IMSA: No schedule changes planned for 12 Hours of Sebring

In a statement Wednesday afternoon, IMSA said it is monitoring the impact of the coronavirus outbreak but has made no changes to the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.

IMSA cited the “guidance and counsel” of the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control.

The sports car endurance classic will take place March 21 at Sebring International Raceway and will be broadcast on NBCSN, CNBC and the NBC Sports App.

The spread of COVID-19 had an impact on multiple motorsports series Wednesday.

NASCAR announced changes to its procedures this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway. MotoGP postponed its third consecutive event. Supercross canceled its March 28 event in Seattle.

The Twelve Hours of Sebring will be IMSA’s first race since the Rolex 24 at Daytona on Jan. 25-26.

It is part of the “Super Sebring” doubleheader weekend that also will feature a 1000 Miles of Sebring race in the World Endurance Championship series March 20.

Here’s the statement Wednesday from IMSA:

The International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) has been closely monitoring all available information related to the spread of the Novel Coronavirus COVID-19. IMSA’s priority is the health and safety of our fans, drivers, partners, employees, volunteers and everyone involved with our races.

Upon guidance and counsel from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO) plus federal, state and local health agencies and our medical experts, there are no planned schedule changes for next week’s SuperSebring event. IMSA, along with Sebring International Raceway, will continue to analyze and implement recommendations from these agencies and take precautionary operational steps to protect the health of all involved during the event.

We are asking fans, employees, competitors and partners to continue to follow best practice precautions as recommended by the CDC, such as frequent handwashing, use of hand sanitizer and covering coughs and sneezes appropriately.

We understand this situation is of great concern to everyone involved and we will communicate updates as necessary. We encourage you to keep informed of developments through official CDC (www.cdc.gov) and WHO (www.who.int) updates.

In a continuing effort to help fans keep track of the on track action, SuperMotocross is in the process of developing and implementing leader lights for the unified series.

Currently Supercross (SMX) utilizes stanchions in the infield that are triggered manually by a race official. At least two stanchions are used in each race as a way to draw the eye to the leader, which is especially useful in the tight confines of the stadium series when lapping often begins before the halfway mark in the 22-bike field. This system has been in place for the past two decades.

Later this year, a fully automated system will move to the bike itself to replace the old system. At that point, fans will be able to identify the leader regardless of where he is on track.

The leader lights were tested in the second Anaheim round this year. An example can be seen at the 1:45 mark in the video above on the No. 69 bike.

“What we don’t want to do is move too fast, where it’s confusing to people,” said Mike Muye, senior director of operations for Supercross and SMX in a press release. “We’ve really just focused on the leader at this point with the thought that maybe down the road we’ll introduce others.”

Scheduled to debut with the first SuperMotocross World Championship race at zMax Dragway, located just outside the Charlotte Motor Speedway, a 3D carbon fiber-printed LED light will be affixed to each motorcycle. Ten timing loops positioned around the track will trigger the lights of the leader, which will turn green.

SMX’s partner LiveTime Scoring helped develop and implement the system that has been tested in some form or fashion since 2019.

When the leader lights are successfully deployed, SuperMotocross will explore expanding the system to identify the second- and third-place riders. Depending on need and fan acceptance, more positions could be added.

SuperMotocross is exploring future enhancements, including allowing for live fan interaction with the lights and ways to use the lighting system during the race’s opening ceremony.

IMSA: No schedule changes planned for the 12 Hours of Sebring

SuperMotocross set to introduce Leader Lights beginning with the World Championship finals

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