The 12 Hours of Sebring are an endurance classic – but what did it look like in the early days? Sebring 1966 for Assetto Corsa lets you experience the event’s original layout.
The 2024 Sebring 12 Hours drew the attention of endurance racing fans around the world. As always, the airfield circuit and its infamous bumps presented teams and drivers with an enormous challenge, with the track’s layout still using parts of two runways.
Sebring International Raceway has been around since 1950, with the first edition of the 12 Hours of Sebring having been held in 1952. Prior to that, a six-hour race on New Year’s Eve of 1950 marked the first event at the track, although it used a different layout to the one first used at the 12 Hours. This 1952 to 1966 layout saw the race rise to prominence – and sim racers can try it in Assetto Corsa.
Track creator @Tyrone - Nukedrop Mods originally uploaded his Sebring 1966 mod track to RaceDepartment in August of 2022, with a major update following in May of 2023. And it is certainly a must-download for any sim racer that likes to turn back the time a bit.
The layout in use at Sebring from 1952 to 1966. Image credit: racingcircuits.info
Well, not quite. Looking at both layouts a little closer, you will notice that basically only the main straight, parts of Big Bend and the following straight, a small bit of the former Warehouse Straigth, and the part between today’s Collier Curve and Tower Turns (in reverse direction) are still part of the race track.
Sebring 1966 uses a lot more of the existing structures, most of which can still be seen on aerial photos. Instead of today’s turn one, the track continued to go straight for a bit longer before a quick left hander, using more of the runway.
Sebring 1966 – ultra-wide straights, lots (and lots!) of cones.
Linking all these wide runway parts are access roads, which are much narrower. Still, this being an airport, there are not many natural markers as to where the track goes. Instead, there are cones. Hundreds, possibly thousands of cones, supposedly helping drivers find their way. And they do, but when you are first trying to find your way around Sebring 1966, they might also be pretty confusing.
Either way, they are a bit of a godsend once it turns dark. While the circuit features full night lighting, there are not many well-lit structures over the course of a lap. Instead, you will find everything being pitch black outside the reach of your headlights. It is almost like you are racing an entirely different circuit at night.
Once night falls at Sebring 1966, visibility is not on your side anymore. At all.
Said driver was Bob McLean, who lost control of his Ford GT 40 Mk. I at Big Bend following transmission failure. The Canadian ran into a ditch, hit a telephone pole, and his car burst into flames.
The other incident involved Don Wester, who collided with Mario Andretti approaching the Webster Turn chicane on Warehouse Straight. The contact sent Wester’s Porsche 906 into a crowd (which was not even allowed to be there in the first place), then crashing into one of the namesake warehouses. While Wester suffered no major injuries, four spectators died as a result of the crash.
This led to a rethink of the layout. Warehouse Straight had said warehouses right next to it – no armco, no barriers, nothing between them and the racing circuit. The resulting layout change for 1967 does not look like much on a map, just the chicane being moved much closer to the Hairpin Turn. Effectively, it shifted the race track away from the warehouses, having the cars run on a straight parallel to the old one instead.
Warehouse Straight lived up to its name – and was the cause for the first layout change in 14 years.
A few more changes followed throughout the 1990s, with the current layout being in place since 1999. Despite the shift away from the original layout, the current-day characteristics of the track also apply to Sebring 1966. It is bumpy, it is fast, and it features one of the trickiest final corners anywhere in Sunset Bend, formerly ‘U-Turn’.
If you know the current track, you will feel at home immediately at Sebring 1966. You might not find your way around as well as you are used to, and in some places, it will feel like an entirely different track. But diving into the history of one of the most highly-regarded endurance tracks in the world is well worth it to understand its history and how it achieved its legendary status.
Atmosphere is one of the strong suits of Sebring 1966 for Assetto Corsa.
Or maybe it is just plain fun to throw a Ford GT 40 around on the bumpy runways while admiring the picturesque sunset. That has potential for sim racing bliss.
What are your thoughts on Sebring 1966 and its classic layout for Assetto Corsa? Let us know on Twitter @OverTake_gg or in the comments below!
The 2024 Sebring 12 Hours drew the attention of endurance racing fans around the world. As always, the airfield circuit and its infamous bumps presented teams and drivers with an enormous challenge, with the track’s layout still using parts of two runways.
Sebring International Raceway has been around since 1950, with the first edition of the 12 Hours of Sebring having been held in 1952. Prior to that, a six-hour race on New Year’s Eve of 1950 marked the first event at the track, although it used a different layout to the one first used at the 12 Hours. This 1952 to 1966 layout saw the race rise to prominence – and sim racers can try it in Assetto Corsa.
