A promising start for Rebellion Racing at Sebring

The two Lola-Toyotas of Rebellion Racing finished beyond thirtieth place, but the result does not reflect the performance of two black and gold prototypes, especially the #12 that held third place until one hour from the finish. The Lola-Toyota # 12 of Nick Heidfeld, Neel Jani and Nicolas Prost was firmly installed in third place overall when the French driver was forced to stop at the side of the track when he was only one hour away from the chequered flag. After returning to the pits on a tow truck, engineers managed to repair the car and was able to get it back on track and pass the finish line, as did the sister car #13 in the hands of Andrea Belicchi, Jeroen Bleekemolen and Harold Primat, that met with gearbox trouble early in the race and had a delay that could not be not caught up.

Bart Hayden, REBELLION Racing Team Manager : “Sebring is a tough race and possibly even harder on the cars than Le Mans. We’ve had some issues today which have robbed us of a podium, so it’s hard to feel anything but extremely dissapointed. However, there are positives to be had; we earned points for fourth place in the LMP1 FIA Endurance trophy and the new drivers and team members have settled in well to the team. Our pace with the « old » car was very good, so we are optimistic for where we will be with the ‘new’ ones from Spa onwards. “

Nick Heidfeld, #12 Lola-Toyota : “Of course it’s a shame to end the race this way. It’s always disapointing to miss a good result. On the other hand, there are some positive sides. I’m happy to have driven the Lola-Toyota car and to race with the Rebellion Racing team ! The team is pro and well organized. Here at Sebring, I have experienced a new car, a new track and a new way of racing with massive traffic. I think that it will be easier at Le Mans because the track is longer, there are more straight lines… and less cars. “

Andrea Belicchi, #13 Lola-Toyota : “We had a really very good car today. Without the early problem with the blipper, we would have a chance to secure a podium finish. I’m really impressed by Harold’s pace, especially in the night : he was like a cat in the night. Jeroen had also very strong stints in the car. I’m pleased to have him in car 13 with us at Le Mans. The addition of John Gentry as our racing engineer has helped us to raise our understanding and development of the car. This is all very encouraging for the races to come. I can’t wait to be in Spa with the new car. “

Dave Davies (Source: Rebellion Racing press release)

Photo : SEBRING (FLORIDA, USA), SEBRING INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY, SEBRING 12 HOURS, SATURDAY 17th MARCH 2012, RACE. The Lola-Toyota #12 was en route to the podium when it experienced mechanical problems.

Photo : DPPI