1960 12 Hours of Sebring

The Tenth Annual Sebring International Grand Prix of Endurance for the Amoco Trophy took place on 26 March 1960, on the Sebring International Raceway, (Florida, United States). It was the second round of the F.I.A. World Sports Car Championship. This was also the second round of the F.I.A. GT Cup.

Report

Entry

A massive total of 89 racing cars were registered for this event, of which 72 arrived for practice. Only these, 65 qualified for, and started the race. There was controversy surrounding the entry. The event promoter, Alec Ulmann had signed a deal with Amoco whereby they would be the fuel suppliers for the race. This prohibited any entrant from using any other brand of fuel.^[1][2]

This resulted in the works Ferrari and Porsche teams boycotting the event, as they had their own exclusive fuel arrangements with Shell Oil and British Petroleum (BP) respectively.^[3][4] However, these teams would still be represented in Florida. For Ferrari, their sent cars to Luigi Chinetti, who entered the cars under the North American Racing Team (NART) banner and thereby as a private entry and not bound by any agreement between Scuderia Ferrari and Shell.^[5] As for Porsche, they ‘leased’ two of their new RS 60 Spyders to the works driver, Jo Bonnier. Together with a number of Porsche drivers and mechanics who just happened to be holidaying in Florida at that time, volunteered they services to Bonnier for the event.^[6]

There was also controversy when the F.I.A. made last minute rules changes concerning the luggage compartments and windscreens on the Grand Touring (GT) cars. The FIA ruled that these cars should be racing closer the factory specifications than some actually where. This caused some problems for the smaller cars like the Oscas.^[7]

Qualifying

As was the normal for Sebring and because they was no qualifying sessions to set the grid, the starting positions were decided according to engine size with the 5.0 litre Chevrolet Corvette C1 of Briggs Cunningham and John Fitch being given first place.^[8]

Race

Most of the 50,000 spectators expected Stirling Moss to win the race in his ”Birdcage” Maserati Tipo 61, provided the car lasted the distance.^[9] Of the 65 cars that qualified, many looked strange due to the hasty modifications placed on them with the new F.I.A. regulations.^[10]

Moss had a bad start due to his Maserati having problems starting and pulled away in 23rd place, but by the of the second lap, the Englishman was up the second behind the early leader, the Ferrari of Pete Lovely.^[11] He would pass Lovely on the next lap.^[12]

On lap five, a tragic accident occurred at the hairpin. The Lotus Elite being driven by Jim Hughes suffered a brake failure and headed for the escape road, only to found a photographer standing here, complete with tripod. Hughes tried to avoid him, but rolled his little Lotus, striking the photographer and killing them both.^[13]

At the end of the first hour, Moss, partnered by Dan Gurney were leading from another Birdcage T61 of Walt Hansgen and Ed Crawford. The first of the NART Ferraris was in third, driven by Richie Ginther and Chuck Daigh.^[14] By the start of the ‘lunch’ hour, the Ferrari had moved into second.^[15]

On lap 84, the Porsche of Graham Hill parked up with a rod through the engine block,^[16] while around the same time, the Ginther/Daigh Ferrari pitted with steam pouring from under the bonnet. Shortly after, the T61 of Crawford ran wide at the hairpin and got struck in the sandbank. Crawford proceeded to dig his car free using his hands, taking almost two hours to do so.^[17] Despite their problems, the Ginther/Daigh Ferarri was still in second at the halfway point, albeit lapping 3 mph slower than Moss/Gurney. Now in third was the little Porsche of Hans Herrmann and Olivier Gendebien.^[18]

After completing 123 laps, the Ginther/Daigh Ferrari was withdrawn as it was leaking water and oil.^[19] Just 13 laps later, and the leaders were also out, retiring with transmission failure.^[20] With 3½ hours to ran, the Herrmann/Gendebien Porsche found itself firmly in the lead with another Porsche in second, being piloted by Bob Holbert and Roy Schechter.^[21]

After 12 hours of racing, the Bonnier entered Porsche of Herrmann and Gendebien , won ahead of the similar Brumos Porsche of Holbert and Schechter. Car number 42, took an impressive victory, completing 196 laps, covering 1,019.2 miles after 12 hours of racing, averaging a speed of 84.927 mph. Second place went to the second Porsche, albeit nine lap adrift. The podium was complete by the Ferrari of Lovely and Jack Nethercutt who were a further lap behind.^[22][23]

Official Classification

Class Winners are in Bold text.

