Sebring wide open into final quarter

The third quarter of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring ended under the race’s ninth caution after Fred Makowiecki in the No. 6 Porsche Penske Motorsports 963 made contact with the GTD-class No. 66 Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 while attempting to pass in Turn 17. The Acura made heavy contact the wall, sustaining heavy damage, but Legge walked away.

The primary drama during the third quarter of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Cadillac was the crash between Pipo Derani and Miguel Molina that took out both the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac Racing V-Series.R and the GTD-class No. 21 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3. While attempting to pass the Ferrari, Derani made contact that sent both cars off course, the Cadillac nosing hard into the tire wall and rolling over. After the safety crew righted the car, Derani walked away. He was checked at the care center and released.

That left a fight at the front between the No. 25 BMW M Team RLL M Hybrid V8 driven by Maxime Martin and the No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Acura ARX-06 with Brendon Hartley at the wheel. Hartley pushed the Acura into the lead, but smoke was trailing behind him. During the FCY, the team spent a long time working on the car and lost a lap.

That left Makowiecki in the lead even as the incident between him and Legge was being reviewed. Makowiecki was followed by Gianmaria Bruni in the No. 5 Proton Competition 963, but both of the lead Porsche’s were on different pit sequences than the rest of the field and stayed out when the rest pitted under yellow.The No. 7 PPM 963 was running third, the first car of the group on the same pit sequence.