In celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring next year on March 20, 2027, IMSA and Sebring International Raceway have revealed plans leading up to the unveiling of the “Class of 75,” which will honor the 75 greatest drivers to have competed in the iconic Florida endurance race.
The list of 75 will feature drivers who achieved significant success in the 12 Hours of Sebring, an event that dates back to 1950 and has long been regarded as one of endurance racing’s premier showcases. The race has been held annually with the exception of 1951 and 1974.
For the selection, drivers’ career accolades and accomplishments outside of the 12 Hours of Sebring were not taken into consideration.
Collectively, the 75 drivers selected have made 878 starts in the 12 Hours of Sebring, recording 109 overall victories and 93 class wins.
Over the next several months, IMSA and Sebring International Raceway will unveil 15 drivers on the second Tuesday of each month, beginning with the first 15 on September 15. The remaining unveiling dates are October 13, November 10, December 15, and January 12.
The selection of the 75 drivers was made by a panel of 10 sports car racing experts who have played an integral role in the industry and its history.
The panel includes:
- Ken Breslauer – Sebring International Raceway’s Public Relations Director and resident historian for more than three decades literally wrote the record book on Sebring’s history; in fact, he wrote four.
- Holly Cain – A reporter for a variety of major Florida newspapers early in her life, her coverage of the Sebring 12 Hours classic began while writing for the track’s hometown paper … kickstarting a four-decade career covering IMSA, NASCAR and IndyCar racing for media outlets across the country, including newspapers in Tampa, Dallas and Seattle, and on-line outlets CBS.com, NASCAR.com, and AOL. She is a regular guest on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
- John Doonan – The President of both the International Motor Sports Associating (IMSA) and Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) has spent his life as a key executive overseeing sports car racing, always with an eye on its history, but with a vision for its future.
- Jonathan Ingram – A journalist who has covered every major motorsports series over the last 50 years, his stories have appeared in more than 100 publications on four continents. He has authored 10 motorsports books and continues writing for racing websites and magazines.
- Charles Mendez – Bringing the perspective of both promoter and competitor, he and his racing partner Dave Cowart helped resurrect the Sebring 12 Hours classic in 1978 with official FIA listing, and participation from major corporate sponsors and automobile manufacturers. As a driver, he won the event in 1978, finished second in 1979, and third in 1982, and earned a place in Sebring’s Hall of Fame in 2002.
- Doug Morton – He has spent more than three decades preserving the rich heritage of the 12 Hours of Sebring. Inspired by his first visit to the race in 1988, he has built one of the most extensive private collections of Sebring memorabilia, from vintage programs and tickets to rare photographs and archival documents dating back to 1950. His meticulous work and involvement with the Sebring Hall of Fame has made him a respected steward of the event’s history, ensuring that Sebring’s enduring legacy remains alive for future generations.
- Marshall Pruett – One of the world’s most respected motorsports journalists, his coverage appears in numerous media outlets that follow IMSA and IndyCar. He has covered more Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring events than he – or anyone else – can remember.
- János Wimpffen – Considered a dean among sports car racing historians, he has written numerous award-winning books on the subject and regularly consults with museums, collectors and sanctioning bodies.
- Mark Raffauf – Among his many achievements during more than 50 years in the employment of IMSA, he co-authored two books documenting the sanctioning body’s history. For most of his career, Mark was IMSA Race Director/Chief Steward who oversaw on-track activities for all IMSA’s programs over six decades, following in IMSA founder John Bishop’s footsteps as IMSA’s second president. Those roles provided him with intimate knowledge of both the technical and sporting history of the series.
- Adam Saal – He worked his first Sebring 12 Hours classic in his first season as IMSA’s Media Director in 1989. More recently, his work focuses on the history of sports car racing as the public relations contact for Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) for 11 years, and as a board member for the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America for more than 20 years.
