After a somewhat shorter vacation than years gone by the quiet of Logitech V8 Pro Championship are polished, prepped and ready to roar to life. 12 months ago we were in this weird place where no one really know how the dice would land as Gen 3 Supercars came online for the first time, but in 2026 we come prepared with a form guide.
Oh and don’t forget the wild four weeks of racing covering the Qualifying series! On track stoushes, elbows out and some of the wildest racing that doesn’t actually count for the overall points leads to the most unique section of the calendar each year. Literally a voice destroyer for anyone in the commentating business.
To everyone who actually runs the gauntlet of Qualifying each and every year, I honestly salute you as it is a serious effort requiring planning, effort, forethought, patience, aggression and rigorous practice. Making the series each and every year through Qualifying (including Pre-Qualifying) is a mammoth task and takes a toll.
A stat line that popped out at me when looking at the data for Sebring was the absence of a repeat winner across the four years of the Logitech G V8 Pro Invitational, and the only repeat Pole sitter is James Scott. A lack of track dominance has been rare to come by, due to the overwhelming dominance of individual teams in the series.
Remembering back to our trip here last year, tire wear was a major factor, as well as the marble build up. This means overtaking later on in the race requires a more decisive tire offset, and a lot more of getting to someone’s inside and forcing them to the dirty side of the road. Keep your eyes on turn one and the hairpin for examples of this.
Long run pace and not frying the tires will be critical, as will being decisive on getting the move done and then getting out of dodge. We had one of the best laps of the season last time around, but fighting too hard too early just brings the entire pack into play.
Fuel windows are going to be in the 19-20 lap range. This is bang on the halfway mark of the race. With the race distance being 38 laps an even stint length is 12/13/13. Undercutting on the first stint hasn’t tended to be the best move without a light fill at the first stop, but this makes you vulnerable to any safety cars prior to the final stops. You get all your bites of the cherry up front, and will have to pay back that penalty against lighter cars.
This one never fails to impress. Don’t know what it is about the heat, the bumps and the narrow surface, but the last two years we have had an incredible fight for the finish with drama all over it.
Sebring. One word, so many implications. Who will light the fire on the season and whose flame will sputter early?
One way to find out, see you all Wednesday night to kick it all off! 7.45pm AEDT.
