Spoiler Alert: 2011 12 Hours of Sebring in the books

2011 12 Hours of Sebring – Click above for image gallery

The 2011 running of the historic 12 Hours of Sebring is officially over, and the results show some old-hat veterans and surprise newcomers on the podium. There was plenty of action to be had across the classes, including some impressive comebacks and debuts.

Click past the jump for a full race recap and the results of the 2011 12 Hours of Sebring.



[Source: American Le Mans Series] 12 Hours of Sebring 2011

Loic Duval took the overall checkered flag and in Team ORECA Matmut's Peugeot 908 HDi FAP, ORECA's first Sebring victory since it swept GT in 2000 in factory-backed Dodge Vipers. Duval held off Highcroft Racing's Simon Pagenaud in his HPD ARX-01e and the factory Peugeot 908 of Frank Montagny, Stephane Sarrazin and Pedro Lamy. The race came down to the final seconds, with all three podium finishers on the lead lap. The second factory-entered Peugeot crashed with the No. 2 Audi R15 Plus, ending both cars' run at the checkered. The second Audi lost its chances with tire trouble.

12 Hours of Sebring 2011

BMW took a 1-2 victory in GT, despite early contact and a spin for its winning M3. The result was the first win at Sebring for BMW since its overall victory in 1999. The lead changed five times in GT, promising an exciting 2011 season in the class. Corvette Racing's Tommy Milner took third behind the BMWs to round out the GT podium.

In LMP2, Playstation-trained driver Lucas Ordonez managed an impressive second in the pole-sitting Signatech Nissan he piloted with Soheil Ayari and Frank Mailleux. Ryan Hunter-Reay, Scott Tucker and Luis Diaz won the class for Level 5 Motorsports in the team's debut. Oak Racing's Pescarolo-Judd ended up third.

12 Hours of Sebring 2011

Krohn Racing easily snagged victory in GTE-Am in its lime-green Ferrari F430, running a perfect, trouble-free race. Proton Competition's Porsche 911 GT3 RSR wound up a distant second to the Ferrari. The Porsche and Ferrari traded the lead for the first 10 hours of the race, until Krohn finally took control with two hours to go and never looked back.

In LMP Challenge, the Genoa Racing ORECA FLM09 of Dane Cameron took the checkered, after starting out front and leading more than 210 laps. In GT Challenge, Black Swan Racing's Porsche 911 GT3 Cup successfully defended its 2010 Class Championship with its first-ever win at Sebring. The GT Challenge race went back and forth between four teams until hour eight, when Black Swan took over and held on.

12 Hours of Sebring 2011

The American LeMans Series will hold its next round April 16 at the Tequila Patron American LeMans Series at Long Beach. Live coverage begins at 4:15 PM Pacific at ESPN3.com. ESPN2 will carry a replay of the race at 5PM Eastern on April 17.

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