Sebring
6.019 km of asphalt and old concrete runway on a wartime airfield in central Florida. Sebring is famous for its bumps, which shake cars apart over 12 hours, and for the long, fast Turn 17 back to the line. Learn how the lap works, then open it in the designer and make your own version.
The track at a glance
Sebring International Raceway is in Sebring, Florida, in the United States. It is 6.019 km long with 17 turns and runs clockwise. The first race was held on New Year’s Eve 1950, and the 12 Hours of Sebring has been held there since 1952.
The circuit is laid out on part of a former Second World War airfield, where pilots trained to fly B-17 bombers. About 1.1 km of the lap still runs on the original concrete runways, and the joins between the slabs make it one of the bumpiest tracks in the world.
Teams use the race to test their cars before the 24 Hours of Le Mans: if a car survives 12 hours at Sebring, it is ready for almost anything.
A lap of Sebring, corner by corner
Most corners at Sebring are known by name or number. This guide follows nine key places around the lap. Their numbers match the map.
- Turn 1
The first corner after the pit straight, on the wide open space of the old airfield.
- Gurney Bend
A bend named after Dan Gurney that leads towards the far end of the circuit.
- The Hairpin
A slow, tight hairpin and a good place to overtake.
- Fangio Chicane
A quick left-right that leads onto the run along the back of the circuit.
- Cunningham Corner
A corner named after Briggs Cunningham, one of the race’s early stars.
- Tower Turn
A corner named after the old airfield control tower nearby.
- Gendebien Bend
A tight corner that was re-profiled in 1997 to slow cars down before the Ullman Straight.
- Ullman Straight
The long back straight, and one of the fastest parts of the lap.
- Sunset Bend
Turn 17: a long, fast right on bumpy concrete, wide enough for three cars side by side. It leads onto the pit straight.
Racing at Sebring
Sebring grew from a race on an empty airfield into one of the great endurance races.
- 1950The first race, a six-hour event, is held on New Year’s Eve.
- 1952The first 12 Hours of Sebring is held.
- 1959Sebring hosts the first United States Grand Prix of the World Championship era.
- 1997Gendebien Bend is re-profiled, and the old hairpin is replaced.
- 2019The lap record is set at 1:41.800 by a prototype sports car.
Designed on an airfield
Sebring’s layout comes from the airfield it is built on. Long, wide runways give fast, open sections, and the old concrete gives the track its rough surface. Cars have to be set up softly to cope with the bumps, which costs grip elsewhere.
It is a good example of how many circuits started life on wartime airfields, just like Silverstone. For more, read our history of Silverstone or what race tracks are made of.
Ideas for your remaster
The Remaster button opens the traced layout in the designer. You can move any point and the lap time, speed trace and corner analysis update as you go. A few places to start:
Use the whole airfield. The runways leave plenty of space. Try a longer or faster lap that uses more of them.
Build a short circuit. Sebring also runs shorter club layouts. Design your own short loop for testing and track days.
Name the corners. Group and name the turns in the designer, and they will show on your exports and share link.
Finish it properly. Add track width, kerbs, run-off and a pit lane so it reads like a real venue.
When you’re happy with it, share your version with its own link. The original stays here for the next person to remaster.
Frequently asked questions
How long is Sebring International Raceway?
The full course is 6.019 km (3.740 miles) long with 17 turns.
Why is Sebring so bumpy?
Part of the lap runs on concrete runways from a Second World War airfield. The joins between the concrete slabs make the surface very rough.
Which way does Sebring run?
Clockwise. The lap leaves the pit straight through Turn 1, heads out to the Hairpin, runs back past Tower Turn and down the Ullman Straight to Sunset Bend and the finish.
When is the 12 Hours of Sebring?
It is held each March and has been run since 1952. It is one of the oldest endurance races in the United States.
Is the remastered Sebring an exact copy?
It is a close trace of the centreline using 64 editable points, within a few metres of the mapped circuit. Track width, kerbs, run-off and the pit lane are left for you to design.
Layout traced from OpenStreetMap data, © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), via open-racetrack-db. Circuit facts: Wikipedia. RaceTrackDesigner is not affiliated with the circuit, its owners or any racing series.