Two Ford GTs will start p1-2 in GTLM at the 12 Hours of Sebring at Sebring International Raceway Saturday.
Ryan Briscoe earned Ford Chip Ganassi Racing’s second-consecutive pole award with a 1:55.939 lap around the storied former World War II bombing base, dueling with a fellow Ford GT, the Rolex 24 At Daytona polesitting No. 66 Ford GT and driver Dirk Müller. It was Briscoe’s second-career pole for Ford Chip Ganassi Racing.
“The car was really fast in practice all weekend,” said Briscoe, who earned his first career pole in Ford GT at Circuit of the Americas last year. “The Ford GT and all the guys and girls at Ford Chip Ganassi Racing have just really been working hard. (Today the car) was the best it’s been all weekend, which should make tomorrow even more interesting for us. I don’t think it will be as cold tomorrow night as it was this morning so our setup should play out just fine. It might tighten up just a little bit, but not much. I can’t wait to get started tomorrow.”
Müller turned in a 1:56.175 for p2, while Stefan Mücke clocked a 1:56.441 for p6 in a third Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Ford GT.
“What a fantastic day for Ford Chip Ganassi Racing with a one-two qualifying effort here at Sebring,” Müller said. “We didn’t really know where the track was going to go this morning, but with the sun out this afternoon it really picked up. The car is just great. We decided to just go for it right away and get a fast lap in when the track was clear. I’m really happy with the strategy we used because we had the front row covered with myself and Briscoe going out later on in the session.”
The 12 Hours of Sebring is the second in both the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season and Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup (TPNAEC). Ford and Ford Chip Ganassi Racing lead the IMSA WeatherTech manufacturers,’ team and driver points standings after one round. They trail by two points in the TPNAEC standings, a stand-alone ranking that features North America’s most prestigious endurance races.
The race is the final stop on the quest to sweep three of the world’s most legendary endurance sports car events within nine months, including the Rolex 24 and the Le Mans 24 GTE Pro win in June 2016.
“We made a big step forward for today, so that was good,” Mücke said. “We missed the testing sessions earlier this year, so I think we’ve made good progress for the short time we have. P6 isn’t ideal. We worked mainly on balance for the race and we’re looking forward to the race now.
“It’s a 12-hour race, so our main focus really wasn’t just to get a good car for qualifying, but to make the car good to drive for the 12 hours. Also, the spread of temperature will be quite high, quite hot in the daytime and quite cold in the nighttime, so we tried to make a setup which will be good for the end of the race. I hope that will be the case.”
Ford has a special history at the 12 Hours of Sebring. Drivers who have won there in previous iterations of the Ford GT include: Ken Miles (1965-66); Bruce McLaren (1965 and ’67); Lloyd Ruby (1966); and Mario Andretti (1967). Fifty years ago, McLaren and Andretti won the title in the first race that averaged more than 100 mph.