Automobile Racing Club of Florida, 113 Midway Drive, Sebring, FL (2026)

ARCF is a division of the Sebring Hall of Fame, a 501(c)3 organization. Your membership pledges and donations are tax deductible. Inductees include such greats as Alec and Mary Ulmann, Juan Manuel Fangio, Carroll Shelby, Porsche, Dan Gurney, Sir Stirling Moss, Mario Andretti, Bobby Rahal, Ferrari, Phil Hill, Briggs Cunningham and Brian Redman. The 2008 honorees were Roger Penske, Hans Stuck, Derek Bell, David Cowart and Audi.

10/11/2026

Sebring 1971: With major FIA rule changes set to end the era of larger engines after the 1971 racing season, Ferrari went all-in on its new 3.0-liter 312PB, bringing just one car to Sebring. Behind the wheel were two of the best drivers in the business: Mario Andretti and Jacky Ickx, both proven Sebring winners. Despite the smaller engine, the Ferrari qualified an impressive 2nd overall. The 312PB would go on to lead for four hours before gearbox trouble brought its race to an end after five hours, resulting in a DNF. A strong showing from Ferrari’s new prototype, even if the final result wasn’t what they had hoped for!
To learn more about the Automobile Racing Club of Florida (ARCF) and our mission to preserve the rich history of the 12 Hours of Sebring, please visit us at ARCF.net. If you feel the same passion as we do, we invite you to become a member and join our journey!

10/04/2026

Sebring 1971: The third and final installment in the story of the Porsche 917’s final drive at Sebring. Martini-Rossi had planned to enter two Porsche 917s at Sebring, but both were wrecked at Daytona, leaving the team with only a backup car for the race. Behind the wheel were Vic Elford and Gérard Larrousse. They weren’t the fastest car on the track, but they ran a smart, almost trouble-free race while the cars ahead of them fell victim to each other and to the unforgiving conditions of Sebring. By the seventh hour, Elford and Larrousse had moved into the lead, and from there, they held on all the way to the finish. A remarkable final chapter for the 917 at Sebring!

09/27/2026

1971 Sebring: Continuing on from last week, the other Gulf-liveried Porsche 917 was the #2, driven by Pedro Rodriguez and Jackie Oliver. Rodriguez qualified the #2 in third place for the start, and the Porsche would run as high as 2nd overall by the four-hour mark. Around 3:30 in the afternoon, Mark Donohue in the #6 Ferrari attempted to pass Rodriguez, but things didn’t go well for either car. Both were damaged and had to spend valuable time in the pits getting repaired enough to continue. The Porsche, however, came back looking more like a Frankenstein car than a factory race machine. Rodriguez was able to get back on track after just two laps while the crew worked on a replacement fender, complete with a jury-rigged headlamp! Penske protested the Porsche’s repair job, but the repair met the requirement that at least one-third of the area above the wheel had to be covered, so the protest was disallowed. The #2 Porsche fought its way back up to 3rd overall by the sixth hour, but shortly afterward settled into 4th overall, where it would remain for the rest of the race.

09/19/2026

It's been several months since I've posted on the ARCF page. I figured I'd start back with a 3-part series on the Porsche 917's last year at Sebring. Today is about the #1 entry.
1971 Sebring: J.W. Automotive Engineering arrived at Sebring with three Porsche 917s—two to race and one for testing. Jo Siffert and Derek Bell would pilot the #1 Porsche 917. With the Group 5 cars set to disappear after the 1971 season due to FIA rule changes, this would be the final appearance of the legendary Porsche at Sebring. The #1 Porsche qualified 6th overall. Once the race got underway, Siffert quickly worked his way into the lead, but his time at the front would be short-lived. On lap 24, coming out of Cunningham Corner on the back side of the circuit, Siffert ran out of fuel. A corner marshal offered him a ride back to the pits on a motorcycle, and Siffert accepted. Unfortunately, he lost 49 minutes of time but the ride back to the pits would also cost him a four-lap penalty from the officials. Why the 917 ran out of fuel remains a mystery. According to fuel calculations made by the Wyer team, the car should have been able to complete 25 laps with fuel to spare. Whatever the cause, the mishap effectively ended their chances of winning. Siffert still managed to set the fastest race lap for the second consecutive year at Sebring, turning in a lap at 124.418 mph…faster than Mark Donohue’s qualifying record. The #1 would work their way back up to 5th overall by the 6th hour and stay in that position until the end. This would be Siffert's last race at Sebring. He died at Brands Hatch several months later in an accident.

05/31/2026

Sebring 1971: As a historian of all things associated with the 12 Hours of Sebring, we try to document as many entries as we can, including the ones that didn't actually start! These entries are usually tough to find pictures of, so I get excited when I do find them. Below are many of the cars that didn't qualify or withdrew before the race in 1971. The #53 Ford Lotus-Cortina was entered by Marion Dickson and had Warren Drescher and Robert Luchette as drivers. The #78 Volvo 122S George Sanderson and had Ron Polimeni and Robert Theall as drivers. The #55 Datsun 510 was entered by Clearwater Datsun and had Bobby Clark and Ray Kessler as drivers. The #10 Corvette was entered by Iroquois Racing Association and had William Schumacher and Robert Kiefer as drivers. The #9 Corvette was entered by Simone Fleming and had Paul Fleming, Amos Johnson, and Bill Barnes as drivers. The #80 Datsun 510 was entered by Jack Baldwin and he and Jerry Jacob were the drivers.
To learn more about the Automobile Racing Club of Florida and our mission to preserve the history of the 12 Hours of Sebring, please visit ARCF.net.

04/15/2026

Sebring 1956 is often remembered for the dominant victory of the factory Ferrari 860 Monza, driven by Juan Manuel Fangio and Eugenio Castellotti. However, the story of that race extends well beyond the winning car.

Ferrari fielded two additional factory entries, joined by at least five privateer cars—including this #32 Ferrari 250 MM Vignale Spyder. Originally purchased in 1955 by Alfred Momo, the car changed hands just months later to Gene Greenspun. Greenspun shared driving duties at Sebring with Bruce Kessler in the #32, which in Ferrari world is known as chassis . They did their best to hold their own in the race but after 82 laps, they had to pit with engine issues, ultimately resulting in the retirement of the car.

To learn more about the Automobile Racing Club of Florida (ARCF) and our mission to preserve the rich history of the 12 Hours of Sebring, please visit us at ARCF.net. If you feel the same passion as we do, we invite you to become a member and join our journey!

Address

113 Midway Drive
Sebring, FL
33876

Website

http://www.arcf.net/

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