A solid entry list of iconic marques, legendary cars and motorsports stars is set for the season-opening Historic Sportscar Racing Spring Fling at Sebring International Raceway next week, March 31-April 2. The event features a Wednesday through Friday weekday schedule, allowing attendees the opportunity to get in a full HSR event and still be home for the Easter weekend holiday, and the unique format has proven popular with competitors and fans alike.
Topping the list of must-see rare race cars at the HSR Spring Fling is the 1976 No. 65 Kremer Brothers Porsche 934 of Tom McGlynn and the 901 Shop. McGlynn has owned the car for the last few years and worked recently with 901 in restoring the Porsche to its 1976 livery for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where the 934 was driven by French racing greats Bob Wollek and Didier Pironi and their countryman Marie-Claude Beaumont.
McGlynn took delivery of the Porsche at O’Hare Airport in Chicago on Halloween night in 2018 where the 934 appropriately unloaded in a pumpkin-orange Jagermeister livery it carried in its second and final Le Mans appearance in its prime in 1978. McGlynn brought the 934 to the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion in 2019 where he both competed on track and won best race car honors with the Porsche in the popular street concours event.
McGlynn also partnered with 901’s Jack Refenning and Brady Refenning in the 934 in the 2019 HSR Classic 24 at Daytona. The race reunited Jack with a car he owned in its first “tour of duty” in the United States back in the early 1980s. Although the 934 was nearing the end of its competitive prime, Jack co-drove to a strong ninth-place overall finish and third in the GTO class with co-drivers Ren Tilton and Rusty Bond in the 1982 Daytona 24 Hours. McGlynn’s 934 and dozens of other Porsches anchor an always strong entry of Stuttgart’s finest at the Spring Fling, but a stout group of competitors in a variety of Ferrari Challenge race cars will proudly carry the Prancing Horse flag.
Four generations of retired Ferrari Challenge cars — the F355, F360 F430 and 458 — will all be in action at Sebring.
Rene Zemp brings the oldest model with his Pocono Sportscar-prepared 1995 No. 56 Ferrari F355. Zemp will compete against his Pocono Sportscar teammate John Fatigati who wheels his 1997 No. 23 Ferrari F355. On the opposite end of the timeline, with a car 20 years newer than Zemp’s, is Paul Marino and his 2015 No. 22 Ferrari 458.
The F360 model is the most popular Ferrari of choice at the Spring Fling with three entries. Florida-based Speed Works campaigns the 2001 No. 36 Ferrari F360 for Patrick Mullaney.
Additional F360 entries are set for Bruce Ledoux in his 2000 No. 82 Ferrari F360 and another Pocono Sportscar-prepared car with the 2000 No. 15 Ferrari F360 of Ken Marlin.
Completing the formidable Ferrari entry is the 2006 No. 77 Ferrari F430 of Craig Martin that is another Speed Works entry.
Among the drivers bringing the star power to the Spring Fling is NASCAR legend Bill Elliott. “Awesome Bill from Dawsonville” (pictured above) was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2007 and the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2015, but he has continued his winning ways on track in HSR the last few seasons.
Elliott first swept the Stock Car class wins in 2019’s HSR Mitty at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta and backed it up one race later at Barber Motorsports Park with his first overall HSR Sasco Sports International/American Challenge victory. He competes next week in the Spring Fling in a NASCAR-spec 2014 Camaro carrying the trademark Elliott No. 9.
The HSR Spring Fling includes the first 2021 rounds of the B.R.M. Chronographes Endurance Challenge in a special Friday doubleheader schedule. The one hour Vintage and GT Classic (GTC) B.R.M. Endurance Challenge kicks Friday’s schedule off at 8:30 a.m. ET. The opening race will be followed by the Historic, Prototype and GT Modern (GTM) 60-minute endurance challenge that afternoon at 1 p.m. ET.
The WeatherTech Sprint Series is another primary part of the packed HSR Spring Fling schedule with the usual doubleheader race line-up bolstered by a third bonus race Friday. After Thursday’s first round of WeatherTech Sprints, two more races will be run for all Groups on Friday.
Another HSR Spring Fling highlight is back-to-back feature races closing out Thursday’s on-track activity. The popular Sasco Sports International/American Challenge race goes green Thursday at 3:30 p.m. ET and will be followed at 4 p.m. ET by the can’t-miss HSR Stoner Car Care Global GT race.
For the entry list, event schedule and more information, please visit the official HSR Spring Fling event page at www.HSRRace.com.
A variety ticket options, from daily admission on up to RV Parking, are available at www.HSRTickets.com. Online sales end Friday, March 26, and all current sales will be held in Will Call for pickup at Sebring International Raceway. At event ticket sales begin at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, March 31.
The HSR Spring Fling is the lead-in event for the 43rd HSR Mitty, Round 2 on the 2021 HSR Schedule, which takes place at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, April 21-25. Next week’s event is also the first of HSR’s annual pair of races on the legendary Sebring circuit in 2021. Nine months from now, the HSR racing year once again concludes with the season-ending HSR Classic Sebring 12 Hour and Sebring Historics, December 1-5.