In his first career Mobil 1 – 12 Hours of Sebring event, Seth Lucas partnered with Ave Motorsports to earn a top-five result. Competing in the LMP3 class and overcoming a failed tech inspection after qualifying and being down one cylinder for the race, Lucas and his team soldiered on to gain experience and cross the line fifth in class and 16th overall out of a total of 53 cars.
“We came here to win so leaving the event without a trophy is disappointing, but I am proud of the team and how they handled the situation that was presented to them,” explained Lucas. “The team pushed hard throughout the race and despite being down one cylinder, we managed to stay on the lead lap for the first half of the race.”
After qualifying second but being forced to start last in class due to failing post-race technical inspection for front nose height, the first lap of the race presented a misfire for Seth’s teammate who was behind the wheel as he drove around more than four seconds off the pace. At the first pit stop, the team exchanged data sticks to analyze the car’s vitals and learned that one cylinder was not firing causing a loss of power. On the second pitstop, Ave Motorsports mechanics pulled the engine cover to see if anything was amiss and it was determined that the engine harness had gone bad which is not something that could be changed in a short time period.
Adjusting their strategy to continue to circulate and see if they could pick up positions due to attrition, the Ave Motorsports #4 entry managed to stay on the lead lap for the first half of the race. Taking advantage of caution periods to keep up with the competition, the team decided to focus on Seth’s drive time and allow him to gain the experience needed to compete in future events.
Lucas added “I drove a couple of double stints and finished the race with a single stint. I drove about 5.5 hours of the 12-hour race and though the pace was down due to our lack of power, I still learned a tremendous amount that will for sure be a benefit in the future.”
With the 12 Hours of Sebring event now behind him, Seth Lucas will shift his focus to the next event on his busy 2023 calendar as he travels across the country to the famed Sonoma Raceway over the March 30-April 2 weekend.
2023 Schedule for Seth Lucas
March 30-April 2 – Sonoma Raceway – Sonoma, California
April 28-30 – NOLA Motorsports Park – New Orleans, Louisiana
May 19-21 – Circuit of the Americas – Austin, Texas
June 16-18 – Virginia International Raceway – Alton, Virginia
June 22-25 – Watkins Glen International – Corning, New York
August 18-20 – Road America – Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin
September 22-24 – Sebring International Raceway – Sebring, Florida
October 5-7 – Indianapolis Motor Speedway – Indianapolis, Indiana
October 11-14 – Road Atlanta – Braselton, Georgia
Be sure to follow the Seth Lucas Racing social media pages for news, information, photos, and results throughout the 2023 race season.
Photos: Halston Pitman – MotorSportMedia