Burt Frisselle looks to extend family’s winning legacy at Sebring

Sebring, Fla. (15 March 2012) – When Burt Frisselle straps in behind the wheel of the No. 06 Soloson Import CORE autosport LMPC this weekend for his first start in the famed 12 Hours of Sebring, he won’t just be going for the win. The sports car ace will also be looking to extend the Frisselle family legacy in the historic event, which is staging its 60th edition to kick off the 2012 American Le Mans Series season (Live Stream ESPN3, Saturday 10:15a, ABC broadcast, Sunday March 18 12:00 PM ET).

#06 CORE Autosport Oreca FLM09: Alex Popow, EJ Viso, Burt Frisselle

Photo by: Eric Gilbert

A second-generation racer in the Frisselle family, Burt and his brother Brian followed in the racing footsteps of their father Brad, who is a legend in the sports car world with two 12-Hours of Sebring victories to his name. The elder Frisselle began racing SCCA in 1970 and his passion for the sport quickly intensified. By 1974 he was competing professionally as a pesky privateer, taking it to the factory squads. Behind the seriously fun attitude was an equally serious set of skills, and in 1977 Brad stepped up to the IMSA Camel GT class, seeing instant success with a run to second in the Rolex 24 At Daytona.

That podium triumph was soon followed by another as he tasted victory in the 12 Hours of Sebring in what was only his second GT class race. He won the 12-Hour endurance event again when he returned to IMSA in 1980 as the number one factory driver for Mazda in the Camel GT series.

“I hate seeing the years connected to those wins--it makes it seem like so long ago now!” laughed Brad, who still is a regular at the race track, offering his insights both on strategy and serving as spotter for his two racing sons Burt and Brian. “I have a lot of great memories from this track, and from this race. The 12 Hour is it’s own monster of an event, and I think this year with the 60th, it’s going to be even bigger. So this is something the whole family is excited about, with Burt getting the call from CORE and making his 12 Hour debut here this weekend.”

So when Burt, who scored an LMPC win in his Petite Le Mans debut in 2010, takes his turn in the 12 Hours of Sebring as ALMS celebrates 60 years of the event, a trip to victory lane would be all the more special for the Frisselles as Burt looks to stand atop the same podium his father did years ago.

“I’m very excited to be racing in the 12 Hour,” said Burt, who opened the year with a run in the 50th Anniversary Rolex 24 At Daytona. “I’ve raced at Sebring before in formula cars, but never in the 12 hour so this is a race that I’ve had on my list for a long time. Of course, with my dad being an overall winner here--no pressure, right?!”

With 64 cars entered, the 60th edition 12 Hour is set to be a busy one on and off the track. With the World Endurance Challenge opening the year along with the ALMS season lid-lifter, the bumpy airport-based track is going to be traffic-intensive. But the multi-class challenge is one that Frisselle relishes as he looks to return to the top of the LMPC podium.

“We always complain about traffic, but I think this weekend is going to be just incredible for the drivers with this field,” said Burt. “I think that being smart is going to be as key as being fast, and even though this is my first run with CORE, I’ve been impressed with the team and hope we can bring home a strong finish on Saturday night.”

With a formula car background and some time working his way up the NASCAR ladder, Burt’s motorsports career has seen him compete largely in the GRAND-AM ranks and with 96 GRAND-AM starts, he is no stranger to endurance racing.

He is also already familiar with winning in ALMS having won the LMPC category in the prestigious Petit Le Mans event while driving for Level 5 Motorsports in 2010 with co-drivers Marco Werner and Scott Tucker. He first competed in the series in 2003 while driving a Porsche 911 GT3-RS for Cunningham Racing and returned in 2010 for three starts with Level 5 Motorsports.