1000 Miles of Sebring

The 1,000 Miles of Sebring is a sports car race that is held at the Sebring International Raceway, on the site of the former Hendricks Army Airfield World War II Air Base, in Sebring, Florida, United States. It was created for the FIA World Endurance Championship, and was held for the first time on 15 March 2019 as the sixth round of the 2018–19 FIA World Endurance Championship.

1,000 Miles of Sebring
FIA World Endurance Championship
VenueSebring International Raceway
First race2019
First FIA WEC race2019
Last race2023
Distance1,002.32 mi (1,613.078 km)
Laps268
Duration8 Hour time limit
Most wins (driver)9 drivers tied (1)
Most wins (team)Toyota Gazoo Racing (2)
Most wins (manufacturer)Toyota (2)
Not to be confused with 12 Hours of Sebring, which is a 12-hour famous endurance race held at the same circuit.

Race History

The FIA/ACO announced a provisional schedule on 1 September 2017 that shifted the FIA World Endurance Championship calendar from a spring to autumn layout with the 24 Hours of Le Mans marque event held in the middle of the championship, and include two runnings of Le Mans. This "super season" of eight races spanned more than a year instead of the usual eight months. The shift allowed the following 2019–20 season to return to a shorter length by starting in the autumn and concluding at Le Mans in the summer. The Provisional Calendar saw a raft of changes, with several races dropped, but included a return to Sebring for the first time since 2012.[1] In the provisional calendar issued, the race was originally planned to be run as a second 12-hour race after the IMSA Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring on the same weekend, and would start at midnight after the conclusion of the IMSA 12 hours.[2] On 21 September 2017, the race became known as the 1,500 Miles of Sebring, to avoid confusion between the 2 events, at the FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting in Paris.[3] On 4 April 2018, it was announced that the race would become shortened to 1,000 Miles or 268 laps, have a time limit of 8 Hours, and would take place on 15 March instead, prior to the start of the 12 Hours of Sebring, rather than after the race. A new pit lane, on Ullman Straight before the finishing turn, would also be built for the race.[4]

The second race, originally scheduled for 20 March 2020, was cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. On 11 March, minutes after Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert returned a positive coronavirus test, causing the NBA to cancel the Utah Jazz at Oklahoma City Thunder match, the United States Department of State announced a suspension of travel by non-US citizens from Europe to the United States. Many of the drivers and team personnel were in Europe, and thus would be unable to travel to the United States for the race. The next day, the WEC announced the cancellation of the race.[5] The 2020 race was also planned to include a time change in the schedule. Previously, the race had run from 4 p.m. to midnight, with the short duration between the 1,000 Mile race and 12 Hour race causing challenges for track and support personnel as well as drivers competing in both races. The change, which had the 1,000 Mile race scheduled from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m., ensured a 15-hour break between the WEC race and the 12 Hours of Sebring the following day.[6] The race was again not held in 2021 as European restrictions were still in effect.

Winners
Year Drivers Team Car Tyre Time Laps Distance Championship Report Ref
2019 Switzerland Sébastien Buemi
Spain Fernando Alonso
Japan Kazuki Nakajima		 Japan Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota TS050 Hybrid M 8:00:38.186 253 946.23 miles (1522.807 km) FIA World Endurance Championship Report [7]
2020 Race cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic [5]
2021 Race cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic [8]
2022 Brazil André Negrão
France Nicolas Lapierre
France Matthieu Vaxivière		 France Alpine Elf Team Alpine A480 M 7:15:37.293 194 725.56 miles (1167.67 km) FIA World Endurance Championship Report [9]
2023 United Kingdom Mike Conway
Japan Kamui Kobayashi
Argentina José María López		 Japan Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota GR010 Hybrid M 8:00:19.877 239 893.24 miles (1437.53 km) FIA World Endurance Championship Report [10]

References List
  1. "FIA WEC Shifts To Winter Calendar For 2018/19 – dailysportscar.com". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
  2. Dagys, John. "WEC Reveals Shift to Winter Schedule; Sebring for 2019 – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
  3. Dagys, John. "1500 Miles of Sebring Confirmed – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
  4. Dagys, John. "Sebring WEC Race Moves to Friday in Revised 1,000-Mile Format – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
  5. Miller, Fiona. "Cancellation of the FIA WEC "Sebring 1000 Miles" race scheduled for March 20 – World Endurance Championship". fiawec.com. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  6. Dagys, John. "New Start Time for 1000 Miles of Sebring – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  7. "Sebring 1000 Miles 2019". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
    "World Endurance Championship 2019 1000 Miles of Sebring Classification". Motorsport Stats. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  8. Lloyd, Daniel (21 January 2021). "1000 Miles of Sebring Canceled; Portimao to Stage 2021 Opener". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  9. "2022 Sebring results - FIA World Endurance Championship". fiawec.alkamelsystems.com. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  10. "2023 Sebring results - FIA World Endurance Championship". fiawec.alkamelsystems.com. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
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