All 4 Corvettes suffer mishaps before an all-time crowd at Sebring on March 14, 2025
The Pratt & Miller # 3 & # 4 Z06 GT3.R Corvettes turned up in a special Mobil1 look for the 73rd running of the Sebring 12-hour race. They were not the fastest but each had a chance, starting from the third row (5th & 6th) among the 31 cars vying to win the GTD PRO and GTD classes.
Today’s cars are built incredibly tough to go flat out for 12 hours over the rough 3.74-mile circuit that is known to inflict damage.
Slim odds but that is exactly what zapped Alexander Sims when the right rear suspension in the # 3 car broke in the final 90 minutes. The repair took 2 laps to fix and wiped out a chance to make the podium. Teamed with Antonio Garcia and Danny Juncadilla, the car finished 7th out of 11 cars in GTD PRO.
The odds were even slimmer for the IMSA-mandated scrutineering data logger to conk out but that is exactly what zapped Nico Varrone in the # 4 car. He, Tommy Milner and Nicky Catsburg ran as high as second for nine hours.
That weird mishap took 3 laps to fix and dropped the car to 9th at the end.
Back in more primitive times, Jim Jeffords, John Kilborn and Dale Duncan piloted their # 3 1957 fuelie to 2nd in class at Sebring 68 years ago on March 23, 1957. The # 4 sister car piloted by Dick Thompson and Gaston Andre was 1st in class.
The AWA team from Canada entered a brand-new car, chassis 017 to replace chassis 006, the astonishing Daytona GTD winner now retired for posterity at the behest of the Fidani family.
A collision on a re-start damaged the right side and another hit and subsequent repairs set them back to 10th at the finish.
The DXDT team has not disclosed the nature of a mechanical failure late in the race that dropped the # 36 car of Charlie Eastwood, Alec Udell and Salih Yoluc to finish 8th after running as high as 4th in GTD.
The # 77 T-Rexy AO Racing team Porsche 911 GT3.R (992) was fastest all weekend and won the GTD PRO class; and same for the # 57 Winward Racing team Mercedes AMG GT3 that won the GTD class
The # 13 and # 36 GTD Corvettes hope to do better when IMSA joins the big INDY Car weekend over the streets of Long Beach on April 11.
Photo credits: Richard Prince, AWA, DXDT, BarcBoys
6 historic Corvettes ran in sprint races the preceding week at Sebring in the HSR Classic 12 under the IMSA umbrella.
Bill Treffert # 24 raced his all-out prepared 1960 Corvette and won his class in group 2.
Bob Lima # 33, Cord Kisthardt # 69 and Woody Smith # 7 were 3rd, 7th and last in class for C3 sharks in group 5. Bob also joined the elite crowd in Brian Redman’s Targa 66 a week earlier at Homestead International Speedway.
Henry Gilbert # 73 C6 Callaway GT3.R suffered suspension and clutch problems and did not finish either day among a large entry in group 10.
Wally Owens # 09 C7 Corvette DPi
Historic photos thanks to Larry VanScoy and John Avery.
