My Trip: 12 Hours of Sebring
03-23-2012, 08:31 AM
#1
My Trip: 12 Hours of Sebring
I'll start with the pics of our trip on the way there...
1122miles from Texarkana, AR to Sebring International Raceway, FL
Just getting started...
No stereo... because racecar. She drove the first half of the trip. Notice the "In-Dash Navigation Powered By Google Maps". AKA the route directions I printed off.
It was a clear, beautiful day the whole trip.
The Atchafalaya Basin Bridge. At 18.2 miles, it is the fourteenth longest bridge in the world by total length.
The Atchafalaya Basin Bridge.
The Atchafalaya Basin Bridge.
The Atchafalaya Basin Bridge.
The Atchafalaya Basin Bridge.
For a good time call.....
Nearing "Nawlins"...
West side of Lake Pontchartrain headed for NOLA
I-10 Twin Span Bridge east of NOLA. This bridge was severely damaged by Katrina. Driving through NOLA was pretty interesting. Still a good chunk of houses damaged. There was basically a whole neighborhood that looked abandoned and overgrown. Didn't look too old or rundown of houses either.
New state! Never been here before.
Ingall's Shipyard. Building ships for the Navy. Kinda cool, I guess.
Bama. Another state I'd never been to.
Tunnel in Mobile... I like tunnels. This one had a lot of traffic leading up to it and through it, so we weren't able to do the usual WOT shenanigans.
USS Alabama
At this point, I took over the driving... so no more pictures from the drive there. At this point, it was 6pm EST and we had been on the road for about 8 hours. We crossed into Florida and it gave us both a sort of "Yay, Florida... not much further now." And then I remembered... we've still got about 500 more miles to go.
Ended up getting there around 3am EST. 17 hours total on the road. Traffic was a real killer on the interstates... and then both of the US highways (Texarkana to Shreveport and Orlando to Sebring) were big time killers, especially the Orlando to Sebring one. Once there, we parked in the overflow parking, threw some comforters around the back of the GTI, and passed out. We had the best alarm clock ever though... race cars starting up in the paddock. 
1122miles from Texarkana, AR to Sebring International Raceway, FL
Just getting started...
No stereo... because racecar. She drove the first half of the trip. Notice the "In-Dash Navigation Powered By Google Maps". AKA the route directions I printed off.
It was a clear, beautiful day the whole trip.
The Atchafalaya Basin Bridge. At 18.2 miles, it is the fourteenth longest bridge in the world by total length.
The Atchafalaya Basin Bridge.
The Atchafalaya Basin Bridge.
The Atchafalaya Basin Bridge.
The Atchafalaya Basin Bridge.
For a good time call.....
Nearing "Nawlins"...
West side of Lake Pontchartrain headed for NOLA
I-10 Twin Span Bridge east of NOLA. This bridge was severely damaged by Katrina. Driving through NOLA was pretty interesting. Still a good chunk of houses damaged. There was basically a whole neighborhood that looked abandoned and overgrown. Didn't look too old or rundown of houses either.
New state! Never been here before.
Ingall's Shipyard. Building ships for the Navy. Kinda cool, I guess.
Bama. Another state I'd never been to.
Tunnel in Mobile... I like tunnels. This one had a lot of traffic leading up to it and through it, so we weren't able to do the usual WOT shenanigans.
USS Alabama
At this point, I took over the driving... so no more pictures from the drive there. At this point, it was 6pm EST and we had been on the road for about 8 hours. We crossed into Florida and it gave us both a sort of "Yay, Florida... not much further now." And then I remembered... we've still got about 500 more miles to go.
Ended up getting there around 3am EST. 17 hours total on the road. Traffic was a real killer on the interstates... and then both of the US highways (Texarkana to Shreveport and Orlando to Sebring) were big time killers, especially the Orlando to Sebring one. Once there, we parked in the overflow parking, threw some comforters around the back of the GTI, and passed out. We had the best alarm clock ever though... race cars starting up in the paddock.
Last edited by USMCFieldMP; 03-23-2012 at 08:42 AM.
03-23-2012, 04:42 PM
#3
As I said previously, the sound of racecars starting up was a very enjoyable alarm clock. We got dressed and headed on over right as they were starting their morning warm up laps.
After that, we decided to do some walking around and see what was around the track. Lambo LP700-4
Old winners in the track museum.
They had a bunch of classic cars that did a couple of parade laps before hand.
After that, we decided to do some walking around and see what was around the track. Lambo LP700-4
Old winners in the track museum.
They had a bunch of classic cars that did a couple of parade laps before hand.
03-23-2012, 05:09 PM
#9
Trouble early on. He came to the paddocks about 5 minutes into the race. From what I could tell, the alt died... and let's just say it didn't look like it was very easy to change on these cars.
The racecar version of one of my favorite cars. Love it.
03-23-2012, 05:43 PM
#16
At this point, we went and ate something and then went back to the car for something, I don't remember what... but the sun was going down, so I left the camera behind. I kind of regret it, but it allowed me to concentrate on the night racing, which was by FAR the best part of the day. Fireballs on deceleration, fireballs on acceleration, glowing red exhaust tips, glowing red rotors... a few of my favorite things. The race had quite the dramatic finish on the GT side. I was pulling for the Ferrari, but the BMW stayed ahead. They're off to another great start this year.
From pit lane after the race was over.
