Flying Lizard Motorsports - Porsche Endurance Racing

Le Mans, Race! - June 11-12, 2011

Le Mans - Final Post

It wasn't the finish that we had hoped for but we are delighted to have completed this grueling race. The No. 80 Flying Lizard Porsche of Joerg Bergmeister, Patrick Long, and Lucas Luhr finished 6th in GTE Pro. The No. 81 of Seth Neiman, Darren Law and Spencer Pumpelly was retired in Hour 18 (Mechanical) - they were 2nd in GTE Am at the time. A heartbreaker for the 81 crew, but a fantastic showing nonetheless. Congrats to the Lizards for bringing the No. 80 home. Thanks to all of our fans who stayed with us over the 24. See you all in a few weeks at Lime Rock, I hope. - Jen

14. 12 -  Patrick pits for driver change to Lucas Luhr, fuel and tires. Still P6. No. 73 Corvette still in the GTE Pro lead. Just over 45 minutes left in the race.

13.58 - Patrick reports a vibration - it started as soon as he left the pits. He will pit in 2 laps for Lucas

13.55 - GTE Pro Positions remain unchanged, although the No. 73 Corvette, which was in the lead, just pitted. He is one full lap ahead of the GTE Pro P2 - the NO. 51 AF Corse Ferrari.

13.42 - One of the Peugeots nearly lost it  on one of the Chicanes but recovered.

13.38- Patrick in the pits for fuel and tires. He will stay in the car.  Still P6.

13.23 - Patrick still P 6. GTE Pro leader now No. 73 Corvette. Positions: P1 No. 73; P2 No. 51; P 3 No. 56; P4 No. 77; P5 No. 76; P 6 No. 80; P 7 No. 65; P 8 No. 75; P 9 No. 66.

13.05 - Less than 2 hours left. Patrick now P6. The No. 55 BMW has retired, so Patrick moves to P6. Positions: P1 No. 73; P2 No. 51; P3 No. 56; P4 No. 77; P 5 No. 76; P6 No. 80; P 7 No. 65; P 8 No. 75; P 9 No. 66. 

12:48 - Another accident involving the No. 16 Pescarolo which is now stopped in the gravel and is being towed.  Cars are sliding all over the place.   It's still too dry for rains- one lap would destroy them, so Patrick doesn't reaally have any choice but to keep going on the slicks that he has.

12:34 - Joerg in the pits for fuel, tires and driver change to Patrick Long. He is P7.

12:26 - Joerg just did a 4:08, the rest of the fiel is doing mid to high teens. I had forgotten how much he likes the rain. He just radioed in that he's having fun.

12>22 - The prototypes are spinning left and right - three have spun in the last few minutes - one hard into the wall, one without making impact and one  (the No. 41) deep into the gravel.

12:13  - Rain is starting to fall harder. Still not ready for rains, but getting pretty slick. Joerg still in the car. 2 hours and 45 minutes left - the length of our standard ALMS races.

12:05 - Joerg still P7. Positions: P1 No. 51; P2 No. 73; P3 No.

11:35 - Joerg in the pits, out again quickly with new tires and fuel. He is double stinting.

11:30 -  Joerg still P7. He will pit shortly for tires and fuel. It's raining a bit harder now, but still too dry for rain tires.

10:56 - Light sprinkles on the front straight.

10:50 - No. 75, who is P7,  is in the pits. Joerg moves to P7,

10:44 - And No. 76 now in the gravel and being towed out.  Joerg still P8.

10:40 - GTE Pro Positions: P1 No. 51; P2 No. 73; P3 No. 56; P4 No. 77; P5 No. 76 (now in the pits - possible problem?); P6 No. 55; P7 No. 75; P 8 No. 80; P 9 No. 65; P10 No. 66.

10:36 - Lucas in the pits- tires, fuel, driver change to Joerg. Still P8

10:29 - Lucas will pit shortly for driver change to Joerg. We are P8. 4.5 hours to go...

10.22 - The No. 7 7 Felbermayr Porsche (in P 5) lost a tire on course, contiuing slowly. The No. 66 Ferrari (in P10) stopped on course but continued. No, he's stopped again.

9:55 - The No. 56 BMW had an off course excursion after running into dirt from the No. 55's earlier tire dip into the gravel. No impact, but looks like he had a longer pit stop to check out the car. Positions: P1 No. 51; P2 No. 73; P3 No. 77; P4 No. 76; P5 No. 56; P 6 No. 55; P 7 No. 75; P 8 No. 80. We are 5  laps down on the leader, the No. 51.

