Sebring start times, TV schedule: The cars and stars of the world’s two biggest sports cars series return this week at venerable Sebring International Raceway.
The 71st running of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring will cap a week of jam-packed track activity at the road course in central Florida. Sebring will play host to the World Endurance Championship and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
The WEC season opener will be held Friday from noon to 8 p.m. ET with the FIA WEC 1,000 Miles of Sebring. The next day, Sebring will hold its annual 12-hour classic. The second round of the IMSA season will mark the track debut of the GTP premier category for hybrid prototypes.
The Rolex 24 at Daytona season opener was won for the second consecutive year by Meyer Shank Racing, which will enter Sebring after a massive penalty for manipulating its tire pressure information.
Last year, the No. 02 Cadillac Racing V.R won the premier DPi class in the Twelve Hours of Sebring. That Chip Ganassi Racing-fielded entry (with drivers Earl Bamber, Richard Westbrook and Alex Lynn) will be competing Friday in the hypercar category of the WEC opener -- the first of seven WEC rounds for the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R, including the 100th 24 Hours of Le Mans in June.
The team, which finished fourth in the 2023 Rolex 24 at Daytona, competed at Sebring last weekend in the Prologue, which featured four free practice sessions totaling more than 12 hours on the 3.741-mile, 17-turn track.
“It’s great to back at Sebring, where Cadillac has had a lot of success including our win last year,” Bamber said in a release. “Now we’re here with a different challenge with a new Cadillac V-Series.R and looking forward to it. The Prologue went well. We were at or near the top of the chart every session – doing long runs, learning the tires and getting in full race preparation mode because there are short practice sessions when we roll back out Wednesday and it’s right into the race. Brand new team in terms of we did Daytona but now this a WEC team with a European-based crew, so we’re all learning. Looking forward to the race.”
Said Westbrook: “It’s a whole new program, the WEC, and it feels like it. But what a start we’ve made and there is so much more to come. The whole team is just going to get stronger and stronger and I think everyone is excited. The Cadillac is really strong, but we knew that from Daytona, so we have a nice base to work with. There’s a lot to be positive about going into the race week.”
Here are the details for the 71st running of the IMSA Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring at Sebring International Raceway (all times are ET):
2023 IMSA Twelve Hours of Sebring at Sebring International Raceway
WHEN: Saturday, March 18, 10:10 a.m.
DISTANCE: A 12-hour race on the 17-turn, 3.74-mile course in Sebring, Florida.
FORECAST: According to Wunderground.com, it’s expected to be 72 degrees with a 67% chance of rain at the green flag.
ENTRY LIST: Click here to see the field for the 2023 Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring
PRACTICE: Session I l Session II l Session III l Session IV l Warmup
STARTING LINEUP: Click here for how the field will line up Saturday
RACE BROADCAST
TV: The Twelve Hours of Sebring will be streamed across the NBC Sports App, NBCSports.com and Peacock, which will have coverage of the event from flag to flag beginning at 10 a.m. on March 18. USA Network also will have coverage of the race from 4:30-10:30 p.m.
NBC Sports will have nine of its IMSA and IndyCar commentators, analysts and reporters on site at Sebring, including its lead IMSA commentating team of play-by-play voice Leigh Diffey with analysts Calvin Fish and Townsend Bell.
Kevin Lee, Dillon Welch, Hannah Newhouse, and Matt Yocum will serve as pit reporters. Brian Till (analyst) and Dave Burns (play-by-play) also will serve as commentators.
RADIO: All sessions live on IMSA.com and RadioLeMans.com; SiriusXM live race coverage begins March 18 at 9:45 a.m. (Sirius channel 216, XM 207, Web/App 992)
TWELVE HOURS OF SEBRING DAILY SCHEDULE, START TIMES
Here’s a rundown of everything happening this week at Sebring International Raceway (all times are ET):
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15
8:55-9:25 a.m. ET: Porsche Carrera Cup, Practice No. 1
9:40-10:40 a.m.: Michelin Pilot Challenge, Practice No. 1
10:55 a.m.-11:55 a.m.: FIA World Endurance Championship, Free Practice No. 1
12:10 p.m.-12:50 p.m.: Porsche Carrera Cup, Practice No. 2
1:05-2:05 p.m.: Michelin Pilot Challenge, Practice No. 2
3:05-3:35 p.m.: Porsche Carrera Cup, Qualifying
3:50-4:25 p.m.: Michelin Pilot Challenge, Qualifying
4:35-5:35 p.m.: FIA WEC, Free Practice No. 2
THURSDAY, MARCH 16
9:15-9:55 a.m.: Porsche Carrera Cup, Race No. 1
10:10-11:40 a.m.: IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Practice No. 1
11:55 a.m.-12:55 p.m.: FIA WEC, Free Practice No. 3
1:20-3:20 p.m.: Alan Jay 120 Michelin Pilot Challenge race
3:50-5:20 p.m.: IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Practice No. 2
5:35-6:15 p.m.: Porsche Carrera Cup, Race No. 2
6:30-7:35 p.m.: FIA WEC, Qualifying
7:45-9:15 p.m.: IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Practice No. 3
FRIDAY, MARCH 17
8:55-9:05 a.m.: IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Practice No. 4
9:15-10:25 a.m.: IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Qualifying
Noon-8 p.m.: FIA WEC 1000 Miles of Sebring
SATURDAY, MARCH 18
8-8:20 a.m.: IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, warmup
10:10 a.m.: IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, 70th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours Of Sebring
NBC SPORTS COVERAGE
‘What else?’ A lot of Chip Ganassi, whose racing teams are off to a strong start in 2023
Katherine Legge and Sheena Mank team up at Gradient Racing after fortuitous phone call
Viewer’s guide: What to watch in the debut of the GTP class for the 2023 season
Meyer Shank Racing wins second consecutive Rolex 24 at Daytona