SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (March 15, 2016)- Seven weeks after their nail-biting victory at The Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona, Magnus Racing will head to this weekend’s 64th Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in pursuit of yet another victory. Serving as the second round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship as well as Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Championship, the team is as prepared as ever for the historic event.
“We obviously have a lot of momentum coming in to this event, and the team is well prepared,” stated team owner and co-driver John Potter. “After Daytona, Sebring is of course the other huge historical event to conquer, and we’ve already had that feeling once. We’re all eager to repeat, and while we certainly savored our moment at Daytona, everyone’s been very focused on this weekend. Based on testing we believe we have a pretty solid package, prepared team, and the exact same lineup that won in 2014, so we’re quietly pretty confident. It’s been great to have a few weeks off, but we’re definitely excited to get back to racing.”
In addition to their two victories at Daytona, Magnus Racing also comes to Sebring as a prior winner, having taken a shock victory in 2014 when a combination of speed and strategy would get them to the front for the closing laps. Having spent the team’s entire history with another manufacturer prior to 2016, this will also mark the team’s first visit with the formidable No. 44 Audi Tire Center Audi R8 LMS.
Serving as an airbase during WWII, the long and bumpy surface makes for one of the most unique visits on the calendar, with many features of the 3.74-mile course remaining unchanged in the track’s 64-year history. With the bumps and surface changes creating what is arguably the toughest challenge on both driver and equipment throughout the season, the team has actually used the course for pre-season testing as well as during the series’ annual open test, meaning they’ll arrive on the week with plenty of experience to draw from despite making their Audi debut.
Joining full-season drivers John Potter and Andy Lally will be Marco Seefried, who made his debut with Magnus Racing at this very event in 2014, in which they won. With the the trio now running their third time together at Sebring, the team’s stability should serve as a major strength.
“It’s great to return to Magnus Racing once again,” stated Seefried. “Obviously the team’s results speak for themselves, we’ve now shared two victories and five podiums together, so I’d say we all work well as a group. Sebring is such a special track, unlike anything in the world, and I think we have a good opportunity to do well. Our tests were all positive, but of course you never know what to expect, so I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
Finally, Andy Lally looks forward to the pursuit of his second victory at the famed event.
“There is no event in the world like Sebring, it’s unlike anything in the world,” stated Lally. “The guys at Magnus have not slowed down since Daytona, and we’re hoping this will show well for us at Sebring. There’s no reason to think we can’t do really well here, but it’s an incredibly tight field. During last month’s test it was clear there are going to be a number of good cars, so it will be interesting to see how it all unfolds.”
Official practice for the event takes place this Thursday, March 17, with the race beginning at 10:40AM on Saturday, March 19 and ending 12 hours later. Broadcast coverage within the US will run as follows:
10:30AM ET: Fox Sports 1
12:00PM ET: Fox Sports 2
7:00PM ET: IMSA.com
10:00PM ET: Fox Sports 2