SEBRING, Fla. — The Sebring Hall of Fame will induct five new members in 2022, including three two-time winners of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring — Jacky Ickx, Stefan Johansson and Andy Wallace — legendary journalist and sports car racing enthusiast Walter Cronkite and a famed racer and commentator David Hobbs.
The five legends will bring the number of Sebring Hall of Fame members to 66 and their induction will take place during pre-race ceremonies for the 70th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Advance Auto Parts on March 19.
North America’s oldest and most historic sports car endurance race is the second round of the International Motor Sports Ass’n WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
The first 12-hour class was held in March 1952 and the first race conducted at Sebring Int’l Raceway was a six-hour event on Dec. 31, 1950.
“We are honored to have such a stellar list of inductees for 2022,” stated Sebring Hall of Fame President John Shoop. “The four drivers being inducted represent nine wins and over 20 podium finishes in major events at Sebring. Walter Cronkite was an icon of American journalism and because of his involvement with racing at Sebring we are truly honored to have his name added to our prestigious Hall of Fame.”
Ickx, a six-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, won Sebring twice in five career starts. In 1969 he won with Jackie Oliver aboard a John Wyer prepared Ford GT40. His second Sebring win came in 1972, co-driving a Ferrari 312PB with Mario Andretti. Ickx also recorded eight Formula One wins, 37 major sports car victories, the 1979 Can-Am championship and victory in the 1983 Paris-Dakar Rally.
Johansson won Sebring twice and had two heart-breaking second place finishes. His victories came in 1984 driving a Porsche 935 with Hans Heyer and Mauricio DeNarvaez. In 1997, he won co-driving a Ferrari 333SP with Fermin Velez, Yannick Dalmas and Andy Evans. His career includes an overall win at Le Mans in 1997 and 12 podium finishes in Formula One.
Wallace has a record-10 overall podium finishes at Sebring. He won consecutive 12-hour races (1992, ’93) driving for Dan Gurney’s All American Racers Toyota team, both times co-driving with Juan Fangio II. Wallace also finished second five times and won the Fall 1998 IMSA race at Sebring co-driving with James Weaver in a Panoz GTR-1. Wallace earned a victory at Le Mans in 1988 driving for Jaguar and has three wins in the Rolex 24 At Daytona.
Hobbs had one of the most diverse and successful careers in motorsports, competing in sports cars, Indy cars, NASCAR and Formula One. Although he did not win the 12 Hours of Sebring, he won the 1969 Formula 5000 race at Sebring, and finished second the following year. Hobbs had eight career starts at Sebring, and 21 starts at Le Mans, earning two podium finishes and a class win. Hobbs is also a well-known motorsports commentator.
Cronkite was one of the most famous broadcast journalists in American history, best remembered for anchoring the CBS Evening News for 19 years. Cronkite was the official voice of the 12 Hours of Sebring which was broadcast nationwide on CBS radio during the 1950s. Cronkite also competed in the 1959 12 Hour classic, co-driving a Lancia to a fifth-place class finish. An avid sports car racing enthusiast, he was also an accomplished yachtsman.