Pos	No	Class	Driver		Entrant	Chassis	Laps	Reason Out
1st	42	S1.6	Hans Herrmann	Olivier Gendebien	Joakim Bonnier	Porsche 718 RS60	12hr 00:03.030, 196
2nd	44	S1.6	Bob Holbert	Roy Schechter	Brumos Porsche Car Corp.	Porsche 718 RS60	187
3rd	8	S3.0	Pete Lovely	Jack Nethercutt	Jack Nethercutt	Ferrari 250 TR 59/60	186
4th	10	S3.0	Ed Hugus	Augie Pabst	North American Racing Team	Ferrari 250 GT SWB	185
5th	17	S3.0	George Reed	Alan Connell , Jnr.	RRR Motors	Ferrari 250 GT California	185
6th	12	S3.0	Bill Sturgis	Fritz D’Orey	William Sturgis	Ferrari 250 GT SWB	183
7th	11	S3.0	George Arents	William Kimberly	North American Racing Team	Ferrari 250 GT SWB	183
8th	16	GT3.0	Carlo Maria Abate Fabrizio Serena	Giorgio Scarlatti	Scuderia Serenissima	Ferrari 250 GT California LWB	179
9th	72	GT1.6	Dick Dungan	Joe Sheppard	Camoradi USA	Porsche 356A Carrera	177
10th	14	S3.0	Robert Publicker Dean McCarthy	George Constantine	Robert Publicker	Ferrari 250 GT California LWB	174
11th	80	GT1.6	Jan Bootz	Carel Godin de Beaufort	Count Karel de Beaufort	Porsche 356A Carrera	172
12th	63	S850	John Bentley	John Gordon	Automobili Osca USA	Osca S750	170
DNF	24	S3.0	Luke Stear	Dave Causey	Dave Casuey	Maserati Tipo 61	169	Gearbox
13th	47	S1.6	George Koehne	Rees Makins	Automobili Osca USA	Osca MT4 1500	169
14th	31	GT2.0	Max Goldman	Ralph Burbin	S.H. Arnolt Inc.	Arnolt Bolide	169
15th	20	GT3.0	Gilbert Geitner	Lew Spencer	British Motor Corp.	Austin-Healey 3000	167
16th	6	GT5.0	Bill Fritts	Chuck Hall	RRR Motors	Chevrolet Corvette C1	167
17th	58	S1.15	Charles Vögele	Peter Ashdown	Charles Vögele	Lola-Climax Mk.1	167
18th	54	GT1.3	Fred van Beuren Adolfo Velásquez	Javier Velásquez	Frederico van Beuren	Alfa Romeo Giuletta Veloce	166
19th	50	GT1.3	Tom O’Brien	Don Horn	Louis Comito	Alfa Romeo Giuletta Veloce	166
20th	36	GT2.0	Bud Hulsey	Harry Washburn	A.C. Cars Ltd.	AC Ace	166
21st	34	GT2.0	Mike Rothschild	Bob Grossman	A.C. Cars Ltd.	AC Ace	166
22nd	33	GT2.0	James Johnston William Bradley	Bud Seaverns	S. H. Arnolt Inc	Arnolt Boldie	165
23rd	65	S850	David Cunnigham	John Fulp	Luigi Chinetti Motors	Osca S750	152
24th	39	GT1.6	Fred Hayes	Ed Leavens	British Motor Corp.	MG A Twin Cam	160
25th	55	GT1.3	Charles Evans Jay Chamberlain	Sam Weiss	Lotus Cars USA	Lotus Elite	158
26th	3	GT5.0	Fred Gamble Bill Wuestfhoff	Jim Jeffords	Camoradi USA	Chevrolet Corvette C1	157
27th	48	GT1.3	William Milliken	Cameron Argetsinger	Cameron Argetsinger	Alfa Romeo Giuletta Veloce	156
28th	77	GT2.0	Tony O’Sullivan Jef Stevens	Peter Procter	Tony O’Sullivan	AC Ace	151
DNF	25	S3.0	Walt Hansgen	Ed Crawford	Jaguar Distributors of New York	Maserati Tipo 61	149	Differential
29th	40	GT1.6	Jack Flaherty	Jim Parkinson	British Motor Corp.	MG A Twin Cam	148
30th	51	GT1.3	Louis Comito Bob Richardson	Ross Durant, Jr.	Ross Durant, Jr.	Alfa Romeo Giuletta Veloce	143
31st	52	GT1.3	Chuck Kessinger Ken Gardner	Stephen A. McClellan, Jr.	Dr. Ray Martinez	Alfa Romeo Giuletta Veloce	143
32nd	4	GT5.0	Jim Jeffords	Fred Gamble	Camoradi USA	Chevrolet Corvette C1	143
33rd	18	GT3.0	Peter Riley	Jack Sears	British Motor Corp.	Austin-Healey 3000	141
34th	26	S3.0	Duncan Black	Charlemagne Tower	Charlemagne Tower	Daimler SP250	137
DNF	23	S3.0	Stirling Moss	Dan Gurney	Camoradi USA	Maserati Tipo 61	136	Transmission failure
NC	5	GT5.0	Delmo Johnson	Dave Morgan	Johnson Chevrolet Co.	Chevrolet Corvette C1	134
DNF	46	S1.6	Pedro von Döry Anton von Döry	Roberto Miéres	Anton von Döry	Porsche 718 RSK	133	Broken cam follower
NC	37	S1.6	John Masterson Norman Babcock	Dean Patterson	Elva Distributors USA	Elva-Climax Courier	131
NC	60	S1.15	Ed Costley	Pete Harrison	Edgar M. Costley	Elva-Climax Mk IV	131
