ![]() |
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Robert Grossman | Alfa Romeo Giuletta Veloce | 134 | |
DNF | 10 | S3.0 | ![]() |
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North American Racing Team | Ferrari 250 TR 58 | 130 | Collision |
DNF | 21 | GT2.0 | ![]() ![]() |
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Standard Triumph Motor Co. | Triumph TR3 | 128 | Valve |
NC | 80 | GT1.0 | ![]() |
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Turner Sports Cars, Ltd. | Turner 750 Sport | 128 | |
DNF | 27 | S2.0 | ![]() |
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Autosport, Ltd. | Lotus-Climax 15 | 126 | Electrics |
NC | 47 | S1.1 | ![]() ![]() |
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Team Lotus | Lotus-Climax Eleven | 123 | |
NC | 30 | GT1.6 | ![]() ![]() |
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Hambro Auto Corp. | MG A Twin Cam | 121 | |
DNF | 38 | S1.5 | ![]() ![]() |
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Automobile OSCA | Osca S1500 | 115 | Wet ignition |
NC | 16 | GT3.5 | ![]() ![]() |
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RRR Enterprises | Ferrari 250 GT LWB | 110 | |
NC | 56 | S1.1 | Ricardo Rodríguez | ![]() |
Automobile OSCA | Osca S950 | 106 | |
DISQ | 2 | S3.0 | ![]() |
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The Lister Corp. | Lister-Jaguar | 98 | Illegal refuelling |
NC | 20 | GT2.0 | ![]() ![]() |
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Standard Triumph Motor Co. | Triumph TR3 | 98 | |
DNF | 66 | S750 | ![]() |
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Sandy MacArthur | Stanguelliin S750 Bialbero | 97 | Accident |
DNF | 57 | GT1.0 | ![]() |
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Deutsch & Bonnet | DB-Panhard HBR4 | 82 | Engine |
DNF | 61 | S750 | ![]() |
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Automobile OSCA | Osca S750 | 82 | Electrics |
DNF | 8 | S3.0 | ![]() |
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Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari 250 TR 59 | 77 | Differential |
DNF | 11 | S3.0 | ![]() |
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Mexican National Auto Club | Ferrari 250 TR 58 | 66 | Engine |
DNF | 46 | GT1.3 | ![]() |
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Team Lotus | Lotus Elite | 65 | Engine |
DNF | 36 | S1.5 | ![]() ![]() |
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Count von Döry | Porsche 718 RSK | 34 | Camshaft |
DNF | 50 | S1.1 | ![]() ![]() |
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M.R.J. Wyllie | Elva-Climax Mk. IV | 34 | Suspension |
DNF | 1 | S3.0 | ![]() |
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David Brown-Aston Martin | Aston Martin DBR1/300 | 32 | Gear lever |
DNF | 41 | GT1.3 | ![]() ![]() |
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Fred T. van Beuren | Alfa Romeo Giuletta Veloce | 31 | Accident |
DNF | 39 | S1.5 | ![]() |
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Los Amigos | Cooper-Climax Monaco T49 | 20 | Oil loss |
DNF | 17 | GT3.5 | ![]() ![]() |
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Joe Sheppard-David Schiff | Aston Martin DB2/4 | 11 | Piston |
DNS | 5 | S3.0 | ![]() ![]() |
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Rallye Motors | Maserati 300S | Fatal accident (Lawrence) | |
DNS | 19 | S3.0 | ![]() |
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North American Racing Team | Ferrari 250 TR | ||
DNS | 23 | GT2.0 | ![]() ![]() |
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A. C. Car Ltd | AC Ace | practiced only (Road accident) | |
- Fastest Lap: Jean Behra, 3:21.6secs (92.857 mph) [15][16]
Class Winners
Class | Winners | ||
---|---|---|---|
Sports 3000 – Class D | 7 | Ferrari 250 TR 59 | Gurney / Daigh / Hill / Gendebien |
Sports 2000 – Class E | 31 | Porsche 718 RSK | von Trips / Bonnier |
Sports 1500 – Class F | 34 | Porsche 718 RSK | Holbert / Sessiar |
Sports 1100 – Class G | 48 | Elva-Climax Mk IV | Baptista / Wallace / Tweedale |
Sports 750 – Class H | 59 | D.B.-Panhard HBR4 | Laureau / Armagnac |
Grand Touring 3500 – Class 9 | 70 | Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder | Hively / Ginther |
Grand Touring 2000 – Class 7 | 25 | AC Ace | Burns / Jackson-Moore / Cook |
Grand Touring 1600 – Class 6 | 33 | Porsche 356A Carrera GT | von Hanstein / de Beaufort |
Grand Touring 1300 – Class 5 | 44 | Alfa Romeo Giuletta Spider Veloce | Kaplan / Rainville |
Grand Touring 1000 – Class 4 | 54 | Austin-Healey Sebring Sprite | Stiles / Sutherland |
Grand Touring 750 – Class 3 | 64 | Fiat-Abarth 750 Record Monza | Rutan / Cuomo / Richards |
Standings after the race
Pos | Championship | Points |
---|---|---|
1 | ![]() |
8 |
2 | ![]() |
4 |
- Note: Only the top five positions are included in this set of standings.
Championship points were awarded for the first six places in each race in the order of 8-6-4-3-2-1. Manufacturers were only awarded points for their highest finishing car with no points awarded for positions filled by additional cars. Only the best 3 results out of the 5 races could be retained by each manufacturer. Points earned but not counted towards the championship totals are listed within brackets in the above table.
References
- http://www.racingsportscars.com/entry/Sebring-1959-03-21.html
- http://www.racingsportscars.com/entry/Sebring-1959-03-21.html
- http://www.racingsportscars.com/entry/Sebring-1959-03-21.html
- http://www.conceptcarz.com/article/article.aspx?articleID=3548
- http://www.ferrariexperts.com/SCCA%20results%201959.html#seb%5B%5D
- http://www.conceptcarz.com/articles/article.aspx?articleID=3548
- http://www.ferrariexperts.com/SCCA%20results%201959.html#seb%5B%5D
- http://www.teamdan.com/archive/wsc/1959/1959seb.html%5B%5D
- http://www.ferrariexperts.com/SCCA%20results%201959.html#seb%5B%5D
- http://www.conceptcarz.com/articles/article.aspx?articleID=3548
- http://www.teamdan.com/archive/wsc/1959/59seb.html
- http://www.conceptcarz.com/articles/article.aspx?articleID=3548
- http://www.teamdan.com/archive/wsc/1959/59seb.html
- http://www.racingsportscars.com/results/Sebring-1959-03-21.html
- http://www.teamdan.com/archive/wsc/1959/59seb.html
- http://www.racingsportscars.com/race/Sebring-1959-03-21.html
- http://www.racingsportscars.com/race/Sebring-1959-03-21.html
Further reading
- Alec Ulmann. The Sebring Story. Chilton Book Company. ASIN B0006CUAP2.
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