derBayerische July/August 2023 - 25

T H E
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S E B R I N G
As the first hours of the race passed by, we saw the normal consolidation
of positions and the development of a rhythm with the track and competitors.
Most important in endurance races is the need to remain on the
lead lap. There are ways to overcome the loss of a lap, with full course cautions
and IMSA's wave-byes. Staying on the lead lap is the priority.
At the second hour, all the BMWs were showing competitive speed and had
moved forward in their respective classes. At the third hour, the #24 M
Hybrid V8 was doing well in second place with the #25 was running in
fourth. In GTD, the #1 Paul Miller Racing had moved up to second place
in class. About at this point, I heard Brian Sellers speaking on the radio
about the difficulty he was having with the M4 GT3 under braking while
entering corners with the rear brakes locking. He was suggesting that they
try adjusting the front sway bar just a bit to compensate. Sellers wanted to
trail brake but was having problems with the rear. He was clearly trying to
tune the car in the race when they were well positioned. It was my first
experience listening in on the team radio and it might show a strength of
the Paul Miller team. He was trying to make the car easier to drive fast.
At about the six-hour mark, the #24 BMW M Hybrid V8 developed
" technical difficulties " and had to retire. The press releases from BMW
Motorsport didn't provide any further details. The #1 M4 GT3 continued to
hold second place in class. The #1 was not the fastest car in its class, but
it was running well. As we moved along the hours, at least the BMWs
weren't far off the pace and they were in good positions. Passing the ninehour
mark, the #25 M Hybrid V8 GTP was again running well in second
place. The #95 Turner car with Bill Auberlen had begun to move up to 5th
in class in GTD Pro with the #1 positioned 3rd in GTD. Also, in GTD, the
#96 with Robby Foley was in ninth and just hanging on to the lead lap.
After running very well, an unscheduled brake change dropped the #25 M
Hybrid V8 off the lead lap and into 5th place. This looked like it could be
the final result, but Sebring had a surprise towards the very end of the race.
With just a few laps remaining, Albuquerque in the #10 Acura attempted a
pass of the Jaminet #6 Porsche. The time of day was approaching ten PM,
so it was fully dark on the track. Daytona is well equipped with lights, but
Sebring is not, and it is very dark around most of the track. The Acura
attempted to pass the Porsche on the outside (where Jaminet probably
couldn't see him), and he got pushed off track into the guard rail. Glancing
off the guardrail, he returned on the track taking the #7 Porsche of Felipe
Nasr out of the race! Both Porsches got entangled in the chaos and the top
three placed cars were immediately out of the race. Thankfully, in all the
chaos, all the drivers were unhurt.
This left the race for the #31 Cadillac to win with the #25 BMW
M Hybrid V8 in second. So, it was a first podium for the BMW. The car
showed real speed turning the second fastest lap of the race just behind the
#01 Cadillac. Had they not lost time with the unscheduled brake change,
they might have won the race outright. In GTD the #1 Paul Miller Racing
M4 GT3 had led the class for a while, and they would hold that position to
the end. During the safety car period at the end, the #96 Turner BMW M4
GT3 ended up in second place in class. So, we had a BMW one-two in
GTD. What a fantastic result!
I'd like to thank Doug Verner for traveling again to Sebring and being
so accommodating to my photographic wandering. This year we were
accompanied by Tom Lappin, Steve Maguire and Dwayne Moseley.
We shared a golf cart so we could rapidly move around Sebring's 3.74 mile
track length. I'm very grateful to all four guys for letting me pick
the destinations.
July I August
25
P.S. I've been going to Sebring for over ten years; this
year I noticed a post on Instagram regarding a Zoom
workshop known as Paddock Focus on motorsport
photography, specializing on Sebring. It just so
happened that the workshop began with a question-andanswer
session with BMW factory driver Connor de
Phillippi. Paddock Focus is hosted by two professional
motorsport photographers, Jamie Price & Drew Gibson.
Jamie and Drew are willing to tell you all about how they
create the images that they capture and provide to their
customers. Jamie is from Charlotte, NC and Drew is
based in London, UK. Both are fully engaged in the
racing calendar from the F1 tests in the Middle East, to
Sebring, Long Beach and WEC at Spa. Look at their
Paddock Focus Website and you can see the range
of topics covered so far from the Basics to Workflow
and now Formula 1. In a typical Zoom meeting, Jamie
& Drew share the stage and seem to thoroughly enjoy
telling us about their craft. They typically deliver three
hours of fun and instruction for your investment.
The price ranges from $49 to $89 and you can go back
and review the workshops you've paid for as many times
as you'd like. They also recognize that not all of us are
credentialed working pros, so they offer thoughts on
how to capture good images from the spectator areas.
If there are subtle differences in my work this year,
I'd credit Paddock Focus.
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H O U R S
derBayerische July/August 2023

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