The Sebring circuit down in Florida is a favorite of mine. Not just because it hosts the famed 12 hour sports car endurance race every spring, but because it’s an incredibly unique venue. In today’s buttoned-up and professional sports car racing world, it’s nice to see an old-world military base airstrip track still in use. It’s bumpy and there’s very little elevation change. Even still, Sebring is difficult to master and uniquely fun to race. It’s also reasonably warm enough to race on when the rest of the country is in the grips of winter. For these reasons and others, Sebring plays host to cars that raced “in period” during HSR’s Sebring vintage event every December.
This onboard video from Todd Treffert’s Porsche 911 RSR is an incredible look at how tough this track is to master. You can see him driving his vintage rear-engine beast like a man possessed, eyes clouded in red mist, chasing down a couple large displacement Shelby-built Ford Mustangs in this 60s/70s battle of David and the Goliath. He seems to have qualified quite high up in the pack, but is swallowed up by the big engine Fords in the first couple of corners. The small displacement Porsche doesn’t have the off-corner grunt to run with the 5-liter beasts, but when it comes to braking and cornering Todd gains back almost everything he loses. It’s a great thrust and parry battle that I’d love to see a whole lot more of. These guys aren’t holding back.
As a motorsport fanatic and a self-appointed automotive historian, vintage racing events rank among my favorite destinations every year. My personal favorite is the Monterey Motorsport Reunion every August at Laguna Seca, but don’t forget that Porsche is running their own this year in the Rennsport Reunion VI at that same track. If you’re interested in cars from days gone by, go check out a vintage race event. I’ve been to HSR events in the past, and they’re always a hoot.