1961 12 Hours of Sebring – Race Profile

Story by Louis Galanos | Photos as credited

By March of 1961 the controversy surrounding the poorly reviewed 1960 Sebring 12 hour race was forgotten by most. Gone were any threats or boycotts by factory Ferrari and Porsche over the Sebring requirement, in 1960, that all entrants use Amoco gasoline. The Sebring track’s major sponsor, the American Oil Company (Amoco), had withdrawn its sponsorship of the race after the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) dictated that Sebring promoter Alec Ulmann could not enter into any exclusive agreements with companies, like Amoco, and require entrants to use their products. Ulmann protested to the FIA citing that they allowed such an exclusive arrangement for the 24 Hours of Le Mans but the FIA ignored Mr. Ulmann’s argument.