Muscle Milk Out Front in Second Hour

Photo: John Dagys

Muscle Milk Pickett Racing leads the way with two hours now in the books in the 62nd Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.

A quick pit stop and driver change for the No. 6 Oreca 03 Nissan put Klaus Graf out ahead of Max Angelelli’s Wayne Taylor Racing Corvette DP by eight seconds.

The pole-sitting No. 5 Action Express Racing Corvette DP, which led through the majority of the hour, fell back to third following a slow pit stop late in the second hour.

Racing resumed midway through the second hour following a 59-minute full-course caution period for the No. 33 Riley Motorsports Viper GT3-R, which suffered a fire.

Driver Ben Keating climbed from the car uninjured but the new GT3-based entry nearly burnt to the ground as fire crews fought the blaze.

“I looked in my rearview mirror and it was like Back to the Future,” Keating said. “I saw the two streaks of flames coming out of the back of the car in the camera before there was any smoke.

“So I got on the radio and said, ‘guys I’m on fire. I’m getting out.’ I hit the fire button, hopped out…  There was no flames or smoke inside the car when I got out. No smoke inhalation, no burns, no issues other than a melted car.”

The lengthy caution reshuffled the running order and fuel strategy, which saw the No. 0 DeltaWing DWC13 restart as the leader prior to Andy Meyrick making his first stop.

GTLM is currently paced by the No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari F458 Italia of Gianmaria Bruni, ahead of the No. 912 Porsche North America entry in second.

The No. 3 Corvette C7.R dropped one lap behind at the end of the opening hour when Antonio Garcia was sandwiched between a BMW Z4 GT3 and Nick Tandy’s Team Falken Tire Porsche 911 RSR, resulting in a nose, brake duct and engine floor change for the Corvette.

PC is now led by the pole-sitting No. 09 RSR Racing Oreca FLM09 of Duncan Ende, which retook the top spot following the recent round of pit stop. 

The No. 46 Fall-Line Motorsports Audi R8 LMS of Christopher Mies, yet to make its second stop of the race, paces the GTD class.

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John