DNF	28	S2.0	Ricardo Rodríguez	Pedro Rodríguez	North American Racing Team	Ferrari Dino 196 S	126	Clutch failure
DNF	7	S3.0	Chuck Daigh	Richie Ginther	North American Racing Team	Ferrari 250 TR 59/60	123	Water & oil leak
NC	66	S850	Ray Cuomo	Paul Richards	Roosevelt Automobiles	Fiat-Abarth 750S	115
NC	32	GT2.0	Tom Payne	Robert Gary	S. H. Arnolt Inc	Arnolt Boldie	99
NC	68	S1.6	Charles Wallace Charlie Kolb	William Horton	Elva Distributors USA	Elva-Climax Courier	92
DNF	43	S1.6	Graham Hill	Jo Bonnier	Joakim Bonnier	Porsche 718 RS 60	87	Engine
DNF	53	GT1.3	Ralph Troiano George Waltman	Art Swanson	Racing Associates of New England	Alfa Romeo Giuletta Veloce	70	Axle
NC	61	S1.0	John Sprinzel	John Lumkin	Donald Healey, Ltd.	Austin-Healey Sebring Sprite	62
DNF	35	GT2.0	Bob Mazzi Frank Schroeder	Fred Moore	A. C. Car Ltd	AC Ace	61	Left rear wheel
DNF	30	GT2.0	Ike Williamson	James Forno	Morgan Motors Ltd.	Morgan Plus 4	60	Broken front hub
DNF	57	GT1.3	Frank Bott	Phil Forno	Lotus Cars USA	Lotus Elite	57	Accident
DNF	19	GT3.0	John Colgate	Fred Spross	British Motor Corp.	Austin-Healey 300	54	Accident
DNF	2	GT5.0	Dick Thompson	Fred Windridge	Jaguar Distributors of New York	Chevrolet Corvette C1	41	Engine
DNF	64	S850	Denise McCluggage	Pinkie Windridge	Camoradi USA	Osca S187	34	Oil loss => bearing jammed
DNF	41	GT1.6	John Cuevas	Ulf Norinder	Quiver Enterprises	Porsche 356A Carrera GT GS Speedster	33	Broken crankshaft
DNF	15	GT3.0	Gianni Balzarini	Carlo Maria Abate	Scuderia Serenissima	Ferrari 250 GT	28
DNF	1	GT5.0	Briggs Cunningham	John Fitch	Jaguar Distributors of New York	Chevrolet Corvette C1	27	Rear hub => accident
DNF	67	S850	Victor Lukens	Fred Haynes	Racemasters	Bandini-Fiat GT	27	Radiator damaged
DNF	27	S2.0	Hap Sharp	Jim Hall	Hap Sharp	Cooper-Maserati Monaco T49	26	Broken piston
DNF	49	GT1.3	Charlie Rainville	Jake Kaplan	Jake Kaplan	Alfa Romeo Giuletta Veloce	16	Broken connection rod
DNF	56	GT1.3	Jim Hughes	Sam Weiss	Lotus Cars USA	Lotus Elite	5	Fatal accident (Hughes)
DNF	38	GT1.6	Colin Escott	Ted Lund	British Motor Corp.	MG A Twin Cam	3	Broken valve
DNF	22	S3.0	Carroll Shelby	Masten Gregory	Camoradi USA	Maserati Tipo 61	3	Engine
DNF	46	S1.6	Ernie Erickson	Don Sesslar	Carl Erickson Co.	Porsche 718 RSK	1	Timing gear jammed
DNS	21	S3.0	Stirling Moss	Dan Gurney	Camoradi USA	Maserati Tipo 61		Engine
DNQ	73	S1.15	Bob Grimes	Paul Hill	Elva Distributors USA	Elva-Climax Mk. IV		Reserve
DNQ	75	S850	Otto Linton	Francis Ginther	John Miles	Osca S750		Reserve
DNQ	79	GT3.0	Mel Siegel	Harry Fry	London Motors Inc.	Austin-Healey 3000		Reserve
DNS	81	GT3.0	Laurence Gandolfi Paul O’Shea	Nim York	Lewis Engineering Co.	Mercedes-Benz 300 SL		No spare brakes
DNS	T2	GT3.0	Peter RIley John Colgate	Jack Sears Fred Spross	British Motor Corp.	Austin-Healey 3000		practised only
DNS	T	GT1.6			British Motor Corp.	MG A Twin Cam		practised only

^[24][25]

• Fastest Lap: Chuck Daigh, 3:18.14secs (94.479 mph)^[26][27]

Class Winners

^[28]

Standings after the race

FIA World Sportscar Championship

Pos	Championship	Points
1=	Ferrari	12
1=	Porsche	12
3	Maserati	3

• Note: Only the top five positions are included in this set of standings.

Championship points were awarded for the first six places in each race in the order of 8-6-4-3-2-1. Manufacturers were only awarded points for their highest finishing car with no points awarded for positions filled by additional cars. Only the best 3 results out of the 5 races could be retained by each manufacturer. Points earned but not counted towards the championship totals are listed within brackets in the above table.

References

Further reading

• Alec Ulmann. The Sebring Story. Chilton Book Company. ASIN B0006CUAP2.