Fittipaldi and Barbosa Looking to Defend Their Title in the 12 Hours of Sebring

A perfect race at one of the world's most difficult and demanding circuits is a feat few teams ever experience. For Chevrolet, it had been 50 years since winning an overall victory in North America's longest running endurance competition. However, on March 21, 2015 the Mustang Sampling Chevrolet Corvette Daytona Prototype from Action Express Racing ended the drought for the automotive giant by turning in a near perfect performance, winning the 63rd edition of the twelve hours of Sebring by an entire lap.

Christian Fittipaldi, Joao Barbosa and Sébastien Bourdais wheeled the black, white and yellow Chevrolet Corvette Daytona Prototype flawlessly around the 3.74-mile, 17-turn circuit, stretching their lead until eventually lapping the second place team. The team led 246 of 340 laps and scored 14 of the available 15 points in the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup Championship.

This year, Barbosa and Fittipaldi, the defending race and series champions, return to Sebring International Raceway with their sights set on a repeat performance with new endurance co-driver Filipe Albuquerque. While the champions were happy to look back at what had been accomplished last season, they remained focused on the task at hand.

"Sebring is probably the most difficult race of the year for our series," said Fittipaldi. "You have the perfect storm of challenges when you think about the warm temperatures, the age of the track surface and just the beating that both the drivers and the car take for 12 hours.

"The win in the 12 hours of Sebring last year was one of the biggest of my career. Certainly the two overall wins in the Rolex 24 at Daytona and then the 24 hours of spa are up there, but this was a huge win for our team, for Chevrolet, ECR Engines and of course Mustang Sampling in their second race ever with Action Express Racing. But that was last year and we certainly can't sit back and reflect, we have to look forward and be ready to compete harder this year because the competition is stronger than ever."

While the Mustang Sampling Corvette DP was on the track during the IMSA sanctioned test February 25-26 at Sebring International Raceway, one driver was notably absent from the team's lineup.

Defending series champion João Barbosa was on the timing stand recovering from a fractured wrist suffered one-week prior. With his cast removed, the champion feels ready for the 64th running of the twelve hours of Sebring.

I've been working out as much as possible to stay ready, but it'll be different a different challenge," said Barbosa. "I was there for the test and was able to work with my teammates and so on but Sebring is a difficult track to return to from any injury because of the bumps and the heavy physical demand you feel with the high-speed corners. Fortunately, I have great teammates who will do a great job in our Mustang Sampling Chevrolet Corvette DP and the best race team with Action Express Racing."

While the driver lineup in the Mustang Sampling Corvette DP features a change from the winning formula in 2015, team manager Gary Nelson is confident in the three drivers who be seeking a second consecutive victory in the Twelve Hours of Sebring.

"We've got tremendous confidence in our drivers at Action Express Racing," said Nelson. "Christian and Joao have both accomplished a lot the past two seasons, and we're extremely fortunate to have Filipe Albuquerque for the NAEC events this year. He's been a great contributor since the November test at Daytona, and we look for him to continue that at Sebring."

While the Mustang Sampling Corvette DP wont hit the track until Thursday morning, Mustang Sampling president Ken Thompson will make a guest appearance with Barry Foster on WWTK 730 AM Monday, March 14 at 9:00 a.m.

Christian Fittipaldi will hit the road on Tuesday in Tampa to promote the race. The Brazilian driver will make stops at the Tampa Bay Times, WDAE 620 AM for the Ron & JP Show, FOX 13 and finish the day at WFLA NBC. Fittipaldi will also call into the Barry Foster show on Thursday morning at 8:30 a.m.

João Barbosa will be featured on the Sportscar365's "Double Stint" podcast on Tuesday, March 15.

The 64th annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring gets underway at 10:40 a.m. ET on Saturday, March 19. Follow Action Express Racing on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for track updates and tune-in information throughout the event.

Contact:

kzimmerman@hi-revracing.com

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