Jack Aitken set a 1:46.153 in the Cadillac V-Series.R #31 of Action Express Racing and will start from pole position at the 74th running of the 12 Hours of Sebring, the second round of the 2026 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. It is the third IMSA pole for Aitken and the 21st for Action Express, a team that already knows how to win at this 3.74-mile, 17-turn circuit: it did so in 2015, 2019, and 2023.

The pole carries particular weight for the team because at Daytona, just a month and a half ago, Aitken was also fastest in qualifying, but the #31 did not pass post-qualifying inspection and had to start from the back of the grid. "One and a half poles," Aitken joked about his qualifying performance in 2026. Redemption at Sebring also comes on a weekend where Porsche Penske Motorsport had been the benchmark in all three practice sessions on Thursday. The #7 of Felipe Nasr set the overall fastest time with a 1:47.043, the two factory Porsche 963s ran 1-2 in the first and second sessions, and Nasr himself attributed the team's form to a recent private test.

Photo By IMSA

None of that mattered in qualifying, where the 15-minute GTP session produced more than half a dozen lead changes, with Albuquerque, Blomqvist, and Aitken exchanging fast laps in the final four minutes. Aitken put down the definitive lap with three and a half minutes remaining, and no one could respond. Tom Blomqvist, who shares the Acura ARX-06 #60 of Meyer Shank Racing with Colin Braun and six-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon, ended up 0.109s behind in second position. Filipe Albuquerque (Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing #10) will start third, and only fourth appears the best Porsche 963, the #6 of Kévin Estre. The #7 of Nasr, winner at Daytona and Sebring 2025, will roll off sixth.

Aitken knows the pole means little in a 12-hour race, and illustrated it with his own example: according to him, in 2025 the #31 started last and was fighting for the lead before two hours were up with help from cautions. Further down the order, the Porsche 963 #5 of JDC-Miller MotorSports with Kaylen Frederick was seventh and separated the two BMW M Hybrid V8s of WRT. Philipp Eng had a violent excursion at turn 1 with five minutes to go when the #25 hit an irregularity in the pavement and bounced off line; he returned to the track but qualified last among the 11 GTP cars.

Goikhberg receives LMP2 pole after Hyett penalty

LMP2 qualifying had its own story of penalty and frustrated revenge, as PJ Hyett (AO Racing) set a 1:50.941 in the ORECA #99 that would have comfortably been pole, but IMSA disallowed the lap for causing the only red flag on Thursday by crashing at turn 17 during first practice.

With his best time deleted, Hyett needed his second-fastest lap to be enough, and he nearly made it. In the final minute of the session, he went out to try another lap, but put two wheels outside track limits and the time slipped away. His 1:51.322 left him fourth.

Pole went to Misha Goikhberg in the ORECA #52 of Bryan Herta Autosport with PR1/Mathiasen, who set a 1:51.182 to claim his first IMSA pole. For PR1/Mathiasen, it is the 42nd pole in the series, with 30 of them in LMP2 and five at Sebring. The team had a complicated Thursday and rebuilt the car overnight. "The balance was very good," said Goikhberg. "I think we know where to adjust to have a better race car tomorrow."

Daniel Goldburg (United Autosports USA #22) and Jeremy Clarke (Inter Europol Competition #43, class winner at Sebring 2025) will start hundredths behind Goikhberg in second and third. George Kurtz (CrowdStrike Racing by APR #04), class winner at Daytona and points leader, will be fifth. Sebastian Alvarez is part of the Tower Motorsports #8 lineup alongside John Farano and Tristan Vautier; the car qualified ninth in class. The session also saw separate incidents for Naveen Rao and Phil Fayer at turn 15.

Photo By IMSA

Hawksworth breaks his own track record in his 100th race with Lexus

The coincidence of a round number and pure performance doesn't always happen, but Jack Hawksworth nailed it at Sebring. In what will be his 100th start with Lexus in IMSA, he set a 1:58.480 in the Lexus RC F GT3 #14 of Vasser Sullivan to take GTD Pro pole and erase his own track record, which dated from 2024. Hawksworth is defending the category title this season.

"It was a clean lap, no mistakes," Hawksworth explained. "This track is very demanding on the exact moment of the tire. It wasn't anything spectacular, but I was able to hit every corner at 99 percent."

Luca Stolz qualified second, 0.289s behind, in the Mercedes-AMG GT3 #48 of Winward Racing, but the car failed post-qualifying inspection for not meeting minimum ride height and will have to start from the back. Neil Verhagen (BMW M4 GT3 EVO #1, Paul Miller Racing) thus moves up to the effective second row alongside Ricardo Feller (Porsche 911 GT3 R #911, Manthey). All GTD Pro cars start ahead of GTD regardless of qualifying times.

Photo By IMSA

Dudu Barrichello secures his first IMSA pole

In GTD, the most notable was the time of Dudu Barrichello, son of Rubens, who with a 1:58.856 in the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo #27 of Heart of Racing took his first IMSA pole and was faster than several GTD Pro cars, a category with full-time professional drivers.

