Start: #1 Audi Sport Team Joest Audi R18 e-tron quattro: Marcel Fässler, Benoit Tréluyer, Oliver Jar
Eric Gilbert
SEBRING, Fla. (March 16, 2013) – Audi Sport Team Joest’s pair of Audi R18 e-tron quattros were the class of the field through the first two hours of the 61st Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida.
The No. 1 Audi held the lead at the two-hour mark with Marcel Fassler at the wheel ahead of Allan McNish, who was just behind in the No. 2. The pair of German prototypes was a lap ahead of Neel Jani in the No. 12 Rebellion Racing Lola B12/60-Toyota.
Tom Kimber-Smith led in P2 driving the No. 41 Greaves Motorsport Zytek Z11SN-Nissan ahead of David Brabham in the No. 01 HPD ARX-03b and IndyCar champion Ryan Hunter-Reay in the No. 552 Level 5 Motorsports HPD ARX-03b.
In GT, the No. 4 Corvette Racing Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZR1 in the hands of Oliver Gavin led the way ahead of Marc Goossens in the No. 91 SRT Motorsports SRT Viper GTS-R and the No. 56 BMW Team RLL BMW Z4 GTE with two-time defending 12 Hours of Sebring GT winner Joey Hand doing the driving.
Bruno Junqueira led the Prototype Challenge (PC) presented by Continental Tire field in the No. 9 RSR Racing ORECA FLM09, with Cooper MacNeil leading the way in GT Challenge (GTC) aboard the No. 22 Alex Job Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.
The first full-course caution period of the race came out just before the two-hour mark when Andy Meyrick pulled the No. 0 DeltaWing Racing Cars DeltaWing LM12/Elan off course with engine troubles.
Other notable teams encountering problems in the first two hours included the No. 6 Muscle Milk Pickett Racing HPD ARX-03c in the P1 class, the No. 97 Aston Martin Vantage V8 and the No. 3 Corvette Racing Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZR1 in GT, and the No. 27 Dempsey Del Piero Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup in GTC.
Mechanical problems precipitated lengthy stints behind the wall for the Aston Martin and Corvette, while the No. 6 prototype was slowed due to a lost wheel. After leading in class early on, the No. 27 Porsche served two penalties for speeding on pit lane, dropping it to the rear of the GTC field and off the lead lap.
ALMS
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