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Sebring 1955
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Hawthorn at the wheel of the winning no. 19 Jaguar. Photo: Ozzie Lyons - www.petelyons.com
Fast Lines

Sebring 1955

 Pete Lyons

It was one of those good races spoiled by bad scoring. After taking the checkered flag at 10 pm, Phil Hill and Carroll Shelby had about 20 minutes to savor their “win” in a Ferrari. Then Jaguar drivers Mike Hawthorn and Phil Walters were called to replace them in the victory lane. The Ferrari’s owner protested. The Jaguar’s owner counter-protested. Officials impounded everybody’s lap charts, and took 10 days to reach a decision.

Pete Lyons
Pete Lyons

At the time this confusion merely seemed unsatisfactory, but looking back 50 years we can see that Sebring 1955 opened a season that so exposed racing’s deficiencies it became one of the most significant turning points in the sport.

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Pete Lyons
Steve Natale has been playing with cars ever since he was old enough to first hold a matchbox car in his hand. A lifelong enthusiast of anything old with an engine in it or wheels on it, Steve has been active in the hobby for over 35 years. Currently he owns a successful marketing company with his wife Mary, is an automotive photographer, blogger and writer for several automotive magazines and regular contributor to various automotive websites. Steve has attended vintage car events and visited car museums and collections around the world.
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