9:50 - Still five hours to go. No. 80 is P8.

09.44 - Another incident with a prototype - this time the No. 7 Peugeot. Solo incident into the wall. They are pulling him out of the gravel now. Don't think it will go yellow, still green.

09.40 - Positions: P1 No. 51 AF Corse Ferrari, P2 No. 73 Corvette; P3 No. 56 BMW; P 4 No. 76 IMSA Matmut Porsche; P5 No. 77 Porsche; P6 No. 55 BMW; P 7 No. 75 Porsche. P8 No. 80.

09.37 - Lucas radios in  that he has a flat right rear tire.  Luckily he is in the Porsche curves and is near pit in.  He is currently P7.

09.23 - One of the BMWs is in the garage - looks like the no. 55, which was P3.

09.15- Things have settled back in a bit after  this morning's drama. No. 80 is P8, with Lucas behind the wheel. No. 81 has been retired.

08.55 - The No. 80 is back on track after the crew repaired a broken injector wire to cylinder number 1. Lucas Luhr is now in the car. The repair pushed us back from P4 to P8

08:43 - Bad luck is hounding us - another problem with the No. 80 - Patrick made it back, we are in the garage. Crew thinks it is repairable - more details to follow.

08:19 - Spencer lost drive, cannot continue - No. 81 will be retired, mechanical. Extremely disappointing, fantastic job by the crew.

 08:12 - Back to green flag racing. Patrick is P4 in GTE Pro; Spencer is P2 in GTE Am.

08.05 - No. 73 Corvette, which is P2, is in the pits.  Still yellow.

08.02 - Patrick in the pits  - tires, fuel, and bar change.  Still yellow, he is P3.

07.59 - Still yellow.

07.56 - Still yellow. Slow pit stop for the No. 56 BMW. Patrick Long in the No. 80, now P3. Spencer Pumpelly in the No. 81, P2.

07.48 - 7 hours, 12 minutes to go.... Positions: P1 No. 51 Ferari, P2 No. 73 Corvette; P3 No. 80; P4 No. 44; P5 No. 56 BMW. the 51 is on his own lap, the No. 73 is one lap down, we and the two BMWs are 2 laps down on the leader. Corvette drver is out of the car after the accident, however the Porsche driver is still in the car, medical personnel are on the scene

07.36 - Another big crash - the GTE Pro leader No. 74 and the 63. Felbermayr got together.  Double yellow. Ugh....

07.34 - Correction- Spencer P2. Sorry I missed it - either he was passed or he was actually P2.

07.29 - GTE Pro positions: P1 No. 74 Corvette which has led for most of the race now, I believe; P2 No. 51 Ferrari; P3 No. 73 Corvette; P4 No. 80 Porsche; P5 No. 55 BMW; P6 No. 56 BMW.  No. 81 is P1 in GTE Am.

07.22 - No. 81 back in the pits after Seth went off in the gravel, tires flat spotted, he continued, back in pits for new tires, driver change to Spencer Pumpelly.Spencer is still in P1 as the others at the front of Am pitted at the same time.  No. 80 still P4.

07.06 - GTE Pro Positions: P1 No. 74 Corvette, P2 No. 51 Ferrari, P3 No. 73 Corvette, P4 No. 80; P5 No. 55 BMW (aobout 30 secs down, but BMW is on a faster pace), P6 No. 56 BMW (also on a faster pace than the No. 80)

06. 55 - No. 71 GTE Pro Ferrari heading into the garage.  Patrick radios in that there is a vibration, possibly something not tire-related. Patrick still P4 in the No. 80, with the No. 55 BMW 30 seconds back, and the No. 56 BMW behind him.

  06.53 - No. 80 in the pits, tires, fuel, driver change from Joerg to Patrick.  They are P4.

06.48 - No. 81 in the pits:  driver change from Darren Law to Seth Neiman, tires, fuel, windscreen tearoff. Darren is P1.  Joerg still in the No. 80 - he will pit after the No. 81.

06.38 - No. 88 is off again at Indianapolis.

06.33 - No. 61 Ferrari, which had been P4 in GTE Am, made contact with the tire wall. No TV coverage so don't have details. Darren still P1 in GTE Am.

