17 March 2018
The opening thirty minutes of the 66th running of the 12 Hours of Sebring brought high drama for the four Ferraris in the field. Run under stunning blue skies and temperatures nearing 30 degrees Celsius, the 12 Hour race began as scheduled at 10:40AM.
GTLM. James Calado took the opening stint for Risi Competitizone in the No. 62 Ferrari GTE car. Starting in second position, the Ferrari was quickly shuffled back after light contact with one of the Corvettes. Critically, cooler heads prevailed at the start of a long day of racing.
GTD. Opening lap drama also affected the No. 51 Spirit of Race car when opening lap contact resulted in a left-rear puncture. Mathias Lauda was able to bring the car back around to pit lane, but no caution flag was called, and so the car went one lap down. Thankfully, there was no further damage, so a quick stop to replace the wheel was all that was required. Drama also struck the No. 64 car. A spinning prototype in the middle of the high speed Turn 17 managed to catch the Ferrari, driven by Frank Montecalvo in just the right way where the car was launched onto its roof and made hard contact with the outside tire barrier. A ten minute caution period was required to repair the damage and recover the stricken Ferrari. Thankfully, the No. 63 car has been able to run trouble-free in sixth position with Cooper MacNeil behind the wheel.