PRESS RELEASE
SEBRING, Fla., March 12, 2025—For 12 hours, vehicles will be pushed to their limits at Sebring International Raceway in the IMSA calendar’s most challenging circuit for braking systems.
DIFFICULTY RATING: 5/5
MOST DIFFICULT BRAKING POINT: Turn 7
TRACK OVERVIEW: Sebring International Raceway is considered a very difficult braking track by Brembo engineers and drivers. The track features 9 braking zones with little time for brake cooling. Sebring is world famous for its bumpy surface, earning the nickname “battle of the bumps,” and there are several different track surfaces across the lap. This makes each braking zone unique with varying grip levels. All of these factors, set across the 12 hour race duration, make Sebring the most difficult circuit in the IMSA WeatherTech series for braking.
TURN 7 CHALLENGES: At any track, most overtaking happens on the brakes. At Sebring’s Turn 7, drivers will rely on the braking system’s power, feel, responsiveness and predictability to gain position. GTP cars will enter the Turn 7 braking zone at 170 mph and decelerate by 120 mph to 50 mph as they enter the right hand hairpin. In the braking zone, GTP cars will generate 2.7G while GTD cars will generate 2.3G, causing brake temps to spike to 1600F. Furthermore, drivers must deal with direct sunlight at sunset in the Turn 7 braking zone, limiting visibility.
BRAKE USAGE: Drivers will use the brakes nine times per lap (excluding pit stops). Depending on class, the brakes will be used 2800-3000 times per race. Notably, this is only 800-1000 less than total brake usage at the Rolex 24 at Daytona despite the 12 hour run time.
IMPORTANCE OF BRAKE FEEL: Braking power is just one part of a great brake system. Similar to how drivers require good steering feel, drivers need brake pedal feel to understand tire grip thresholds. Sebring’s varying pavement conditions, constant bumps and trail braking zones make pedal feel especially important. Turn 17 is the final overtaking opportunity in the lap, and while the corner does not require as much braking power as Turn 7, drivers must have outstanding pedal feel to effectively trail brake into the high-speed and bumpy right hand corner. Brembo systems optimize brake pedal feel through superior caliper stiffness, master cylinder design and low compressibility fluid.
BREMBO DEPTH: Brembo is a proud partner and supplier of teams across IMSA’s eight series and 16 classes. At Sebring, most vehicles in the WeatherTech Sports Car Championship and dozens of cars in Michelin Pilot Challenge use Brembo components, while every vehicle in the Porsche Carrera Cup and Ford Mustang Challenge use a bespoke Brembo braking system.
ARTICLE SPONSORED BY TOORACE