***

Here's my personal favorite of the Le Mans collection - a black hoodie with the No. 80 patch on the front. Lucas wore this earlier in the week - looked great.  Details at the store

 

 

 

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06. 29 - No. 76 IMSA Matmut Porsche, whichi s P7, is in the pits -looks like a scheduled stop.

06.28 - Green flag. Darren P1; Joerg P4.

06.04 - No. 70 GTE Am Matmut Porsche is in the gravel. No. 59 Ferrari stopped on course again. Darren pitted and is back out again. No. 56 BMW in the pits (he is P6). Joerg still P4.  May be something else going on  - can't see it yet - Joerg said someone went off in the Porsche curves. Double yellow, safety car on course.  Joerg is 2 laps down from the GTE Pro leader (No. 74), 2 lap down from P2 (No. 51) and P3 (No. 73)

06.00 - Darren will pit shortly for tires, fuel, and new coolsuit ice box.

05.58 - N0. 88 Felbermayr Porsche in gravel.

05.52. - Top 5 GTE Positions: P1 No. 74, P2 No. 51; P No. 73; P4 No. 80; P5 No. 75. Top 5 GTE Am positions: P1 No. 81; P2 No. 50: P3 No. 70; P4 No. 61; P 5 No. 63. Joerg is in the No. 80, Darren in the No. 81. Sun is rising...

05. 41 - He's in the pits.  Out again with fuel.

05.39 - Joerg P4. He will pit this lap for fuel.

05.22 - Green flag. Darren P1, Joerg P4.

05. 18 - GTE Pro positions: P1 No. 74; P2 No. 59; P3 No. 51; P4 No. 73; P 5 No. 80. Joerg radioed in that the Luxury Ferrari is having a problem - I think this is the No. 59, which was P2. If so, this puts us in P4.

05.16 - Still yellow.

 5.00 - Another big crash in the Porsche curves. Full course caution. No details yet- reportedly the No. 13 Rebellion P1 car.

04.49 Spencer in the pits for driver change to Darren Law, tires and fuel. He was P1 at the time and had a one lap lead on the next GTE Am ca r- the No. 50. Joerg stil P6. 10 hours to go - to put it in perspective a whole Petit Le Mans left!

04.28- Lucas in the pits  he is P6 right now - for driver change to Joerg, tires, and fuel.  Spencer back to P1 in the No. 81

04.09- Lucas said that one of the BMWs went off just in front of him.

04.00 - Spencer is back out on track quickly after radio repair, tires,and fuel. Lucas still P7 in the No. 80. He should be P3 after the stop.

03.55 - They are calling Spencer back into the pits to make an adjustment to his radio - we are losing contact with him - and top up fuel too.  He's 20 seconds ahead of the P2 No. 70 Porsche.

03.49 - Spencer, P1, is  + 20 to P2 in GTE Am

03.29 - Lucas pits in the No. 80 for fuel and tires. No driver change - he is double stinting. He was P7 at the time - I believe he will be P8 after the fuel.  Spencer P1 in GTE Am and is currently fastest in Am class.

03.19 - No. 88 Felbermayr back in the garage with some heavy front bodywork damage.

03.18 - Spencer is P2 in the No. 81- lost some time with the unplanned pit stop.  Lucas is still P7 in the No. 80. Just past halfway point - 12 hours to go!

03.05 - Spencer has a tire going down - right rear. He is pitting for tires.

02.53 - Darren Law is in the pits for driver change to Spencer Pumpelly. He was back to P1 at the time of the stop.

02.42 - Darren is reporting a vibration in the car that is getting worse. The crew will pit him early to check it out and driver change to Spencer. Probably next 15 mins or so.

02.31  - In the No. 80, Patrick pits for driver change to Lucas Luhr. He was P7 at the time of the stop. Fuel, tires, new driver. Darren now P2 after his last stop.  BRRRR it's getting cold in here - temperature just dropped sharply.

02.28 - Darren and Patrick report oil everywhere on the first part of the track,  through the first chicane.

02.27 - In the No. 81, Darren in the pits for fuel. He will double stint and stays in the car. No tires. He was P1 at the time of the stop.

02.24 - Reminder that we are broadcasting our team radio live http://t.co/u1PWiVv or go to lizardms.com

02.08 -   Darren Law now P1 in the No. 81.  Patrick Long P7.

