Dawn is a truly magical time of the day. I've seen a lot of sunrises in my time. So it is safe to say that no two sunrises are ever the same. The sun has risen over the same horizon for the past few billions of years, but we sapient creatures have created in our minds that each one is beautiful in its own way. Factors like where you are, what you're doing, and how you're spending your time during sunrises makes each one special.
The sunrises to greet a day of what will be the 58th 12 Hours of Sebring endurance race. Waking up and seeing this and knowing the silence of dawn will soon be broken but the sound of thousands upon thousands of combined horse powers make you relish the moment even more. I took a moment to remember the stillness of the morning one last time…
This will be the first in what will be a three part look at Sebring. We're going to take a look at the morning hours of the event; the mid-day and afternoon hours, then finally, a last look at dusk and the darkness of the night.
These guys in yellow that stand in the middle of the access roads throughout Sebring were the hardest workers of the day. They stood out there way before the race started and way after the race ended directing the crazy amounts of traffic that went and out of the venue. These guys are real troopers!
This would be the last time that the pit lane would be this peaceful. In a few hours time, the pits will be filled with controlled chaos.
During the morning practice session, fire suits were not requires in the pit lane. But once the lights go green, fire suits are a requirement, even photographers were required to have fire suits while shooting in the pits!
This would be the last time the track would be this cold and this quiet until after the race. And before you know it, you start to hear the rumble of engines in the distance…
As the rumble of engine noise comes louder and louder, you get the sense that a great tsunami is coming. The first trickle of cars start to pass by….
…followed by a surge of hundreds upon thousands of unleashed horses.
The smell of barbecuing, race fuel, and the combined sound of so many of perfectly tuned internal combustion engines is a perfect way to start a morning.
Here's one of the many GT Challenge class Porsches.
Things were looking up for the Falken Porsche as they qualified second in the GT2 class. Little did they know that the day would turn out to be "…the best of times, [and be] the worst of times… (Charles Dickens)"
Even in the morning practice, the Flying Lizard Motorsports Porsches were in good form. They pushed much harder than the other teams, even a few dirt drops were on the menu for breakfast that morning.
This peaceful morning practice would be a nice prelude to the rather explosive day ahead. Oh, that pun was way intended.
Risi Competizione Ferrari took it a bit easy knowing that long day ahead was just starting.
The LMP class looked to be fairly competitive, but everyone was really looking forward to the battles ahead in the GT2 class.
Expectations for the Corvette Racing Corvettes were high following their 2009 season.
Here's one last look at the quiet and peaceful pit lane with the Lola Aston Martin's engine cover lifted up in the background
The end to the morning's practice session ended with the opening of the grid to the general public.
Fighting through the crowds to see all the cars up close was a battle in itself.
This is the face of the man that had to battle through the intense crowds. Even the power of a blue netted vest did nothing to part the Red Sea!
And before you know it the race rolled to a start! 11 hours and 59 minutes and 59 seconds left to go….
-Linhbergh