1953 12 Hours of Sebring
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/39/Sebring_International_Raceway_-_Historical_%281952%29.svg/275px-Sebring_International_Raceway_-_Historical_%281952%29.svg.png)
The 3rd Grand Prix, 12 Hours of Sebring, was the inaugural round of the 1953 World Sportscar Championship and was held at the Sebring International Raceway, on 8 March 1953.[1]
Report
Entry
A total of 81 cars were entered for the event, across eight classes based on engine sizes, ranging from up to 750cc to over 8.0 litre. Of these 59 cars practised, 54 qualified to race.[1]
Amongst the mostly American entrants, the greatest news for the 1953 race was that the famous English Aston Martin team would join the French factory DB’s for the 12 Hour competition. In fact, David Brown and René Bonnet, heads of these European manufacturers, both went to Florida to watch the race. Bonnet also took part in the race.[2]
Race
The race started at noon, and ran until midnight, on a day described as "partly cloudy and mild", in front of an estimated crowd of 12,500 spectators.[2]
The Aston Martins made a great start, leading the first 32 laps of the Florida road course before losing the lead as a result of an accident. The #57 Cunningham C-4R then took over lead and was never headed for the rest of the race.[2]
The car was driven by Phil Walters and John Fitch took the winner spoils for Briggs Cunningham’s team. They were boosted to the lead when the front running Aston Martin of Geoff Duke and Peter Collins collided with a Jaguar, and was forced to retire with accident damage. Walters and Fitch drove their Florida license plated Cunningham C-4R to victory, covering a distance of 908.9 miles, averaging a speed of 75.338mph. One lap adrift in second place was the Aston Martin DB3 of the Reg Parnell and George Abecassis, despite reportedly being hampered by having one of its headlamps not working due to an earlier collision with a bollard filed with concrete marking the circuit on what was at the time largely an airfield.[2][3]
There was one car fire, the Allard-Cadillac J2X of Paul Ramos was destroyed when a fuel line split, however the driver, Anthony Cumming escaped unharmed. Another competitor, Randy Pearsall, also escaped injury when he flipped his Jaguar XK120.[2]
Classification
Sebring 12 hours
Class Winners are in Bold text.
Pos. | No. | Class | Drivers | Entrant | Car - Engine | Laps | Reason Out | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st | 57 | S8.0 | ![]() | ![]() | Briggs Cunningham | Cunningham C-4R-Chrysler | 173 | |
2nd | 30 | S3.0 | ![]() | ![]() | Aston Martin Ltd. | Aston Martin DB3 | 172 | |
3rd | 74 | S5.0 | ![]() | ![]() | A. H. Feverbacher | Jaguar C-Type | 162 | |
4th | 311 | S5.0 | ![]() | ![]() | David Hirsch | Jaguar C-Type | 155 | |
5th | 59 | S1.5 | ![]() | ![]() | Briggs Cunningham | Osca MT4 1350 | 153 | |
6th | 49 | S2.0 | ![]() | ![]() | E. P. Lunken | Ferrari 166 MM | 153 | |
7th | 38 | S5.0 | ![]() | ![]() | Jack Pry Ltd. | Jaguar XK120 | 151 | |
8th | 45 | S3.0 | ![]() | ![]() | Peter S. Yung | Ferrari 225 S | 148 | |
9th | 91 | S1.1 | ![]() | ![]() | James Simpson | Osca MT4 1100 | 146 | |
10th | 28 | S5.0 | ![]() | ![]() | J. Kaplan | Jaguar XK120M | 144 | |
11th | 25 | S750 | ![]() | ![]() | Hobart Cook | DB HBR Panhard | 143 | |
12th | 18 | S5.0 | ![]() | ![]() | Walter Hansgen | Jaguar XK120 | 142 | |
13th | 12 | S1.5 | ![]() | ![]() | David H. Ash | MG Special | 135 | |
14th | 53 | S1.5 | ![]() | ![]() | Lt. Col. Wojdiech Kolaczkowski | Frazer Nash Mille Miglia | 134 | |
15th | 53 | S1.5 | ![]() | ![]() | James Shields | MG TD | 132 | |
16th | 42 | S1.5 | ![]() | ![]() | William Wellenberg, Jnr. | MG TD | 132 | |
17th | 29 | S5.0 | ![]() | ![]() | Fred Dagavar | Jaguar XK120 | 132 | |
18th | 63 | S750 | ![]() | ![]() | Paul Hessler | Siata-Crossley 300BD | 132 | |
DSQ | 24 | S750 | ![]() | ![]() | Hobart Cook | DB HBR Panhard | 130 | Pit violation |
19th | 44 | S1.5 | ![]() | ![]() | Fred Allen | MG Special | 127 | |
20th | 56 | S750 | ![]() | ![]() | Thomas Scatchard | Siata-Crossley 300BD | 127 | |
21st | 27 | S1.1 | ![]() | ![]() | Robert T. Keller | Siata 300BC Special | 123 | |
22nd | 111 | S750 | ![]() | ![]() | Geo. F. Schrafft | Palm Beach-Crossley Special | 119 | |
23rd | 55 | S3.0 | ![]() | ![]() | Mike Rothschild | Morgan Plus 4 | 119 | |