01.44 - No. 56 BMW, which is in P7, is in the pits for what looks like a standard pit stop.

***

More fun stuff - this is another tee that we produced for the 2011 Le Mans, with the 24 Heures du Mans logo. Available at our store

 

01.34 - Patrick has rejoined - he's now P7, I believe - will report in a minute. Darren P4 in the No. 81. Still dark. 

01.30 - Patrick will pit early - he has a flat spot and they don't want to risk it. They will do a full set of tires.

01.27 - No. 81 in the pits - Driver change from Spencer to Darren Law. Fuel, tires.

01.23 - No. 88 Felbermayr in the garage. Krohn No. 57 Ferrari stopped on course.

01.21  - Patrick P6; Spencer P3. Coming up on pit stops for both cars in the next 10 to 20 mins.

Sunday June 12, 01.02 - Green flag after a nearly three hour caution.  Spencer is P3 in No. 81; Patrick is P6 in No. 80.

00.24 -  - Good morning! We are still under yellow, they are still cleaning up the debris from the earlier accident with the No. 1 Audi and the  Ferrari.  Patrick Long is P6 and Spencer Pumpelli is P5. The No. 74 Corvette still leads.

23.52 - Joerg pitted for driver change to Patrick Long, fuel, pad change.  I believe he will be P6 now after the stop.

23.29 - No. 81 Porsche is in the pits for fuel, new pads, and driver change to Spencer Pumpelly.  Still yellow.  I believe he will be P5 when he heads out.

22.51- It was the No. 1 Audi, with Mike Rockenfeller. We don't have any official information other that what we see on TV which is that he is being loaded into an ambulance.

22:40  - We have a very big crash - it's not clear what happened or who is involved.

22:35 - Joerg pits for fuel, windscreen tearoff. He was P4 at time of fuel. I think he will be P6 when he rejoins.

22:32 - DLaw is P3 in GTE Am. Joerg will pit this lap for fuel only.

22.25 - Joerg P4 in GTE Pro. Darren P4 in GTE Am.

22.19 - Joerg now P5 in GTE Pro; Darren P4. It's now fully dark. No. 74 Corvette still leads, No. 75 Porsche in P2 in Pro, No. 59 Ferrari in P3.

22.01 - Joerg now P6 in GTE Pro. Darren P5 in GTE Am. It's nearly dark here at Le Mans.  No. 74 and No. 73 Corvettes lead in GTE Pro.

21.59 - TheP2 BMW (No. 56) just spun, and I believe he is now in the garage.

21.42- Seth pits for driver change to Darren Law, tires and fuel. He was P5 at time of pit stop.  Joerg now P7 (after earlier pit stop.)

21.36 - Lucas  pits for driver change to Joerg Bergmeister, tires and fuel. He is P6 in GTE Pro right now.

21.34 - No. 88 Felbermayr is in the gravel.

21.28 - Lucas P6 in No. 80; Seth P4 in No. 81. No. 74 Corvette in the lead, No. 56 BMW P2, No. 59 Ferrari

21.08 - Lucas P7 in No. 80; Seth P2 in No. 81

20.46 - Lucas pits for fuel only. He was P6 at time of pit.

20.41- The No. 73 got by Lucas for position riding the tail of a faster prototype. Both of them are now held up by a slower Ford GT - now they are past. Lucas now P6

20.40 - Spencer  pits for driver change to Seth Neiman for his second stint, tires and fuel. He was P2 in GTE Am at the time. No. 73 Corvette right behind Lucas on track - he is attempting to pass.

20.24  - Lucas Luhr currently P5 in Pro in the No. 80; Spencer Pumpelly P3 in the No. 81 in Am. Both still on their first stints. Lucas is running low 4.03s and  is the second fastest GTE Pro car out there right now (after the No. 55 BMW which is a lap down and is 2 seconds a lap faster (!))

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Here's some fun new gear from our merchandise folks - this tee is a nod to our special livery. It features the No. 80 on the front, with our partner logos on the sleeves. Check it out at our store

 
 
***

19.48- In No. 80, Patrick Long in the pits for driver change to Lucas, tires, fuel Patrick reports sun is getting very low. he was P7 at time of pit stop.

19.42 - Spencer was in the pits in the No. 81 for fuel only. No driver change. He was P4 at the time of the pit stop.  Patrick will pit next lap for driver change to Lucas for his first stint.

