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One thing Sebring has always had in the plus column is Florida’s winter weather, which has spawned many days of preseason testing and practice for a wide variety of cars, manufacturers and series.
During the course of a year, the track is also visited by SCCA club racers, the Sportscar Vintage Racing Ass’n and Trans-Am. There’s a Historic Sportscar Racing series event, a Ferrari Challenge North America race and a visit by the National Auto Sport Ass’n.
The schedule also includes Porsche Club of America races, non-competitive track days for practicing, autocrosses, racing schools, and Bike Sebring, which offers either 12- or 24-hour bicycle races.
Drag racing was even added to the schedule in recent years. These races are held on select Thursday nights. Drivers must be at least 18 and have a valid driver’s license. Cars must be street legal, equipped with proper seat belts and free of any unsecured items inside the vehicle. Motorcycles are also allowed.
“Over the past three-and-a half years, our team experimented with a lot of different events: motorsports, music and things that are neither,” Estes explained. “Expect to see more event experimentation.”
The facility has also undergone a facelift.
“We cleaned up the look of the front of the facility, practically rebuilt everything in the pit structure, added new lighting all over the property, replaced a long-outdated Green Park restroom with a new restroom/shower facility, created dump stations in three parts of the property, installed new signs that transform the logistics, and replaced most of the trackside debris fences and tire barriers to improve competitor safety,” Estes said.
“Leading the way is the new Gateway To Green Park bridge that radically changes options for the Green Park faithful. For almost the entire life of the track, obstacles stood between Green Park and the rest of the facility. With this new bridge, the traffic light goes away, cars can travel in both directions at the same time, pedestrians will be able to cross the track at turn five without walking all the way to turn seven, and we will open Green Park to spectators for events other than the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.
“And for competitors, the new bridge opens runoff areas under the bridge that simply did not exist before.”
One challenge fans still experience is finding a decent and reasonably priced hotel room close to the track. Thanks to the late Dr. Don Panoz, the founder of the now-defunct American Le Mans Series and a former Sebring Int’l promoter, there’s the Seven — Sebring Raceway Hotel located trackside. It offers 123 rooms, a restaurant and an outdoor pool if you’re lucky enough to be able to afford it during the track’s biggest events. `
Camping is the choice for many attending events at Sebring. For the 12-hour race, camping is included as part of the ticket price, but fans must purchase a vehicle pass whether it’s for a car, a camper/RV or a towed-in camper. There are no electrical or water hookups, and it’s highly recommended trackside camping spaces be reserved in advance.
Some of the most colorful fans in all of sports can be found at Sebring. There’s a group of men who dress up as monks and another group who don dairy cow costumes. There are always interesting trucks cruising to the different viewing mounds around the track.
One thing not to be missed for the 12-hour race is its souvenir program, which is an always-excellent publication spearheaded by the track’s long-time communications director and historian, Ken Breslauer.
What’s next for Sebring?
“Certainly, there is interest in IndyCar and NASCAR, but such an event must make sense for all parties,” Estes explained. “NASCAR already runs three Cup events at two venues in Florida and IndyCar’s St. Pete Grand Prix is less than a two-hour drive from here. Those events make a Sebring conversation difficult to start with either organization. However, I never say never when it comes to the future.
“We continue to redevelop Sebring Int’l Raceway to make it more attractive to all guests, present and future: fans, racers, sponsors, car clubs, driving schools, media, concert promoters and sanctioning bodies. All of our improvements these past three years make Sebring a more valuable property for all partners, creating a venue worthy of myriad opportunities.
“During its first two or three decades of existence, Sebring Int’l Raceway was the most important, iconic, historic road racing facility in the Western Hemisphere,” Estes noted. “Its history cannot be denied. It is up to the current Sebring team to restore its place of importance, not just in sports car racing, but in all of the world’s motorsports. The WEC’s return to its own birthplace indicates things are moving in the right direction.”
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