24th | 32 | S8.0 | ![]() | ![]() | Jack Burkhard | Allard-Cadillac J2 | 116 | |
25th | 6 | S1.5 | ![]() | ![]() | Rees T. Makins | Osca MT4 1100 | 115 | |
26th | 15 | S5.0 | ![]() | ![]() | Jack Shepperd | Jaguar C-Type | 114 | |
27th | 64 | S2.0 | ![]() | ![]() | Walter E. von Schoenfeld | Maserati A6GCS | 110 | |
28th | 14 | S1.5 | ![]() | ![]() | Alan Patterson | MG Special | 99 | |
29th | 16 | S5.0 | ![]() | ![]() | Geo. E. Tilp | Jaguar XK120 | 94 | |
30th | 51 | S5.0 | ![]() | ![]() | Walter S. Grey | Allard-Cadillac J2 | 94 | |
31st | 37 | S1.1 | ![]() | ![]() | Jack Pry, Ltd. | Morris Minor | 93 | |
32nd | 11 | S1.1 | ![]() | ![]() | Paul Ceresole | Cisitalia Spider | 88 | |
33rd | 2 | S3.0 | ![]() | ![]() | Brooks Stevens | Excalibur-Willys J | 86 | |
34th | 23 | S5.0 | ![]() | ![]() | Charles M. Schott | Jaguar XK120 | 63 | |
DNF | 5 | S3.0 | ![]() | ![]() | Jim Kimberly | Ferrari 225 S | 95 | Transmission |
DNF | 60 | S1.5 | ![]() | ![]() | Dickson Yates | MG TD | Engine | |
DNF | 80 | S1.5 | ![]() | ![]() | Richard Toland | Porsche 356 | did not finish | |
DNF | 61 | S2.0 | ![]() | ![]() | Ray Leibensperger | MG Special | 78 | did not finish |
DNF | 39 | S750 | ![]() | ![]() | Speedcraft Enterprises | Siata Amica Special | 63 | Engine |
DNF | 8 | S3.0 | ![]() | ![]() | William Spear | Ferrari 225 S | 56 | Differential |
DNF | 19 | S5.0 | ![]() | ![]() | Austin L. Conley | Jaguar XK120 | 56 | Accident |
DNF | 31 | S3.0 | ![]() | ![]() | Aston Martin Ltd. | Aston Martin DB3 | 52 | Accident damage |
DNF | 98 | S8.0 | ![]() | ![]() | Erwin Goldschmidt | Healey Silverstone-Cadillac | 45 | Rear end |
DNF | 33 | S1.5 | ![]() | ![]() | René Bonnet | DB HBR Panhard | 37 | Brakes |
DNF | 58 | S2.0 | ![]() | ![]() | Briggs Cunningham | Frazer Nash Targa Florio | 28 | Unknown |
DNF | 26 | S750 | ![]() | ![]() | Ralph Deshon | Crosley Special | 25 | Suspension |
DNF | 66 | S5.0 | ![]() | ![]() | Paul Ramos | Allard-Cadillac J2X | 20 | Fire |
DNF | 36 | S8.0 | ![]() | ![]() | Masten Gregory | Allard-Chrysler J2X | 16 | Transmission |
DISQ | 48 | S2.0 | ![]() | ![]() | Fritz Koster | Maserati A6GCS | 15 | pit rule violation |
DNF | 97 | S8.0 | ![]() | ![]() | Mark B. Deitsch | Allard-Cadillac J2 | 9 | Engine |
DNF | 3 | S3.0 | ![]() | ![]() | Brooks Stevens | Excalibur-Willys J | 4 | Engine |
DNF | 1 | S2.0 | ![]() | ![]() | Stuart Donaldson | Frazer Nash Le Mans Replica Mk II | 2 | Engine |
DNF | 9 | S2.0 | ![]() | ![]() | Stuart Donaldson | Frazer Nash Le Mans Replica Mk II | 2 | Engine |
DNS | 17 | S750 | ![]() | ![]() | Geo. Sanderson | Crosley Hotshot | Engine | |
DNS | 21 | S1.5 | ![]() | ![]() | Lawrence Kulok | Porsche 356 1500 Super | Gearbox | |
DNS | 41 | S1.1 | ![]() | ![]() | F. Randolph Pearsall | Cisitalia Spider | Engine | |
DNS | 65 | S5.00 | ![]() | ![]() | William Lloyd | Ferrari 340 America | Engine | |
DNS | 75 | S5.00 | ![]() | ![]() | Cameron Argetsinger | Jaguar XK120 | Engine |
[3][4][5]
- Fastest lap: John Fitch, 120.540 mph [1][4]
Class Winners
Class | Winners | |
---|---|---|
Class B – Sports 8000 | Walters / Fitch | Cunningham C-4R |
Class C – Sports 5000 | Johnston / Wilder | Jaguar C-type |
Class D – Sports 3000 | Parnell / Abecassis | Aston Martin DB3 |
Class E – Sports 2000 | Lunken / Hassan | Ferrari 166 MM |
Class F – Sports 1500 | Cunningham / Lloyd | Osca MT4 1350 |
Class G – Sports 1100 | Simpson / Colby | Osca MT4 1100 |
Class H – Sports 750 | Bonnet / Morehouse | DB HBR Panhard |
[1][4]
Standings after the race
Pos | Championship | Points |
---|---|---|
1 | ![]() | 8 |
2 | ![]() | 6 |
3 | ![]() | 4 |
4 | ![]() | 2 |
5 | ![]() | 1 |
- Note: Only the top five positions are included in this set of standings.
References
- ^ a b c d "Sebring 12 Hours 1953". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
- ^ a b c d e "Sebring 1953". Mistermedia20.com. 2 April 2011. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
- ^ a b "Sebring 12 Hours 1953 - Race Results - Racing Sports Cars".
- ^ a b c "1953 Sebring 12 Hours". Teamdan.com. 8 March 1953. Archived from the original on 20 April 2002. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
- ^ "SPAM protection / Ochrana proti SPAMu". Wsrp.ic.cz. Archived from the original on 9 August 2014. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
World Sportscar Championship | ||
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