****

 19.20 - Four Hour Review

Just past four hours into the 2011 24 Heures du Mans, Patrick Long is in the No. 80 Flying Lizard Porsche, still on his first stint, and is currently seventh in the GTE Pro Class. In the No. 81, Spencer Pumpelly is currently fifth in GTE Am.

 It was a clean start for the entire field, with Joerg Bergmeister starting 12^th in class in the No. 80 and Darren Law third in the No. 81.  An early tire puncture sent Joerg into the pits for an unscheduled stop for new tires. As the drivers began to settle in, a major accident involving the No. 3 Audi resulted in a full course yellow which lasted more than an hour. As the track workers scrambled to repair the wall which was damaged in the accident and clear up the debris which was scattered over a significant distance, the drivers circled the track under yellow.

Just past the two-hour mark, the course went green, with Joerg and Darren still on their first (double) stints. 40 minutes later, Darren handed the wheel over to Seth Neiman for his first stint in the No. 81 – now in P4 in GTE Am.  At the three-hour mark, Joerg pitted for driver change to Patrick Long, and then Spencer Pumpelly took over in the No. 81 for his first stint.

With no major incidents so far in the race except the tire puncture, the Lizards are pushing to stay consistent and avoid problems. The weather has held – it’s been fairly pleasant but cool with a light cloudcover.

****

 18.57 - Patrick Long in the pits in the No. 80 for fuel top up, clean the windshield. He was P7 at the time.

18.50 - One of the BMWs has a right rear tire puncture. He's making his way slowly back to the pits.

18.40 - No. 81 in the pits for fuel, tires and driver change from Seth Neiman to Spencer Pumpelly for Spencer's first stint of the race.  No. 81 was P5 in Am at the time of the pit stop.

18.06 - 77 Felbermayr car slow  on course with a tire puncture. The tire has come off the car and he's driving on the wheel.

18.03 - 3 hours into the race -  Joerg is in the pits for fuel , tires, and driver change to Patrick Long.

17.40 - Darren Law in the pits for tires, fuel and driver change to Seth. He was P4 in Am at the time.

17.10 - Joerg was out of the pits quickly after his refueling and is now P15 in Pro.  Darren is P3 in Am.

17.03- Darren has reached the green flag. Joerg will reach it shortly - he is pitting this lap for tires and a chassis change.

16.40 - Still yellow as the track workers clean up the debris from the earlier accident and repair the wall, which was significantly damaged where the Audi impacted it. Our drivers are going round and round.... Joerg asked for some music, Darren has been fairly quiet. Darren is P2 in Am, Joerg is P6 in Pro

15.55 - Terrible accident involving the No. 3 Audi, which was destroyed. TV showed the race workers helping Allan McNish out of the car. I don't have all of the details but the impact was huge and debris everywhere - the Audi nearly toppled over the wall into a group of photographers. I don't have details if everyone is OK but it appears that luckily,  the flying debris did not hit anyone, and that McNish is out of the car. This will be a lengthy yellow.

15.22 - Joerg made it safely to the pits - the crew changed all four tires and sent him back out quickly. Unfortunately the unscheduled stop pushed him back from 11th to 17th. Darre Law is now P5.

15.12. - No. 80 data engineers are alerting us to a possible tire pressure problem on the left rear. Possible it is a spurious reading.  Joerg confirms left rear going down - he will pit for a tire change.

15.10h - At least one, possibly both Aston Martins have spun off into the dirt - not a factor - looks like they will be able to continue. Darren P5 in Am; Joerg 11 in Pro.

15.05h -  Darren P4 in the No. 80; Joerg P 13. Both drivers report the Porsches were sluggish at the start and slow on the straight.

15.00h CET - Green flag! Clean start for the field- Audis are P1 and P2. 

14.25 h CET   Good afternoon. We are just over 30 minutes from race start and both Porsches have left the grid for their recon laps. Darren Law is starting 3rd in Am in the No. 81 and Joerg is starting in 12th in Pro in the No.



 

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Le Mans Morning Warmup - June 11, 2011

***Signing off - we'll be back with you as we get close to race start at 15.00h CET (6 am Pacific Time). TV broadcast info is at www.lizardms.com.  - See you in a few hours - Jen

09.45 - Checkered on moring warmup - all went well for both Lizard Porsches. Spencer was P3 in Am in the No.81, the No. 80 was P10 in Pro.  (I'll refer to GTE Am and GTE Pro as just Am and Pro - hopefully not too confusing)

9:38 - In the No. 80, Lucas is in the pits for driver change to Joerg. In the No. 80, Spencer is currenly P7 in Am, Joerg is P9 in Pro.

