Sebring, Florida · US
Built on a World War II airfield, Sebring hosts the legendary 12 Hours of Sebring. The 3.74-mile circuit is known for its bumpy concrete surface and punishing nature.
Sebring International Raceway is a permanent racing circuit, located in Sebring, Florida. Drivers cover 6.019 km (3.74 miles) and 17 corners each lap, run clockwise. Among its named corners are The Hairpin, Sunset Bend and The Concrete Jungle.
It opened in 1950. It appears on the WEC, GT and Road Course calendars.
The track is built on Hendricks Field, an Army Air Force base opened in 1942 to train B-17 crews and deactivated in 1946. Alec Ulmann, a Russian-born aeronautical engineer working in the surplus aircraft trade, came across the site and — after attending Le Mans in 1950 — saw that its concrete runways and taxiways could carry an endurance race.
The first event ran on 31 December 1950 as the Sam Collier Memorial Six Hours. The 12 Hours followed on 15 March 1952 and became the fixture the place is known for, growing into the most prestigious sports car race in America. The circuit still runs partly on original wartime concrete, and the joints between those slabs are why it punishes cars in a way modern asphalt tracks do not.
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