1961 Sebring 12 Hours – Race Profile Page Seven
The cars were lined up according to engine size with the 4.6 liter Corvettes then a couple of 3.7 liter Aston Martins first on the grid. They were then followed by a host of 3-liter Ferraris and Maserati Tipos. Last on the grid was a French made Deutsch-Bonnet Le Mans with a 2 cylinder 701 cc Panhard engine. Just up on the grid from the Deutsch-Bonnet was a Fiat-Abarth 1000 that was surprisingly fast having lapped the course consistently in well under four minutes which was a speed formerly the sole province of the biggest production cars.
Amid all this chaos on the starting grid the colorful pageant that was Sebring continued with a high school band marching and playing. As the band passed the lineup of cars some of the drivers gave out appreciative cat calls and wolf whistles to the teenage baton twirlers in their short-shorts and tasseled boots. In the politically correct environment of today that behavior might get you a special feature on YouTube or one of the girls might clobber you with her baton.
After race founder and promoter Alec Ulmann gave his annual driver’s meeting comments he escorted newly elected Florida Governor Farris Bryant to a waiting convertible where they did a lap of honor escorted by four official SAAB pace cars and a cadre of police motorcycles. As they finished up at the start/finish line the five minute warning horn was sounded. The drivers went to their starting positions across from their cars as grid stewards did their best to clear the pits of remaining spectators.
The voice of starter Jesse Coleman could be heard as the countdown over the public address system began at the one minute mark and Governor Bryant began to unfurl the start flag. Every time the remaining seconds were announced, 45, 30 then 15, the area around the start/finish and pits became quieter. Then the announcement of 10, 9, 8 and so on. When the one mark was reach a shout of “Go!” went up from the pit area and the drivers sprinted to their cars.
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