9:35 - In the No. 81, Spencer is in the pits for a setup change.  10 minutes left in warmup

9.28 h - Stopped car in the Porsche curves

09.25 - The No. 81, with Seth behind the wheel, is back in pit lane for driver change to Spencer Pumpelly.

*** Reminder that we are broadcasting our team radio live. Direct link here http://t.co/zoij92v or access from our home page home page  ***

09.14 - The No. 80 crew is making a chassis setup change in the rear before Lucas heads out. Engineer Craig Watkins also adjust the tire temps. They are also changing front pads.

09:10 - Chief strategist Thomas Blam calls Patrick into the pits for driver change to Lucas Luhr. 

08:56 am CET - Good morning from Le Mans .It's a beautiful day here- crisp and cold with low humidity - but brrrrr..... this is the chilliest I remember it here on raceday morning. The guys had to break out their beanies again. The Lizard Porsches are heading out for morning warmup.

Patrick Long is in the No. 80 and Darren Law  is in the No. 81.  The track is cold and probably very dirty- there was a practice this morning but with the temperatures so cool it will be a while before things get rolling.

Thursday June 9 - Le Mans Qualifying - No. 80 12th (GTEPro), No. 81 3rd (GTEAm)

24.00h  - Checkered flag. The No. 03 Audi just went off course and impacted the wall on his final lap.  The No. 80 is in the garage and Darren is heading back in the No. 81. The No. 80 qualifies 12th in GTEPro and  the No. 81 3rd in GTEAm.

23.52 -No. 80 is done for the evening - Joerg is out of the car and they are continuing to debrief. Joerg is 12th in GTEPro over the three sessions. The No. 80 had only a short time on track in this final qual session - in the short session - the crew had worked furiously to get the car back on track after an accident at the end of the first qualifying session today.   We have one final chance in Saturday morning warmup to get to our race setup.  The No. 81 has made more progress over the last two days - Darren is now P3. 

23.46 - Joerg back in the pits - they are still catching back up after the accident earlier in the evening. They've moved him into the garage to they can talk to him more easily than in the pits but I believe they will try and get him back out again before the end of the session.  Just 12 minutes left in the session. No. 81 still out, still P4 in the session.

23.34 h - Darren is heading out again in the No. 81 to bed in brakes, used brake pads. We have just under 20 minutes left in the session. They'll give a few laps to get this done and do a fast lap (on  old tires right now), then they'll change tires to finish out the session. The No. 80 is back out again with Joerg still behind the wheel. Still P 13 in the session.

23.18h - Darren Law is P4 in the session right now in the No. 81. The No. 80 is in the pits again as they make further setup changes.

22:56h - We are one hour into the final qualifying session. The No. 80 is back out after repair from the earlier incident with the Ferrari. The No. 81 is nearly ready to head out after its engine change. Joerg is in the No. 80 currently. He is back in the pits for some feedback to the engineers.

21.00 h - Checkered flag on the session. Unfortunately the damage on the front of the No. 80 is quite extensive. The crew will work as quickly as they can to repair the damage but it's possible that the No. 80 may not get back out for the evening session. I'll keep you posted. The No. 81 had better luck- P3 in GT Am in this session.  We'll be back with you in one hour at 22.00h.

20.47 - Joerg reports that one of the Ferraris spun right in front of him.  He tried to avoid him but made contact and some damage to the front. He is continuing slowly back home. There is  another big crash - the BMW went head fisrt into the tire wall. significatn damage to the front of the car. The driver appears OK- he is out of the car and walking. I twas the No. 56 BMW. The crew will bring the car into the garage and make repairs so they can be back for this evening's session. Joerg is currently

20.40 - No. 80 is in the garage - they are going to change to their race motor now, in time for the evening session. No. 81 is P11. Driver change in the No. 80 to Joerg.

20.21h - Darren is now P1 in GTE Am. Lucas is P10. No. 80 is back in the pits for tires and fuel.

20.12h  - Darren Law is now in the No. 81.  45 minutes left to go.

