Sebring Pre-Race Notebook

Photo: John Dagys

***Ryan Hunter-Reay was quickest in warmup in the No. 90 Visit Florida Racing Corvette DP. Hunter Reay recorded a quick time of 1:54.067. Renger van der Zande (PC), Lucas Luhr (GTLM) and Bryan Sellers (GTD) led their respective classes. Thirty nine of the 49 cars set time.

***A red flag halted the session for the No. 21 Konrad Motorsport Lamborghini Huracan GT3, which caught fire with Christopher Zoechling at the wheel. It’s unlikely the car will make it for the start of the race.

***Weather continues to be a major talking point, with forecasts currently calling for thunderstorms, wind and potential hail beginning around 1 p.m. ET. IMSA will make every effort to run to the full-distance of the race, should there be a need for a red flag.

***The Prototype Challenge class pole-sitting No. 54 CORE autosport Oreca FLM09 will start from the rear of the prototype field after electing to switch starting drivers from Colin Braun to Jon Bennett.

***The No. 6 Stevenson Motorsports Audi R8 LMS had a gearbox change overnight. Brad Kettler, of Audi Sport customer racing USA told Sportscar365 that the other Audi gearboxes were inspected and they did not find the same issue that prevented the No. 6 car from qualifying on Friday.

***Lamborghini Squadra Corse’s Chris Ward, meanwhile, said all of the Huracan GT3 gearboxes were also inspected without any issues either. The Lamborghini Huracan GT3 and Audi R8 LMS share the same drivetrain.

***Despite popular belief that it would switch to a turbo, Porsche’s new 2017-spec 911 GTE car is believed to again be a normally aspirated engine. The German manufacturer has yet to reveal technical details of the new car but it’s understood to feature a revised engine and gearbox placement for better weight balance, and already has been running.

***Testing for the F Performance Lexus RC F GT3 is expected to begin next month at Sebring. Scott Pruett told Sportscar365 that the Gentilozzi-run team is still waiting on parts for the GT3-based contender, which will initially utilize a 2015 chassis but with upgrades. An all-new car will debut in 2017.

***Be sure to check out Andy Blackmore’s official Spotter Guide for the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, featuring all 49 starters for today’s second round of the Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup.

***Watch flag-to-flag coverage of today’s race between the FOX family of networks and IMSA.com. The race will be on from 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m. on FOX Sports 1, 12-7 p.m. on FOX Sports 2, 7-10 p.m. on IMSA.com and 10-11 p.m. FOX Sports 2. Full radio coverage for the duration of the race will be provided on IMSA Radio.

***Unlike previous races, the race broadcast will be available only on FOX Sports Go for U.S. viewers, outside of the 7-10 p.m. time slot that will be unrestricted on IMSA.com. The IMSA App will continue to provide in-car and IMSA Radio coverage for all. FOX Sports Go will only require FS1 authentication this weekend.

Ryan Myrehn contributed to this report

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