Sheena Monk shows solid pace before Myers Riley Motorsports’ run halted prematurely at Sebring 12H
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The 12 Hours of Sebring brought another solid performance for Sheena Monk, as the American driver played a central role in a competitive effort in the early hours for Myers Riley Motorsports, before a heavy accident for one of her teammates in the 10th hour prematurely ended their charge for a top-ten finish.
The Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring brought another encouraging performance for Sheena Monk, as the American driver played a central role in a competitive effort for Myers Riley Motorsports in the GTD-class field before a heavy accident for one of her teammates in the race’s 10th hour prematurely ended their charge for a top-ten finish.
Despite the unfortunate conclusion, Monk emerged as one of the protagonists of the opening stages of the race with a composed triple stint that kept the #16 Ford Mustang GT3 inside the top ten battle throughout the event. The crew ultimately still secured valuable points, with Monk classified third among Bronze-rated drivers and collecting important points toward the Bob Akin Award standings.
Monk returned to IMSA in 2026 following a partial 2025 campaign, embarking on a new ambitious full-season program with Myers Riley Motorsports. Now firmly established as one of the most consistent Bronze-rated drivers in the paddock, she joined a competitive lineup featuring Brazilian GT ace Felipe Fraga and rising American talent Jenson Altzman aboard the #16 Ford Mustang GT3. Former Formula 1 driver Romain Grosjean joined the team for the Daytona season opener.
At the Rolex 24 at Daytona, early promise was cut short when contact involving a teammate forced retirement after just four hours, denying Monk the opportunity to convert strong pace into a representative result. Sebring therefore represented an immediate opportunity for redemption, and Monk quickly demonstrated her trademark consistency in one of endurance racing’s most demanding events.
Monk took qualifying duties on Friday and steadily built speed around Sebring’s notoriously bumpy surface. Her 2:02.093 lap secured 16th overall in GTD and third among Bronze drivers, placing the Myers Riley Motorsports entry in a competitive position heading into the 12-hour contest.
Starting 15th in class, Monk was entrusted with the opening stint under sunny Florida skies as the race began at 10:10 local time. The opening laps proved hectic, with intense battles immediately developing. Monk navigated the chaos cleanly, settling into 18th before quickly moving past Adelson to climb to 17th in GTD while running consistent 2:04.1 lap times.
Maintaining close proximity to Orey Fidani ahead, Monk demonstrated steady pace, a key strength for Bronze-rated drivers in endurance racing, while avoiding early chaos across the field.
The first full-course yellow arrived on lap 18 for debris. A quick pit stop allowed Monk to remain in the car and advance to 16th before racing resumed on lap 25.
Back under green, Monk engaged in close fights with Dontje and Bechtolsheimer but continued driving intelligently, gradually moving into 15th and then 14th while setting a personal best lap of 2:04.044. Her consistency again shone through as she repeatedly clocked laps in the low-2:04 range, remaining within roughly 1.5 seconds of Fidani ahead.
Approaching the two-hour mark, Monk stayed out during pit cycles and climbed to 13th before another caution on lap 48, triggered by Hedman’s DragonSpeed Ferrari after contact with an LMP2 car.
Following pit stops, the #16 Mustang moved up to 12th, with Monk continuing her extended run behind the wheel, maximizing valuable track time while maintaining competitive pace.
Even as further cautions interrupted the rhythm, Monk held position overall and maintained fifth place among Bronze competitors.
After three hours and fifteen minutes of racing, she handed the car to Felipe Fraga in 13th place following an exceptionally clean and consistent triple stint that positioned the team in contention for the top ten.
Fraga immediately injected good speed into the race, setting the car’s fastest laps in the 2:03 range and climbing rapidly through the order. He passed Bechtolsheimer and Ryan Hardwick to enter the top ten before overtaking Baud’s van der Steur Aston Martin to reach eighth.
Through pit strategy and strong pace, the Brazilian briefly elevated the team as high as third in GTD during a pit cycle while also leading the Bronze-driver classification at the four-hour mark.
Although positions fluctuated through cautions and strategy variations, Fraga consistently maintained the Mustang inside the top ten fight before handing over to Jenson Altzman.
Altzman rejoined in 13th place and delivered a steady stint, climbing back toward the top ten as competitors cycled through pit stops. By the six-hour mark, the team had recovered to 11th and soon advanced to tenth after issues for rivals.
Fraga returned for another strong run during an extended green-flag period, again pushing forward with laps in the 2:02 range. He moved back into the top ten and later as high as seventh as penalties and strategy reshuffled the order, demonstrating the Mustang GT3’s competitiveness.
After another pit cycle with just over three hours remaining, Altzman took over again running seventh in GTD and second among Bronze entries, leaving the Myers Riley Motorsports trio well positioned for a strong finish.
As sunset fell over Sebring, visibility became increasingly challenging. Altzman maintained steady pace in the 2:04 range and held ninth place heading into the final phase of the race.
A full-course yellow with 1 hour and 48 minutes remaining reset the field and created a realistic opportunity for a late charge toward the top five.
However, shortly after the restart, disaster struck. Hitting one of Sebring’s notorious bumps at Turn 1, the #16 Ford Mustang GT3 suddenly veered toward the inside wall and suffered a heavy impact, causing significant damage and ending the team’s race on the spot. Fortunately, Altzman emerged from the accident uninjured.
The retirement marked a heartbreaking end to what had been a highly promising performance, with the team running consistently inside the top ten and showing genuine potential to climb further in the closing hours.
For Monk, however, Sebring reinforced her reputation as one of IMSA’s most reliable Bronze drivers, with her mistake-free triple stint laid the foundation for the team’s competitive position.
Despite the early finish, Monk was classified third among Bronze entries, earning 300 valuable Bob Akin Award points and moving into fifth place in the standings after two rounds.
The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship now heads to the streets of Long Beach on April 17–18 for the first sprint round of the season, where Monk and Myers Riley Motorsports will aim to finally convert their pace into a representative result.