Track creator @Tyrone - Nukedrop Mods originally uploaded his Sebring 1966 mod track to RaceDepartment in August of 2022, with a major update following in May of 2023. And it is certainly a must-download for any sim racer that likes to turn back the time a bit.
The layout in use at Sebring from 1952 to 1966. Image credit: racingcircuits.info
Sebring 1966: The Original 12-Hour Layout
Looking at the 1966 track map, the circuit looks similar to today’s version. Sure, the hairpin after big bend is a bit further down the road and much tighter, and the circuit’s layout was a bit simpler overall. But most of it is still in use today, right?Well, not quite. Looking at both layouts a little closer, you will notice that basically only the main straight, parts of Big Bend and the following straight, a small bit of the former Warehouse Straigth, and the part between today’s Collier Curve and Tower Turns (in reverse direction) are still part of the race track.
Sebring 1966 uses a lot more of the existing structures, most of which can still be seen on aerial photos. Instead of today’s turn one, the track continued to go straight for a bit longer before a quick left hander, using more of the runway.
Sebring 1966 – ultra-wide straights, lots (and lots!) of cones.
Bumpy Track, Countless Cones
And where today’s longest straight is the Ulmann straight right before the famous Sunset Bend at the end of the lap, the 1966 version had an even longer full-throttle part right before this, simply called “The Straight.” It used another runway and almost feels as wide as the entire state of Florida at times.Linking all these wide runway parts are access roads, which are much narrower. Still, this being an airport, there are not many natural markers as to where the track goes. Instead, there are cones. Hundreds, possibly thousands of cones, supposedly helping drivers find their way. And they do, but when you are first trying to find your way around Sebring 1966, they might also be pretty confusing.
Either way, they are a bit of a godsend once it turns dark. While the circuit features full night lighting, there are not many well-lit structures over the course of a lap. Instead, you will find everything being pitch black outside the reach of your headlights. It is almost like you are racing an entirely different circuit at night.
Once night falls at Sebring 1966, visibility is not on your side anymore. At all.
Sebring 1966: The Danger Of 1960s Racing
In that sense, Sebring 1966 shows very well how incredibly unsafe racing still was at the time. In fact, it even showed that in the real 1966 race, too. Tragically, a driver and four spectators died in two separate incidents.Said driver was Bob McLean, who lost control of his Ford GT 40 Mk. I at Big Bend following transmission failure. The Canadian ran into a ditch, hit a telephone pole, and his car burst into flames.
The other incident involved Don Wester, who collided with Mario Andretti approaching the Webster Turn chicane on Warehouse Straight. The contact sent Wester’s Porsche 906 into a crowd (which was not even allowed to be there in the first place), then crashing into one of the namesake warehouses. While Wester suffered no major injuries, four spectators died as a result of the crash.
This led to a rethink of the layout. Warehouse Straight had said warehouses right next to it – no armco, no barriers, nothing between them and the racing circuit. The resulting layout change for 1967 does not look like much on a map, just the chicane being moved much closer to the Hairpin Turn. Effectively, it shifted the race track away from the warehouses, having the cars run on a straight parallel to the old one instead.
Warehouse Straight lived up to its name – and was the cause for the first layout change in 14 years.
More Changes, Same Character
The resulting layout lasted until 1982, and the most notable changes after that were made in 1987 and 1991, the former skipping The Straight and inserting the Flying Fortress Straight, Bishop Bend and Gendebien Bend, and the latter skipping most of the replacement Warehouse Straight in Favor of Cunningham Corner and Collier Curve.A few more changes followed throughout the 1990s, with the current layout being in place since 1999. Despite the shift away from the original layout, the current-day characteristics of the track also apply to Sebring 1966. It is bumpy, it is fast, and it features one of the trickiest final corners anywhere in Sunset Bend, formerly ‘U-Turn’.
If you know the current track, you will feel at home immediately at Sebring 1966. You might not find your way around as well as you are used to, and in some places, it will feel like an entirely different track. But diving into the history of one of the most highly-regarded endurance tracks in the world is well worth it to understand its history and how it achieved its legendary status.
Atmosphere is one of the strong suits of Sebring 1966 for Assetto Corsa.
Or maybe it is just plain fun to throw a Ford GT 40 around on the bumpy runways while admiring the picturesque sunset. That has potential for sim racing bliss.
What are your thoughts on Sebring 1966 and its classic layout for Assetto Corsa? Let us know on Twitter @OverTake_gg or in the comments below!
