After a strong showing in the Rolex 24, Forte Racing has tasked NASCAR veteran Parker Kligerman to return to the team for the 12 Hours of Sebring. Kligerman, a solid road course racer in his own right, is excited for the opportunity to race at a “bucket list” track like Sebring.
“The Rolex 24 was a bucket list; [Sebring] was a massive bucket list for me; Le Mans is another,” Kligerman said. “I’d love to do all the biggest endurance races in the world at least once.
“When I came in here this morning, it felt surreal. I feel nine years old. This is the stuff I saw at Lime Rock [Park] when I was 10 or 11 and said, ‘I wish I was doing that.’ I can’t believe I’m here.”
Sebring is known to be a physical test for drivers and cars. Despite being half the distance of the Rolex 24, the bumps and rough racing surface make Sebring a challenge for all drivers.
“It feels like the Lamborghini from Rolex, except way hotter and way bumpier.” Kligerman said, laughing, to Frontstretch. “This place is so cool because it’s so bumpy and it’s so beat up and it’s so rough. It’s just an absolute washing machine that you’re running around in.
“It’s a brutal place; it’s a test of man and machine. I think that’s what’s so cool about endurance racing; it’s brutal. It will push you in every mental and physical capacity that you have.”
Kligerman and his Forte Racing teammates Misha Goikhberg and Mario Farnbacher had a strong run going at Daytona despite an accident and a broken rear wishbone that ultimately took them out of the race. However, Kligerman says the team at Forte Racing found positives to take towards Sebring.
“Misha [Goikhberg] is right there with Mario [Farnbacher] and pushing everyone to be better,” Kligerman said. “I feel at Daytona, I learned a lot in a short amount of time and got up to speed quickly. From the end of the Rolex 24 to my test at Sebring a few weeks ago, I made a huge leap. I instantly got back in the car and was way faster than I was at the Rolex.”
Kligerman has praised his Forte Racing teammates throughout his journey in IMSA. Being from a different racing series, Kligerman has had to lean on them to help better himself.
“They’ve been great,” Kligerman said to Frontstretch. “You want your teammate to be as good as they possibly can be. So you’ll give them every ounce of info, you’ll actively reach out to them, and you’ll push them. They definitely do that for me and have been so awesome.
“They help me see things that maybe I wasn’t paying attention to. It’s a lot, but it’s great to have teammates that I trust, and every time they tell me to do something, it’s usually right. It’s a good relationship.”
Kligerman and Forte Racing are looking for a solid run at Sebring this weekend. You can catch them in the GTD class this weekend in the No. 78 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2. The race will begin at 10 a.m. ET and will stream on Peacock for those in the United States. For those watching internationally, the race will be streamed live on the IMSA Official YouTube channel.