"We found the sweet spot with the car from the beginning," said Barrichello. "It's a privilege to be here at Sebring. I just have to enjoy it."

Philip Ellis (Mercedes-AMG GT3 #57, Winward Racing) will start second, 0.124s behind. It's worth noting that the #57 was the fastest GT car overall on Thursday with a 1:59.363 in first practice, so Winward arrives at the race with genuine pace in both categories, penalty for the #48 aside. Robby Foley (BMW M4 GT3 EVO #96, Turner Motorsport) closed out the top three in GTD.

Photo By IMSA

The 12 Hours of Sebring begins on Saturday, March 21st at 10:10 a.m. ET.

74th Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring 2026 — Clasificación

Pos	Pos. Clase	Clase	#	Drivers	Team	brand	car	laps	Gap
1	1	GTP	#31	Jack Aitken Earl Bamber Frederik Vesti	Cadillac Whelen	Cadillac	Cadillac V-Series.R	8	-
2	2	GTP	#60	Tom Blomqvist Colin Braun Scott Dixon	Acura Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian	Acura	Acura ARX-06	6	+0.109
3	3	GTP	#10	Ricky Taylor Filipe Albuquerque Will Stevens	Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing	Cadillac	Cadillac V-Series.R	5	+0.145
4	4	GTP	#6	Laurens Vanthoor Kevin Estre Matt Campbell	Porsche Penske Motorsport	Porsche	Porsche 963	6	+0.242
5	5	GTP	#40	Jordan Taylor Louis Deletraz Colton Herta	Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing	Cadillac	Cadillac V-Series.R	8	+0.268
6	6	GTP	#7	Felipe Nasr Julien Andlauer Laurin Heinrich	Porsche Penske Motorsport	Porsche	Porsche 963	8	+0.528
7	7	GTP	#5	Tijmen van der Helm Nico Pino Kaylen Frederick	JDC-Miller MotorSports	Porsche	Porsche 963	7	+0.569
8	8	GTP	#24	Dries Vanthoor Sheldon van der Linde Robin Frijns	BMW M Team WRT	BMW	BMW M Hybrid V8	7	+0.725
9	9	GTP	#93	Renger van der Zande Nick Yelloly Alex Palou	Acura Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian	Acura	Acura ARX-06	6	+0.959
10	10	GTP	#23	Ross Gunn Roman De Angelis Alex Riberas	ASTON MARTIN THOR Team	Aston Martin	Aston Martin Valkyrie	7	+1.210
11	11	GTP	#25	Philipp Eng Marco Wittmann Kevin Magnussen	BMW M Team WRT	BMW	BMW M Hybrid V8	8	+1.296
12	1	LMP2	#52	Misha Goikhberg Parker Thompson Harry Tincknell	Bryan Herta Autosport with PR1/Mathiasen	Gibson	ORECA LMP2 07	8	+5.029
13	2	LMP2	#22	Daniel Goldburg Paul Di Resta Rasmus Lindh	United Autosports USA	Gibson	ORECA LMP2 07	8	+5.102
14	3	LMP2	#43	Tom Dillmann Bijoy Garg Jeremy Clarke	Inter Europol Competition	Gibson	ORECA LMP2 07	8	+5.107
15	4	LMP2	#99	PJ Hyett Dane Cameron Jonny Edgar	AO Racing	Gibson	ORECA LMP2 07	9	+5.169
16	5	LMP2	#04	George Kurtz Alex Quinn Toby Sowery	Crowdstrike Racing by APR	Gibson	ORECA LMP2 07	8	+5.536
17	6	LMP2	#73	Pietro Fittipaldi Manuel Espirito Santo Chris Cumming	Pratt Miller Motorsports	Gibson	ORECA LMP2 07	9	+7.189
18	7	LMP2	#11	Tobi Lutke Charles Milesi David Heinemeier Hansson	TDS Racing	Gibson	ORECA LMP2 07	9	+7.221
19	8	LMP2	#2	Phil Fayer Hunter McElrea Mikkel Jensen	United Autosports USA	Gibson	ORECA LMP2 07	8	+7.404
20	9	LMP2	#8	John Farano Tristan Vautier Sebastian Alvarez	Tower Motorsports	Gibson	ORECA LMP2 07	7	+7.479
21	10	LMP2	#18	Naveen Rao Ferdinand Habsburg Jacob Abel	Era Motorsport	Gibson	ORECA LMP2 07	8	+7.835
22	11	LMP2	#37	Oliver Jarvis Seth Lucas Jon Field	Intersport Racing	Gibson	ORECA LMP2 07	9	+7.937
23	1	GTDPRO	#14	Jack Hawksworth Ben Barnicoat Kyle Kirkwood	Vasser Sullivan Racing	Lexus	Lexus RC F GT3	6	+12.327
24	12	LMP2	#79	Gerry Kraut Josh Burdon Sennan Fielding	JDC-Miller MotorSports	Gibson	ORECA LMP2 07	7	+12.389
25	2	GTDPRO	#48	Scott Noble Jason Hart Luca Stolz	WINWARD RACING	Mercedes-AMG	Mercedes-AMG GT3	5	+12.616
26	1	GTD	#27	Tom Gamble Dudu Barrichello Zacharie Robichon	Heart of Racing Team	Aston Martin	Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo	7	+12.703
27	3	GTDPRO	#1	Neil Verhagen Connor De Phillippi Max Hesse	Paul Miller Racing	BMW	BMW M4 GT3 EVO	5	+12.733
