Five Ferrari 296 GT3s at 12 Hours of Sebring

Ferrari looks to build on its winning momentum from the Daytona 24 Hours in Saturday’s 12 Hours of Sebring, Round 2 of the IMSA SportsCar Championship. The Ferrari 296 GT3 opened its second year of GT3 competition by winning the GTD Pro category and placing 2-3-4 in GTD in the Daytona 24.

Sebring is also the second round of the IMSA Endurance Cup, with all five Ferrari teams planning on running the five race sub-series. Competition continues with the races at Watkins Glen, Indianapolis and Road Atlanta. Sebring points will be awarded following four, eight and 12 hours on a 5-4-3-2 basis.

GTD Pro. Risi Competizione captured top honors in GTD Pro in the No. 62 Ferrari 296 GT3. Daytona winners Davide Rigon, James Calado and Daniel Serra were joined by Alessandro Pier Guidi on an all-Ferrari factory driver lineup. Now, the Houston-based team is shifting its preparation for the second Florida enduro, in a race at an old airport circuit which many feel is even tougher than Daytona’s twice-around-the-clock grind; Risi Competizione crew consists of Rigon, Serra and Calado.

GTD. Four Ferraris are entered in the class, which features crews composed of professionals and gentlemen drivers. AF Corse took second at Daytona in the No. 21 Ferrari 296 GT3 for factory driver Miguel Molina, who will be rejoined at Sebring by Simon Mann and François Heriau.

Taking third at Daytona was Conquest Racing, kicking off a full-season IMSA effort for Albert Costa with Manny Franco and Cédric Sbirrazzuoli.

Triarsi Competizione – located in Orlando – will be looking for a home-course advantage for the No. 023 Ferrari 296 GT3, that placed fourth at Daytona with factory driver Alessio Rovera joining Onofrio Triarsi and Charlie Scardina.

Cetilar Racing brings the same blue livery as the 2022 Sebring-winning No. 47 Ferrari, having held the GTD lead at Daytona several times before losing 10 laps on a quick trip to the paddock shortly after dawn that resulted in an 10th-place finish. Factory driver Antonio Fuoco will rejoin Roberto Lacorte and Giorgio Sernagiotto in a bid to repeat their Sebring glory from two years ago.

The standings. The Daytona showing sees Risi Competizione tied for the Endurance Cup lead in GTD Pro with 15 points – a solid four points ahead of third – while Triarsi Competizione is fourth in GTD with 11 points, trailing the co-leaders by only two points. AF Corse is tied for fifth with 10 points, one counter ahead of Cetilar Racing and Conquest Racing.

The programme. The Sebring schedule opens with three practice sessions on Thursday. Qualifying for the GTD classes begins at 12:20 p.m. Friday (all times ET), with the race beginning Saturday at 9:40 a.m. Live flag-to-flag streaming on Peacock begins at 9:30 a.m., with USA televising the race from 4-10 p.m. (all times are local).