- Pierce Marshall and Eric Foss Co-Drive Matador Motorsports 2016 No. 3 Corvette C7.R to Overall B.R.M. Endurance Challenge Win
- Billy Johnson Tops Stacked Sasco Sports International/American Challenge Field for Overall Victory in Alegra Motorsports 1973 No. 122 Porsche 911
- NASCAR Legend Bill Elliott Second Overall and Sasco Sports American Division Winner in Vintage Race Car Restorations 1970 No. 9 Ford Mustang Boss 302
SEBRING, Florida (December 4, 2021) – Six more Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) Sebring Historics race winners were crowned in the B.R.M. Endurance Challenge and Sasco Sports International/American Challenge 2021 finales Friday at Sebring International Raceway.
The B.R.M. and Sasco Sports season-ending HSR championship feature races set the stage for this weekend’s sixth annual HSR Classic Sebring 12 Hour, Pistons and Props, presented by the Alan Jay Automotive Network, which is just getting underway at Sebring International Raceway.
The B.R.M. Endurance Challenge overall and GT Modern (GTM) victories went to the Matador Motorsports 2016 No. 3 Corvette C7.R of Pierce Marshall and his coach and co-driver Eric Foss. The victory made the familiar yellow C7.R two-for-two this weekend after Marshall solo drove the Corvette to victory in Friday’s season-ending HSR Stoner Car Care Global GT race.
The B.R.M. Prototype victory – and a sixth-place overall finish – went to co-drivers Richard Carlino and Dave Handy, who secured top class honors in the Sasco Sports-prepared 2011 No. 25 Oreca FLM09 Prototype Challenge “PC” car.
In B.R.M. Historic class competition, the Don Hoevel Racing 1976 No. 93 Chevron B36 of Chip Halverson and Larry Webster broke through for the class win. The quick Chevron also placed ninth overall, the only Historic class competitor to finish in the overall top-10 in the 34-car field.
In a flat-out Sasco Sports finale that saw 33 cars take the green flag, Billy Johnson took control at the start and led every lap for the overall and Porsche-class win in the Alegra Motorsports 1973 No. 122 Porsche 911.
Legendary NASCAR driver Bill Elliott was Johnson’s nearest challenger, but “Awesome Bill from Dawsonville” never got close enough to battle for the overall win. Elliott crossed the finish line second overall and scored the Sasco Sports American division victory in the Vintage Race Car Restorations 1970 No. 9 Ford Mustang Boss 302.
Gary Moore stayed in close touch with Elliott throughout the Sasco Sports sprint to complete the overall podium and take second place in the American division in his Cobra Automotive 1966 No. 98 Shelby GT350.
The overall Sasco Sports top five included second-place Porsche finisher Yves Scemama, who was fourth in his 1974 No. 52 Porsche 911 IROC, and Jeff McKee in his popular 1964 No. 51 Ford Falcon prepared by Olthoff Racing in fifth overall and third in the American division.
Josh Tuggle finished third in the Sasco Sports Porsche class in his 1974 No. 114 Porsche 911. Both Tuggle’s 911 and Scemama’s similar Porsche IROC model are prepared by Heritage Motorsports.
A trio of quick BMWs swept the Sasco Sports International podium. The victory went to Patrick Womack in his Fall-Line Motorsports 1973 No. 20 BMW 2002 while John Bibbo finished third in his similar Heritage Motorsports 1976 No. 208 BMW 2002.
Splitting the 2002 competitors on the podium was returning HSR driver Robert Albino in his Hudson Historics 1998 No. 192 BMW M3.
Marshall and Foss were joined on the B.R.M. GTM podium by runner-up Cody Ware in his 2017 No. 412 Porsche 991 Cup prepared by Hairy Dog Grrrage. Third went to Michael Flynn in his Irish Mike’s Racing 2015 No. 95 Porsche 991 GT3 America.
Halverson and Webster led a B.R.M. Historic top three that included second-place finishers Hartmut Von Seelen and Kevin Wheeler in the 1973 No. 51 Porsche 911 prepared by KMW Motorsports. Francesco Melandri finished third in his Amalfi Racing 1996 No. 96 Porsche 993 GT2.
Friday concluded with the HSR Classic Sebring’s now traditional “Parade of Planes” that followed several fly overs and landings all day at nearby Sebring Regional Airport. The vintage and historic aircraft will be on display in the HSR paddock until Sunday mid-morning when they will once again be paraded back to Sebring Regional for departure.
Among the quality lineup of vintage airplanes at Sebring is the debuting 1946 ERCO Ercoupe 415-C of pilot and owner Lisa Heidinger. Designed prior to World War II by future Piper Aircraft Chief Designer Fred Weick, the Ercoupe is frequently referred to as the “Model T of the Sky.” Designed to be easy to fly and affordable and sold in in department stores like Macy’s and JC Penney, the Ercoupe was way ahead of its time in both appearance and technology. It used an innovative tricycle gear and a system to fly the airplane without rudder pedals. You simply steered it like a car.
Heidinger, the first woman pilot to participate in the Classic Sebring, Pistons and Props, purchased her Ercoupe in the spring of 2021 as a partially completed project. After trailering it to Florida from Ohio, she went to work recovering the fabric wings and completing the assembly. The plane was ready to go after just six weeks, and following a debut at the Sun-‘n-Fun airshow and fly-in Lakeland, Florida, Heidinger set out for the EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. She departed Florida in mid-July and returned 30 days later after a journey covering 2,500-plus miles, seven states and a total 33.3 hours in a vintage airplane, navigating with nothing but a wet compass and an iPad.
Detailed event information for the Classic Sebring 12 Hour and Sebring Historics, including weekend schedules and entry lists, is available at www.HSRRace.com.
Spectator tickets for the HSR Classic Sebring 12 Hour are available exclusively at Sebring International Raceway throughout the event. Learn more at www.HSRtickets.com.
About HSR: Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) was formed in the mid-1970s with an event at Road Atlanta. There was one goal then and it remains true today: to celebrate the race cars from the past. As a “time machine” of sights and sounds, HSR provides a venue for competitors and spectators alike to share in the wonderful history and excitement created by the cars that competed at race tracks around the world. HSR currently sanctions eight vintage and historic racing events at some of the world’s most renowned race tracks, including Road Atlanta, Sebring International Raceway, Daytona International Speedway and more. The complete schedule and full event information can be found on HSR’s website at www.HSRRace.com. Look for the HSR Channel on YouTube and follow HSR on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/HSRrace/ and on Twitter and Instagram at @HSR_race. A dedicated website for the Classic 24 Hour at Daytona presented by IMSA is available at www.Classic24hour.com.
