Entry list for the 2023 Twelve Hours of Sebring Ken Roczen wins Indianapolis Supercross; Cooper Webb takes points lead
The Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring has 54 cars entered for the 71st edition of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season.
All five classes will compete in an endurance race on March 18 at Sebring International Raceway.
Eight LMDh entrants are represented in the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class, eight in the Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2), 10 in the Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3), eight in the GT Daytona Pro and 20 in the GT Daytona.
LIST OF INPUTS: Who will be running the 2023 Twelve Hours of Sebring?
The 3.74-mile, 17-turn, 12-hour race in central Florida starts at 10:10 am on Saturday, March 17th. Peacock will broadcast the race from flag to flag starting at 10:00 am, with the last six hours also being shown on the US network.
Sebring will see the debut of the premier GTP IMSA class for hybrid prototypes on Saturday. Last year, the number 02 Cadillac Racing VR won the top DPi class in the Twelve Hours of Sebring.
This Chip Ganassi Racing entrant (with drivers Earl Bamber, Richard Westbrook and Alex Lynn) will compete Friday, March 17th in Sebring in the hypercar category for the season opener of the World Endurance Championship. 1000 miles of Sebring 37 cars will be presented (including 11 in the top division). Porsche Penske Motorsport will enter a pair of Porsche 963 hybrids in the WEC and IMSA races in Sebring.
Other Twelve Hours of Sebring Defense Class Winners:
LMP2: Ben Keating/Mikkel Jensen/Scott Huffaker, no. 52 PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports ORECA LMP2 07
LMP3: Joao Barbosa/Malte Jacobsen/Lance Wilsey, No. 33 Sean Creech Motorsport Ligier JS P320
GTD PROLine: Antonio Garcia / Jordan Taylor / Nicky Catsburg, No. 3 Corvette Racing Chevrolet Corvette C8.R GTD
GTD: Roberto Lacorte, Giorgio Sernagiotto/Antonio Fuoco, No. 47 Cetilar Racing Ferrari 488 GT3
The 2023 IMSA season opened with a second consecutive victory for the No. 60 Acura ARX-06 from Meyer Shank Racing at the Rolex 24 at Daytona.
On March 8, the team was fined for manipulating Rolex 24 tire pressure data, but they were allowed to keep the win.
Click here for a list of Twelve Hours of Sebring 2023 participants.
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Ken Roczen retained his composure, losing 3 seconds to heavy traffic late in round 9 in Indianapolis holding off Justin Barcia’s determined attack to win his first Monster Energy Supercross since he first took the checkers in the 2022 opening round in Anaheim. Riders lined up to congratulate Roczen as he bowed to his bike.
“It’s OG, punk rock style from the past,” Roczen told NBC Sports’ Will Christien as he wielded the kickstarter of his Suzuki, which is the only bike in the field that doesn’t use an electric starter. “It was such an amazing race. I can’t even speak right now. I had to poke around to the end. The track was brutal and Justin was on.
“I got a little screwed up by the lappers, but I just kept saying, ‘One more lap, one more lap,’ and we did it.”
In a dramatic turn of events, the points lead changed hands, with Eli Tomac struggling most of the night and Chase Sexton crashing trying to get past Roczen for the lead. Cooper Webb was the only one of the three contenders to finish on the podium, but even with his strong move, the position remained in doubt until the very end. It took a last lap from Christian Craig on the Tomac to make a difference.
RESULTS: How they finished the 450 Main in Indianapolis
After a terrible start, Tomac bogged down in the pack for most of the race, exiting Turn 1 in 14th. He moved up to seventh place until he was stuck behind a fallen Dean Wilson with off time. This miss cost him a championship point, thanks to which he now occupies second place in the standings. This is the first time in 2023 that the red plaque has changed hands.
“I have to look at the big picture; Chase made a mistake right in front of my eyes,” Webb said from the podium. “I drove very hard. I was nervous. I haven’t been like this in a long time, but this track was very brutal and it was risk versus reward. I knew I was standing in front of the guys I was supposed to be.”
Barcia caught Roczen in a tight stream that included the incredible Sexton who had the most podium finishes this race. Halfway through the race at Indianapolis, Sexton crashed while challenging Roczen for the lead. On a deep rutted track, Sexton’s footpegs got stuck and prevented him from recovering from the jump. He fell from second to 12th, allowing Tomac to move up to seventh.
As soon as Barcia cleared the traffic, he attacked Roczen but failed to gain the advantage.
“Wow, that was a race,” Barcia told Daniel Blair. “Kenny skated amazingly. Charged through the pack. The track was brutal and it kept me on my toes. My tank is empty now.”
Aaron Plessinger finished fourth, while Jason Anderson rounded out the top five.
Adam Cianciarulo returned to racing after missing two races. He finished third in his heat after winning winner Justin Barcia; Cooper Webb fell at the end.
The track was already badly damaged on the 250 Main. Hunter Lawrence moved up to eighth and was seven and a half seconds ahead of second. This is Lawrence’s fourth win of the season. His other result in 2023 was third place, meaning he had a nearly perfect season.
Lawrence was perfect for the night, taking a 1.4 second win over Nate Thrasher after posting the fastest qualifying lap and earning a major holeshot.
“We’re working so hard these days,” Lawrence told NBC Sports’ Daniel Blair. “I want to dedicate this to a young Australian rider who recently died, Briden Erbacher. This is for you, buddy.
Click here to see the full 250 top results.
Finishing second, Thrasher was on a mission. A week after he was sent to the ground due to contact with Lawrence on the first lap at Dayton, he had a chip on his shoulder. It took a few laps to get into second place in his heat, but the red flag and subsequent restart closed the gap. Thrasher supported Lawrence’s honesty for a while, but gradually lost ground during the heat wave.
“I’m not off to a good start,” Thrasher told Will Christien. “Hunter was a little better tonight. He rode amazingly; I just have to be a little better.”
Thrasher moved up to third in points after finishing second and 10 behind Max Anstey.
Jordon Smith finished third on the podium this season.
“We work to win and when we get out of this gate, nothing matters, especially on those nights when we feel good, and this was one of those nights,” Smith said. “I felt good all day and felt like I had the speed to win.”
Hayden Deegan crashed out of fifth place, timed out when he was overtaken by the transverse rut. He fell to seventh in checkers a week after taking his first podium.
The Heat 2 red flag was commended for the crash involving Larry Reyes. He was taken to a local hospital for examination.
Results of the race in 2023
Daytona: Eli Tomac extends Daytona record with seventh win
Arlington: Cooper Webb wins second time as he closes in on two Tomacs
Oakland: Tomac equals Ricky Carmichael with 48 wins
Tampa: Webb scores first win of 2023
Houston: Tomac recovers from A2 crash to win third race of 2023
Anaheim 2: Triple Crown Produces New Winners Chase Sexton, Levi Kitchen
San Diego: Tomac and Jett Lawrence double down
Anaheim 1: Tomac wins first game for the first time
More Supercross Coverage
How to watch Supercross in Indianapolis
Power rating after Daytona
Adam Cianciarulo returns to Indy
Jordan Jarvis blazes new trails in Supercross
Hayden Deegan runway, family business
Title 24 podcast premieres
Max Anstey: Don’t Skip Steps
Results and points after Daytona
Eli Tomac extended the record by winning the seventh Daytona
Last year’s Indy: Eli Tomac wins, extends points lead
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Source: motorsports.nbcsports.com
