#31: Whelen Engineering Racing, Cadillac DPi, GTP: Pipo Derani, Alexander Sims, Jack Aitken takes the green flag at the start of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. Richard Dole
The first hour of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring has come and gone, and the field is tight as ever.
Ricky Taylor in the #10 Wayne Taylor Racing Acura machine threw everything but the kitchen sink at GTP Pole sitter and Pipo Derani in the #31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac in the first hour but Derani held firm and maintained the lead until the pit cycle.
Behind the both of them, Sebastian Bourdais was waiting in the wings poised to strike in his #01 factory Cadillac and with 10 minutes left in the hour, he made it stick and reclaimed the P2 that he lost in the first corner.
In LMP2, yesterday’s LMGTE class winner Ben Keating had been holding the class lead against a tightly following Francios Heriau in the #35 TDS Racing machine.
Near the sharp end of the hour, Heriau made the move stick, but Keating got it back, and leads LMP2 into the second hour
LMP3 drew out the only yellow of the race so far on the first lap with a terrifying incident involving the #33 Sean Creech Motorsport entry with Lance Willsey on the sticks.
Willsey was turned around at the back of the Prototype start and sat helpless and backwards on the exit of T1 as the whole GT field passed around him at speed and miraculously left unscathed with only a damaged headlight.
Antiono Garcia leads GTD Pro in the #3 Corvette he put on pole and Kyle Marcelli leads GTD with his #93 Acura.
Keyword: IMSA field remains tight as the first hour at Sebring comes to a close