12H of Sebring – Delétraz and Acura winners after a tough battle with Cadillac: “Bourdais was tough but correct, so thanks to him”

We will long remember this 72nd edition of the 12 hours from Sebring (Florida), or rather, we will especially remember for a long time these epic last ten minutes on the Florida track. The outcome more than undecided in the final moments of a race which initially seemed promised to the Cadillacs, before the impressive crash of Pipo Derani aboard the V-Series.R n°31 Don't come and reshuffle the cards.

The other Cadillac, the golden No. 01, had the opportunity to erase the disappointment of this terrible accident: at the head of the GTP peloton after the final restart, Sébastien Bourdais could have brought victory home, but that was without counting on the enthusiasm of Louis Delétraz aboard the No. 40 Acura behind him. The Swiss, unleashed, did not need to be asked: five minutes from the end, the WTRAndretti driver attempted a dive inside the Frenchman, with success! A muscular maneuver (with a few contacts) but above all decisive to achieve his first victory in the premier category of theIMSA.

RACE-WINNING MOVES!

Louis Delétraz passed Bourdais with under six minutes to go to take victory in the 12 Hours of Sebring!@IMSA | @WTRAndretti pic.twitter.com/vTwNq6P0T5

- NBC Sports (@NBCSports) March 17, 2024

“The car was really strong at the end, and I knew we were in position to win. It was a lot of pressure”, confided a happy Louis Delétraz at the finish of the race. The Swiss also explained his decisive overtaking for victory, and thanked Sébastien Bourdais for the battle offered on the track. “I've never really done this (be the driver to cross the finish line, Editor's note), my first time was at Daytona, this is the second time I've finished a race. Obviously I wanted to win and score points for the championship. I saw that I had the opportunity to do it. Sébastien [Bourdais] was tough but correct, so thanks to him. And in the end, I saw the opening, I went for it, I had more rhythm and I won! I will remember this race for a long time. »

12H of Sebring: First success for WTRAndretti with Acura

Louis Delétraz was not the only one to build this victory for Acura and WTRAndretti. The No. 40 was able to get back to the front of the peloton thanks in particular to big stints by Colton Herta. The American pushed like hell to move up the GTP peloton and take the lead with two hours to go, placing his crew in a good position for the final sprint of the 12 Hours of Sebring.

" It's awesome ! It's incredible to finally win this race. I almost won in 2020 with BMW and ended up being taken out with five minutes to go, recalls Colton Herta, finally avenged. Since then, I really wanted to come back and try to win this race. Fortunately, we succeeded. I can't stress enough what Louis did in the last stint to bring home the victory, the type of pressure he was under and his ability to come out of it and put a blow on Sébastien. I think everyone did a fantastic job on the team, the drivers. Everything was perfect for us. »

For Acura and WTRAndretti, this success at the 12 Hours of Sebring also represents a nice revenge after a laborious 24 Hours of Daytona, where the ARX-06s did not really shine against the Cadillacs and the Porsche. Above all, it is the first victory for the American team with the Japanese manufacturer in the GTP category. “It’s a big victory for the team. Our car stayed out of trouble all day, underlines Jordan Taylor. Louis' last stint made the difference today. The team did a good job of keeping us in contention, but he really fought for this win and got it for us. »

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