28	2	GTD	#57	Russell Ward Philip Ellis Indy Dontje	WINWARD RACING	Mercedes-AMG	Mercedes-AMG GT3	6	+12.827
29	4	GTDPRO	#911	Thomas Preining Klaus Bachler Ricardo Feller	Manthey	Porsche	Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)	5	+12.887
30	3	GTD	#96	Patrick Gallagher Robby Foley Francis Selldorff	Turner Motorsport	BMW	BMW M4 GT3 EVO	6	+12.987
31	5	GTDPRO	#59	Max Esterson Nikita Johnson Dean MacDonald	RLL Team McLaren	McLaren	McLaren 720S GT3 EVO	6	+13.063
32	4	GTD	#80	Scott Andrews Lin Hodenius James Roe	Lone Star Racing	Mercedes-AMG	Mercedes-AMG GT3	7	+13.139
33	6	GTDPRO	#3	Antonio Garcia Alexander Sims Marvin Kirchhöfer	Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports	Chevrolet	Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R	7	+13.142
34	5	GTD	#21	Simon Mann Lilou Wadoux Ducellier Antonio Fuoco	Af Corse Usa	Ferrari	Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO	5	+13.166
35	7	GTDPRO	#62	Daniel Serra Davide Rigon Alessandro Pier Guidi	Risi Competizione	Ferrari	Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO	8	+13.274
36	8	GTDPRO	#4	Tommy Milner Nicky Catsburg Nico Varrone	Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports	Chevrolet	Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R	8	+13.312
37	9	GTDPRO	#77	Nick Tandy Harry King Alessio Picariello	AO Racing	Porsche	Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)	8	+13.391
38	6	GTD	#12	Aaron Telitz Benjamin Pedersen Frankie Montecalvo	Vasser Sullivan Racing	Lexus	Lexus RC F GT3	6	+13.403
39	7	GTD	#120	Adam Adelson Tom Sargent Callum Ilott	Wright Motorsports	Porsche	Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)	7	+13.527
40	8	GTD	#19	Valentin Hasse Clot Rory van der Steur Sébastien Baud	van der Steur Racing	Aston Martin	Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo	7	+13.645
41	10	GTDPRO	#033	James Calado Riccardo Agostini Miguel Molina	Triarsi Competizione	Ferrari	Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO	7	+13.652
42	11	GTDPRO	#65	Christopher Mies Frederic Vervisch Sebastian Priaulx	Ford Racing	Ford	Ford Mustang GT3	7	+13.731
43	12	GTDPRO	#64	Ben Barker Dennis Olsen Mike Rockenfeller	Ford Racing	Ford	Ford Mustang GT3	5	+13.786
44	13	GTDPRO	#9	Andrea Caldarelli Sandy Mitchell Franck Perera	Pfaff Motorsports	Lamborghini	Lamborghini Temerario GT3	7	+13.909
45	9	GTD	#023	Onofrio Triarsi Kenton Koch Robert Megennis	Triarsi Competizione	Ferrari	Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO	7	+14.314
46	10	GTD	#36	Mason Filippi Charlie Eastwood Salih Yoluc	DXDT Racing	Chevrolet	Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R	8	+14.821
47	11	GTD	#45	Danny Formal Trent Hindman Graham Doyle	Wayne Taylor Racing	Lamborghini	Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2	8	+15.224
48	12	GTD	#70	Brendan Iribe Frederik Schandorff Ollie Millroy	Inception Racing	Ferrari	Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO	8	+15.252
49	13	GTD	#66	Jake Walker Till Bechtolsheimer Joey Hand	Gradient Racing	Ford	Ford Mustang GT3	5	+15.257
50	14	GTD	#28	Jan Heylen Dillon Machavern Spencer Pumpelly	Rs1	Porsche	Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)	7	+15.706
51	15	GTD	#34	Manny Franco Albert Costa Lorenzo Patrese	Conquest Racing	Ferrari	Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO	8	+15.736
52	16	GTD	#16	Sheena Monk Felipe Fraga Jenson Altzman	Myers Riley Motorsports	Ford	Ford Mustang GT3	7	+15.940
53	17	GTD	#912	Riccardo Pera Morris Schuring Ryan Hardwick	Manthey 1St Phorm	Porsche	Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)	7	+16.042
54	18	GTD	#13	Orey Fidani Matthew Bell Lars Kern	13 Autosport	Chevrolet	Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R	8	+16.145
55	19	GTD	#81	Henrik Hedman Giacomo Altoè Casper Stevenson	DragonSpeed	Chevrolet	Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R	8	+17.628