48 Hours?

by Mark Johnson, Gold Coast Region

The initial Porsche Club Race in Florida was run in 1994 when the Suncoast Region and the Gold Coast Region of PCA joined forces and held their first co-hosted event in Sebring, Florida. The Club Racing event, now known as the “48 Hours at Sebring,” has become the premier Porsche Club Racing (PCR) event of the year, a Superbowl of sorts, a Daytona 24, or a Sebring 12 Hour. But why?

A myriad of reasons leads over 350 cars and drivers, their teams, and friends in their pilgrimage to Sebring in early February each year to “run what you brung.” The reasons? Probably first and foremost is the Florida winter weather that is generally much better than experienced in the rest of the country. There is no snow, abundant sunshine, and warm temperatures. Imagine the Porsche racer in Lincoln, Nebraska or perhaps Chicago with ice, freezing weather, etc. and working in their garage with mittens. Florida orange juice, warmth, & SUNSHINE – yeah, that’s the ticket.

Second, hey – it’s Sebring, the home of American endurance racing. The track is simply historic for a ton of reasons, and it is a true test of driver and machine. Sebring is challenging on so many levels and being able to run well here will provide a great boost to one’s ego while proving the ability of your machine to handle the stress of racing. Speed and deft handling are paramount on this flat and bumpy circuit. A driver’s early season skills are certainly honed to a fine edge at Sebring.

Third, it’s the competition! Over 350 cars, drivers, race teams, and friends find the four-day race weekend to be among the best challenges in Porsche Club Racing. With cars from all over the country, California to Maine, Washington to Florida, the best of the best come to central Florida in the winter. They whet their appetite, run their new (or old) cars, and see what they have gained or lost over the winter break. The exceptional level of competition at the 48 Hours at Sebring yields very quick feedback on the condition and speed of the car, and the skill level of the driver and race support team. Doing well at the 48 Hours event can set the tone for the entire year of PCA Club Racing.

And it is simply a superbly run event! Suncoast and Gold Coast PCA folks have been working the weekend for over 25 years, and experience counts. These regions are supported by PCR personnel for scrutineering, scoring & timing, actual race administration. At the same time the Region volunteers make certain that paddock space is properly arranged, grids are marshalled, tech inspection is quick and efficient, registration is easy, and so on. Quite often there are more volunteers available from the local regions than places for these folks to work. So, if they can’t work, they watch and enjoy the excellent club racing.

There is a tremendous amount of camaraderie that is evident with the off-site dinners between the friendly drivers, and during the catered dinner at the track on Saturday. Often, it will be an evening at Chicanes at the Inn on the Lakes in Sebring where a fine meal is enjoyed between racers and spouses over a bottle of great wine and a bourbon or two. What better way to enjoy a great day of racing? It’s the people, the social side and the relationships that start in the paddock or on the track that lead to evenings of stories and long-lasting friendships.

A dinner at Chicanes is a dinner with greatness, as the restaurant is home to photos and stories of endurance racing at the track for 70 years. If casual dining is preferred many of the attendees can be seen at Jimmy’s Greek, the Sebring Diner, or Dimitri’s Family Restaurant. Sebring is “old Florida,” and the charm of the city and track lend to enjoyment of a great weekend to complement the exceptional Porsche-exclusive racing.

At the 2021 edition of the 48 Hours at Sebring we had the opportunity to speak with a group of racers who all hailed originally from Memphis, TN. Dr. Mark Reed started Club Racing in 2015 and now will compete in his seventh year at Sebring. He enjoys getting back together with several of his Memphis buddies who now reside in Orlando, or St. Petersburg, FL and other areas of the country. According to Mark, “It is awesome competition, and

just too much fun!” He runs a Cayman S in GTB-1, which is one of the largest classes in the event, with perhaps as many as 25 cars.

Another GTB Cayman skipper is Angus Rogers of Sarasota, FL. While Angus is relatively local to Sebring, he greatly enjoys running there. As noted above, the volume of competitive vehicles from all over the country, the weather, the epic history of the track and the skills and speed necessary to do well are what draws him to the 48 Hours. Both Angus and Mark run several Club Racing events throughout the year, having competed at VIR, Road Atlanta, Road America, COTA, and elsewhere, but it is Sebring and the great competition that brings them to central Florida in early February.

One of the greatest aspects of PCA racing is the large and diverse number of classes. A racer can choose to enter a car in the competitive and expense level which is most comfortable for them. This works for every member who chooses to go Porsche Club Racing. PCA has 13 stock classes, Spec classes, GT 1-6 formula classes and GTC and GTA for factory Cup Car groups, for both men and women. There are levels upon levels of competition for anyone so interested. And the wheel-to-wheel adventure is substantially more challenging and enjoyable than driving around the track in your most recent DE event.

Porsche Club Racing is a classy organization with awesome people who enjoy driving their cars as they were meant to be driven. It’s the cars and the people at the 48 Hours of Sebring who make the event a winner every year.

Welcome to Sebring and the Porsche race party!

How’s all that for the WHY?