Sixth Running of Classic Sebring 12 Hour, Pistons and Props, presented by the Alan Jay Automotive Network, December 1 - 5, at Sebring International Raceway
Full Weekend Also Features Season-Ending HSR Sebring Historics to Determine 2021 WeatherTech Sprint, Stoner Car Care Global GT, Sasco Sports International/American Challenge and B.R.M. Endurance Challenge Champions
The Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) Classic Sebring 12 Hour, Pistons and Props, makes a high-speed return on the track and in the air next week when Sebring International Raceway's illustrious sports car racing history and patriotic aviation heritage will be honored for the sixth time, December 1 - 5, at HSR's season-ending event.
Officially titled the HSR Classic Sebring 12 Hour, Pistons and Props, presented by the Alan Jay Automotive Network, the five-day celebration features historic and vintage sports car racing and a Friday “fly-in” and weekend display of equally awe-inspiring military and civilian aircraft from the last half century and World War II era.
The HSR Classic Sebring honors the legendary 12 Hours of Sebring sports car race and the facility's rich aviation history. Hendricks Field was a World War II era civil and military air field on which the famous 12-hour sports car race has been run for nearly 70 years.
The aviation component of the 2020 HSR Classic Sebring 12 Hour was not held due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the planes and their pilots are back this year with some truly priceless treasures flying in to join the event for the first time.
Several four-wheel competitors also arrive in Sebring set to add more race wins to already successful 2021 HSR campaigns.
A battle to watch will be in Run Group B where avid racer and Ford Motor Company CEO Jim Farley is a favorite to end a run of three-straight HSR Classic Sebring victories by Gray Gregory and his 1974 No. 26 Chevron B26 prepared by Phil Reilly and Co.
Farley competes in his RM Motorsports-prepared 1978 No. 198 Lola T298 (pictured at top), which is appropriately powered by a Ford Cosworth engine similar to the powerplant in Gregory's Chevron. Farley drove the Lola to an HSR WeatherTech Sprint race victory last April at the HSR Mitty at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. He also picked up an HSR B.R.M. Endurance Challenge overall win in the Lola at Road Atlanta in 2018.
A must-see airplane scheduled to debut at the HSR Classic Sebring is the pristine 1938 Lockheed 12A Junior of David Marco. This Lockheed 12 was originally purchased by Phillips 66 as a corporate aircraft and is one of only eight still flying today.
Another debuting airplane is the 1941 Stearman Roger Brown has owned since 1990 and flown extensively throughout the United States, visiting all 48 contiguous States. Brown's Stearman, which carries tail number NC33NA, is one of nearly 10,000 built for the U.S. Military by Boeing during World War II. It was used in war years training Air Force cadets and was sold as surplus after the war, spending the next two decades as a crop duster in Oregon.
The major on-track part of the HSR Classic Sebring is the 12 Hours of Sebring tribute race that takes place Saturday and Sunday. It begins with a symbolic 12 hours of non-stop competition Saturday before all four competing Run Groups contest a final round of races Sunday morning to bring the Classic Sebring 12 Hour to a finish.
The race weekend also features the HSR Sebring Historics that will determine the 2021 Champions of the full-season WeatherTech Sprint, Stoner Car Care Global GT, Sasco Sports International/American Challenge and B.R.M. Endurance Challenge series.
The Sebring Historics has attracted a strong entry of Stock Car competitors in Group 8. The lineup includes veteran HSR competitor Jack Finch who is looking for his second-straight HSR victory after driving his 2002 No. 22 Dodge Charger to a WeatherTech Sprint victory in October's Fall Historics at Road Atlanta.
The victory earned Finch the Historic Stock Car More Driven by Goodyear bonus, which awards four Goodyear D4920 vintage stock radials to the winners of select HSR Group 8 races.
Yet another high-flying gem set for its Sebring debut is the glistening 1951 Cessna 195A piloted by Frank Gallagher. Cessna N1032D has a basic and worn blue trim that perfectly complements the polished aluminum of the rest of the airframe. Maintaining the amazing shine is a true labor of love, including an annual polish requiring about 45 hours and continuous washes and touchups throughout the year.