03-23-2012, 05:48 PM
#17
Here are the videos. Nothing spectacular, really.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kinIj7j5hSI
Turn 6 - 12 Hours of Sebring - YouTube
Turns 3, 4, and 5 - 12 Hours of Sebring - YouTube
Dempsey Racing's Prototype Challenge car - 12 Hours of Sebring - YouTube
Front Straight and Turn 17 (Sunset Bend) - 12 Hours of Sebring - YouTube
Turn 6 - 12 Hours of Sebring - YouTube
Turn 7 (Hairpin) - 12 Hours of Sebring - YouTube
Turns 7 and 8 - 12 Hours of Sebring - YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kinIj7j5hSI
Turn 6 - 12 Hours of Sebring - YouTube
Turns 3, 4, and 5 - 12 Hours of Sebring - YouTube
Dempsey Racing's Prototype Challenge car - 12 Hours of Sebring - YouTube
Front Straight and Turn 17 (Sunset Bend) - 12 Hours of Sebring - YouTube
Turn 6 - 12 Hours of Sebring - YouTube
Turn 7 (Hairpin) - 12 Hours of Sebring - YouTube
Turns 7 and 8 - 12 Hours of Sebring - YouTube
03-23-2012, 05:53 PM
#18
Turns 7 and 8 - 12 Hours of Sebring - YouTube
This is right after a restart from yellow. I love how bunched up they were. I didn't capture the Audi's in this one, because I thought I was running out of room on my memory stick, so I wanted to make it quick... and they were already about 5 seconds ahead.
Turns 7 and 8 - 12 Hours of Sebring - YouTube
This is a lap or two after the previous restart from yellow. It gives you a good view of how silent the Audi R18 TDI's are and how quickly they could gain a lead.
Turn 9 - 12 Hours of Sebring - YouTube
This video is really shaky. You've been warned.
Turns 9 and 10 - 12 Hours of Sebring - YouTube
Turns 10 and 11 - 12 Hours of Sebring - YouTube
Here's another video that gives you a sense of how quickly those Audi R18's could gain a lead. This shows 1 lap after a restart to green after caution. By they time they get to me, they already have a good 5 second lead over the rest of the pack. Damn quick cars.
Front Straightaway - 12 Hours of Sebring - YouTube
This is of a restart to green... you can't see much, but this was one of my favorite parts... standing in the walkway over the track. I wish they didn't have the sides covered up with signs, but oh well. The video doesn't capture the best parts: the in-person sound, the rumble in you chest, and the whole walkway swaying/bouncing/etc.
Walkway Over The Track - 12 Hours of Sebring - YouTube
This is right after a restart from yellow. I love how bunched up they were. I didn't capture the Audi's in this one, because I thought I was running out of room on my memory stick, so I wanted to make it quick... and they were already about 5 seconds ahead.
Turns 7 and 8 - 12 Hours of Sebring - YouTube
This is a lap or two after the previous restart from yellow. It gives you a good view of how silent the Audi R18 TDI's are and how quickly they could gain a lead.
Turn 9 - 12 Hours of Sebring - YouTube
This video is really shaky. You've been warned.
Turns 9 and 10 - 12 Hours of Sebring - YouTube
Turns 10 and 11 - 12 Hours of Sebring - YouTube
Here's another video that gives you a sense of how quickly those Audi R18's could gain a lead. This shows 1 lap after a restart to green after caution. By they time they get to me, they already have a good 5 second lead over the rest of the pack. Damn quick cars.
Front Straightaway - 12 Hours of Sebring - YouTube
This is of a restart to green... you can't see much, but this was one of my favorite parts... standing in the walkway over the track. I wish they didn't have the sides covered up with signs, but oh well. The video doesn't capture the best parts: the in-person sound, the rumble in you chest, and the whole walkway swaying/bouncing/etc.
Walkway Over The Track - 12 Hours of Sebring - YouTube
03-23-2012, 06:22 PM
#19
The drive home was somewhat uneventful. Getting from Sebring to the interstate took FOREVER. There wasn't an overwhelming amount of traffic, but it wasn't smooth cruising... and it seemed like we hit every damn red light. Once on the interstate, things went alright. We ran out of gas on the interstate. 100 yards from the off-ramp. We got REALLY lucky though, because what the gauge showed indicated to me that we still had about 2 gallons... and I was gonna keep on trucking. So that was a first. She wanted to see a beach, so we made a stop at Pensacola Beach (ugh, traffic). After that, I let her do most of the driving while I passed out in the passenger seat. She made a few wrong turns and I grouchily yelled a little. I think we made it home right around 4am CST. Another 17 hours of driving, with an hour of dicking around at beaches, eating, and walking to a gas station, haha.
This shows how much dirt and such got on the car while at the Track... its all from the parking area though, not from the racing.
We ran out of gas on the interstate. 100 yards from the off-ramp. We got REALLY lucky though, because what the gauge showed indicated to me that we still had about 2 gallons... and I was gonna keep on trucking. So that was a first. She wanted to see a beach, so we made a stop at Pensacola Beach (ugh, traffic). After that, I let her do most of the driving while I passed out in the passenger seat. She made a few wrong turns and I grouchily yelled a little. I think we made it home right around 4am CST. Another 17 hours of driving, with an hour of dicking around at beaches, eating, and walking to a gas station, haha.This shows how much dirt and such got on the car while at the Track... its all from the parking area though, not from the racing.
03-26-2012, 06:30 PM
#20
It was a blast. I've been to a Nascar race before (never again though, so boring in comparison) and quite a few Grand-Am series races at Mid-Ohio. This was my first ALMS race and my first endurance race. I'd like to see the 24 Hours of Daytona and the Petit Le Mans, as well... but they both fall on weekends that I work, this year. Maybe next year.
03-26-2012, 06:57 PM
#21
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It was a blast. I've been to a Nascar race before (never again though, so boring in comparison) and quite a few Grand-Am series races at Mid-Ohio. This was my first ALMS race and my first endurance race. I'd like to see the 24 Hours of Daytona and the Petit Le Mans, as well... but they both fall on weekends that I work, this year. Maybe next year.
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