International Motor Sports Association's (IMSA) president John Doonan confirmed the race was part of the schedule for the 2022 IMSA SportsCar Championship (IMSA SCC) in August 2021. It was the ninth consecutive year it was part of the IMSA SCC, and 70th 12 Hours of Sebring.[1] The 12 Hours of Sebring was the second of twelve scheduled sports car endurance races of 2022 by IMSA, and the second of four races of the Michelin Endurance Cup (MEC).[2] It was held at the 17-turn, 3.741-mile (6.021 km) Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Florida on March 19, 2022.[3]
On March 9, 2022, IMSA released the latest technical bulletin outlining Balance of Performance for the event.[7] Changes were made from the BoP tables most recently established at the 2021 season-ending Petit Le Mans, as the 24 Hours of Daytona featured its own unique BoP tables.[8] No changes were made across the three prototype classes, while several changes were made in GTD and GTD Pro. The Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 was given a 20 kilogram weight reduction as well as turbo boost tweaks, while the new BMW M4 GT3 and Chevrolet Corvette C8.R (in GTD trim) were given 5 and 20 kilogram weight reductions respectively following the 24 Hours of Daytona. The McLaren 720S GT3 received a slight turbo boost reduction, while the Lexus RC F GT3 received a minor horsepower increase. The Mercedes-AMG GT3 received a 10 kilogram weight reduction. On Friday morning, the Corvette received a mid-event adjustment, gaining 20 additional horsepower and a fuel capacity increase of 4 liters.[9]
GTD Pro saw the introduction of Racers Edge Motorsports and their Acura NSX GT3 Evo22,[17] while WeatherTech Racing returned with their No. 97 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo following a planned one-off at the 24 Hours of Daytona.[18]Aaron Telitz also replaced Texas-bound Kyle Kirkwood in the No. 12 Lexus, while Scott Andrews filled Telitz's seat in the No. 14.[19] The absence of KCMG's Porsche, the #4 Corvette, and WeatherTech Racing's No. 15 Mercedes saw the entry list fall to 11.
17 cars were listed in GTD, five fewer than the field that contested the 24 Hours of Daytona. Paul Miller Racing made their 2022 debut,[20] while entries from Team TGM, TR3 Racing, GMG Racing, T3 Motorsport, SunEnergy1 Racing, and Northwest AMR were dropped.
Practice
There were four practice sessions preceding the start of the race on Saturday, 3 on Thursday and one on Friday. The first two session 90 minute sessions were on Thursday morning and afternoon. The third held later that evening ran for 90 minutes while the fourth session on Friday lasted 15 minutes.[21]
Qualifying
Friday's morning qualifying was broken into three sessions, with one session for the DPi and LMP2, LMP3, GTD Pro and GTD classes, which lasted for 15 minutes each, and a ten minute interval between the sessions.[21] The rules dictated that all teams nominated a driver to qualify their cars, with the Pro-Am (LMP2/LMP3/GTD) classes requiring a Bronze/Silver Rated Driver to qualify the car. The competitors' fastest lap times determined the starting order. IMSA then arranged the grid to put DPis ahead of the LMP2, LMP3, GTD Pro, and GTD cars.[22]
Qualifying results
Pole positions in each class are indicated in bold and by ‡.
^The no. 11 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports entry was moved to the rear of the LMP2 classification due to a technical infraction.
^The no. 57 Winward Racing entry was moved to the rear of the GTD classification after the car failed to meet the minimum ride height after qualifying.
^The no. 44 Magnus Racing entry had its two fastest laps invalidated for causing a red flag during the qualifying session.
^The no. 99 Team Hardpoint entry was moved to the rear of the GTD classification after undergoing a chassis change following qualifying.
Race
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Start and early hours
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Afternoon
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Sunset to finish
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Post-race
Vauiter, Westbrook, and Duval's second place finish allowed them to take the lead of the DPi Drivers' Championship with 676 points while Blomqvist and Jarvis dropped from first to third. Bamber and Lynn advanced from sixth to fourth.[25] Since it was the season's first points paying race, Keating, Huffaker, and Jensen led the LMP2 Drivers' Championship with 385 points.[25] Since it was the season's first points paying race, Barbosa, Willsey, and Jakobsen led the LMP3 Drivers' Championship with 374 points.[25] The final results of GTD Pro kept Campbell, Jaminet, and Nasr atop the Drivers' Championship while race winners Antonio García, Jordan Taylor, and Nicky Catsburg advanced from sixth to second. Bortolotti, Caldarelli, and Mapelli jumped from twelfth to fourth.[25] McAleer and Skeen's second place finish allowed them to take the lead of the GTD Drivers' Championship with 672 points while Hardwick, Heylen, and Robichon dropped to third. Pérez Companc, Mann, and Vilander advanced from fourth to second.[25] Cadillac and Ferrari took the lead in their respective Manufacturers' Championships while Porsche continued to top the GTD Pro Manufacturers' Championship.[25] Pfaff Motorsports continued to top the GTD Pro Teams' Championship, while JDC-Miller MotorSports and Gilbert Korthoff Motorsports took the lead in their respective Teams' Championships. PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports and Sean Creech Motorsport ecame the leaders of their respective class Teams' Championships with ten rounds remaining.[25]
^Lloyd, Daniel (February 28, 2022). "Jr III Racing Signs IPC Champion Dickerson for Sebring". sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. Retrieved March 14, 2022. Sebring marks the first WeatherTech Championship appearance of Jr III Racing, which skipped the Rolex 24 at Daytona since that race didn't pay out full-season LMP3 points.