The 12 Hours of Sebring Has Been Postponed

Shortly after the World Endurance Championship canceled its 1000-mile race at Sebring, IMSA has moved the 12-hour to November in response to the spread of COVID-19

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The 12 Hours of Sebring, one of the premiere sports car races in North America, has been postponed to November. This news comes just hours after the World Endurance Championship announced the cancellation of its 1000-Mile race at the legendary Florida track, which was to be held the day before the 12-hour. IMSA organizers decided to postpone Sebring over the worldwide spread of COVID-19.

Holding the 12 Hours of Sebring in March became untenable after a travel ban on non-U.S. citizens coming to the country from Europe (excluding the U.K.) was announced last night. The ban will go into effect tomorrow, and will be in place for 30 days. While IMSA is a North American series, many of the drivers and team personnel are European. There’s also a ban on cargo coming from Europe, further complicating things for race organizers.

Now, the race will be held on the weekend of November 11 to 14, where it will serve as the IMSA WeatherTech season finale.

This news comes on a day filled with motorsports cancellations and postponements as the coronavirus spreads. There’s the aforementioned cancellation of the WEC Sebring 1000 mile race, plus the postponements of the NASCAR race at Homestead-Miami, originally scheduled for March 22, and the MotoGP Argentinian Grand Prix. Additionally, the season-opening IndyCar race at St. Petersburg will be run without fans in the stands.

The next IMSA WeatherTech event scheduled is the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, which features the series’ two professional classes, DPi and GTLM. As of right now, that event is still planned to continue.

Source: Road and Track