48 Hours at Sebring Volunteers

Step Up – Volunteer – It’s Time for 48 Hours at Sebring

Porsche Club Racing at Its Finest

by Mark Johnson, Saff Writer

If you like Porsche cars, if you like being around people who like Porsche cars, if you like automobile racing and the racing folks as well, then you absolutely need to both attend and become involved with the 2022 edition of the 48 Hours at

Sebring.

Side by side racing in the rain during the 2020 edition of 48 Hours at Sebring. A GT2RS and GT3Cup enter Turn 1 following the green flag at roughly 75 mph and about 18 inches apart.

The 29th Annual 48 Hours at Sebring will be held February 3-6, 2022, at Sebring International Raceway, just a scant two-and-a-half-hour drive from south Florida. It is the pre-eminent Porsche Club Race and the first held each year in the country. Approximately 350 race cars, all Porsches exclusively, their drivers and their substantial support teams come to Florida in early February to enjoy the racing, atmosphere, and all Porsche has to offer on the most historic racetrack in the USA. Racing is spectacular, and the weekend offers multiple opportunities to get close to drivers, cars, and fellow Porsche enthusiasts.

The biggest key to enjoyment of the four-day event is to be involved. Volunteer to work some, part or the full weekend. There are plenty of fun and essential jobs to help you be involved as well as bring you into the center of the activities. Saturday and Sunday are the big race days, but on Thursday and Friday there are practice sessions, qualifying sessions, and vehicle inspection. There are a myriad of volunteer opportunities. Folks can choose to work registration, “corners,” the grid, tech inspection, timing and scoring (limited people), and general or miscellaneous positions as needed by the 48 Hour Committee Member chairpersons. It is not necessary to work the same job all day, or all weekend for that matter. Give yourself the chance to learn one position in a morning and another in the afternoon. Work all day somewhere and then enjoy a second day taking in the sights and sounds of the event. Experience for most any volunteer position is not necessary; we will train you, and it will be a great experience you receive.

While all volunteer positions are fun, and very helpful, the corner worker spot is probably the best if you wish to be close to the action! Each corner on the track—and there are 17 corners at Sebring—generally has a spot for two SCCA trained corner workers. These men and women watch for everything that happens on the track to help inform and protect the drivers and their vehicles. They watch for debris on the track (oil or car parts); they spot faster drivers coming up from behind to warn the vehicle ahead; they advise of accidents or off-road travel. Through their observations they communicate with the drivers by using multiple flag signals and via radio to race control officers. In many locations they are mere feet from cars flying by at speed. It is the closest a non-driver will ever get to the track to feel the thunder and excitement of race cars. A PCA volunteer who works corners is another set of eyes for the two people working race safety from their spot along the track. Want to be right next to the action? This is your spot. Don’t forget to bring your camera for up close photography of Porsches on track, at speed, jostling for position and podium finishes.

48 Hour volunteer sign up occurs through the website: http://

www.48hoursatsebring.com/volunteer-

signin.php Please visit this site to enroll. You can select your days, times, and preferred volunteer positions. A volunteer may also select the “miscellaneous” position. In this case, the volunteer will be assigned to various duties around the event as needed by the Committee members. There are two key people to look for and get to know. The first is our 48 Hour Volunteer Cochair, Mr. Paul Raben. Paul receives the volunteer requests from the website enrollment and works to make certain all the essential jobs are covered by the volunteers available. The second is Ms. Sherry Fabel. Sherry coordinates with Paul and she works multiple duties at the Registration Desk. In relation to the volunteer corps, Sherry will make job assignments for the miscellaneous jobs and send the volunteers where needed.

Ms. Sherry Fabel at registration for volunteers, sending folks to the right locations for over 15 years.

If you drive up for the day, no accommodations are necessary. If you come for two or more days, there are multiple hotels in the area that have suitable space for 48 Hour participants, crew, and volunteers. The main landing page for the 48 Hours at Sebring contains much information for purview and offers references for the the local overnight facilities.

An Additional Opportunity – The Silent Auction

As we learned in the October 2021 issue of Die Porsche Kassette, 48 Hour at Sebring is presented by both Suncoast Region and Gold Coast Region PCA. Proceeds from the weekend events are evenly split between the two Regions and then are presented to the local Ronald McDonald House Charities. The reader may remember that GCR presented a check for $11,000 to RMHC as a result of the successful 2021 event last February.

Beyond race fees, the major source of these funds is the Silent Auction held during the event. Sponsors, corporations, and individuals contribute all kinds of items of value that are shown in the registration building leading up to the Saturday night festivities.

All attendees are given the opportunity to place written bids on these gifts of value, with the gift awarded to the highest bidder. There is a widely diverse selection of objects available from race helmets to wine baskets, golf weekends, or auto racing memorabilia. Should our Gold Coast members, or their companies, have something they might contribute to the event and Silent Auction, it will be greatly appreciated!

Our Editor, Mr. Roger Fabel, is the Gold Coast Region Silent Auction CoChairperson. Roger may be reached as follows: rfabel@aol.com or by phone 954-7522501 should there be any questions regarding auction gift donations or other silent auction questions.