Nearly six months ago, Rebel Rock Racing completed an incident-free race at Daytona in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge season opener, and was looking to carry that momentum to Sebring International Raceway.
The COVID-19 shutdown put those plans on hold, though. This weekend, the team takes the long-awaited trip to Sebring for Friday’s two-hour Advent Health 120, with Frank DePew and Robin Liddell at the wheel of the No. 71 Urban Grid /Fifth Third Bank Chevrolet Camaro GT4.R.
While the track is a long-held staple of IMSA, the July event is new to the IMSA schedule as the series has worked to rebuild the 2020 season.
The Alan Jay Automotive Network 120, originally scheduled on the same weekend as the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, has been moved to November, and will serve as the 2020 season finale. The series restarts on Friday with the Advent Health 120.
Rebel Rock Racing was eliminated in the opening laps at both Daytona and Sebring to open the 2019 campaign, but continued to focus on building as a team each time out. Those efforts came to the fore as the team scored two remarkable victories last season – more than any other team in the competitive GS class.
Both DePew and Liddell ran in the top five prior to pit stops in the 2020 opener at Daytona. While a final-hour technical problem eventually resulted in a 13th-place finish, the team gained solid points and looks for continued improvement at the historic and challenging Sebring circuit this week.
“As much as it has been a long and challenging break for all of us, and as excited as we are to get back to competition, we want to take a moment to reflect upon all those for whom this has been a very difficult and sad time,” Liddell said. “In many ways, the break since Daytona has felt a bit like an off season, but has been a great opportunity for us to get a lot of little wish list items ticked off.”
All of the Michelin Pilot Challenge competitors will be entering uncharted territory this weekend. Instead of anticipating changing weather conditions prevalent in central Florida in mid-March, 90-plus degree temperatures and afternoon thunderstorms can be expected in mid-July. Liddell feels the team is ready for the challenge.
“We recently had a two day test at Sebring where the car performed very well, so honestly, we feel like we are in pretty good shape,” Liddell said. “Even in the hotter ambient and track temperatures, the Michelin tires were consistent and the grip levels were very good so I think what we learned there at the end of June should put us in a pretty good position for the race weekend. I’m really looking forward to it.”
Rebel Rock’s key to victory will be maintaining a fast pace whilst protecting the Camaro on the bumpy circuit that was built on a World War II airfield.
“As a driver, I certainly enjoy the bumps at Sebring,” DePew said. “I love turn 17. The exit of turn one can be a bit daunting, given the speed you’re carrying and the fact that those bumps when hit wrong can actually throw you off the track. It requires quite a bit of setup in the car in order to have the compliance to handle those bumps and still perform well throughout the rest of the track.”
Liddell agreed.
“It’s certainly a fun and challenging track to drive,” he said. “The more you drive the track, the more accustomed you become to all of it’s bumps and little eccentricities. It’s part of the intrinsic feel of the track, and over time it’s become almost an endearing part of Sebring; it’s very satisfying to drive when you get it right.”
The Advent Health 120 will be streamed live on Friday at 2:30 p.m. ET, exclusively on TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold. IMSA Radio will also have live coverage throughout the weekend on RadioLeMans.com.