20.00h - One hour left in this qualifying session. No. 80 is in the pits - he landed in the No. 81's pit stall but the crew has pushed him forward.  Lucas Luhr will get in the car.

19.52 - We have reports that a safety car is on track - not sure what's going on.

19.43 - Patrick is in pit lane unexpectedly - not sure if there is an issue or a radio problem. He says it is a radio problem and was trying to let us know he was coming in. Patrick thinks he may have an issue with the right front tire. Yesterday, the No. 80 was dogged by suspension-related issues all day - the engineers diagnosed the problem hopefully we'll be able to make setup progress today. Chief engineer Craig Watkins will make a damper, aero and ride height change on this pit stop. Seth Neiman is still in the No. 81 - currently P5 in that group. Patrick is P8 at the moment in the No. 80.

19.29 - Both Lizard Porsches are in the pits. They will adjust tire pressures and start getting feedback from the drivers as they continue their setup work. Although it's important for us to qualify well with both cars, it's more important to get to the optimal setup that will carry us through the 24 hour race.

19.15h CET - Good evening from Le Mans. The rain has held off all day and we it has warmed up slightly from yesterday's cold temperatures. Both Lizard Porsches are on track - Patrick Long is in the No. 80 and Seth Neiman in the No. 81. The crew worked all day on both cars completing setup and installing and testing race components.  This is the second of the three qualifying sessions here at Le Mans. In yesterday's session, The No. 80 was 2nd in GTE Am and the No. 81 was 11th in GTE Pro.

24 Heures du Mans - Practice Wed, June 8

24.00- Red flag at the end of the session - major accident between two cars, but I can't tell who was involved. Both Lizard Porsches are safely back in the garage.

23.55 - Spencer is back in the pits - he is P2 in GTE Am. This was an official qualifying session - there are two more tomorrow. The fastest time over the three sessions sets the qualifying time for each car.  No. 80 was P11. We'll be back with you tomorrow at 19.00 h for the second qualifying session - see you then!' Jen

23.52 - Patrick is back in the garage. He radioed in that he hit a pylon but hopefully no damage. We'll see in a few minutes. They end the session P11 out of the 18 GTE Pro entries. Spencer is currently P2 in the No. 81 - he will be in shortly at the checkered flag.

23. 34 - Spencer is now P4 in GTE Am the session.

23.27 - No. 80 will pit for driver change to Patrick Long.

23.23 - Just under 30 minutes left to go in the evening qualifying session today - the first of three over two days. The No. 81 is currently P6 in the session, No. 80 P11. Each driver is required to do three full night laps by the end of Thursday night. Spencer, Darren, Seth, Joerg, and Lucas have all done theirs. Patrick is going in the No. 80 now to finish out the session.

23.00 - Green flag. Lucas and Spencer will stay in the No. 80 and No. 81 Porsches. 1 hour left in this qualifying session. Live timing and scoring is here:

http://www.lemans.org/en/races/24h-du-mans/live-2011/live-timing.html

22.54 - Red flag - a prototype is off after a hard impac tinto another car stopped on course. A big crash - don't have any more info but it looks like the prototype impacted another car which appears to have been stopped on course somewhere in the Mulsanne.  It is completely dark now so the prototype had no chance to see the car until he was upon him coming out of the turn.  Believe it was the No. 1 Audi. and the No. 60 Aston Martin.

22.47 - Lucas is back in the pits for a spring change.. Seth is also pitting - driver change to Spencer Pumpelly.

22.32  - Both Porsches are in the pits - they have swtiched stalls to allow the No. 81 to fuel from the No. 80 rig. Seth Neiman now in the No. 81, Lucas in the No. 80.

22.29 - Both Porsches will pit this lap for driver changes. Seth will get into the No. 81, and Lucas into the No. 80. 90 minutes left in this first qualifying session. Darren is currently P6 (of 10) in GTEAm in the No. 81, Joerg is P11 (of 18)

22.18 - Joerg is out on track in the No. 80. He radioed in on his outlap that he felt a high speed vibration, but he is continuing. Darren is back out - he radios in that so far no issues.

22.09 - Darren reports that the power is fluctuating in the car  - the crew calls him into the pits to have a look.

22.06 - Darren is out on track. No. 81 will be out shortly. It's now nearly dark and still very cool compared to normal temperatures here in Le Mans

22.03 - The No. 81 is in pit lane getting ready to head out to the qualifying session. Darren Law is in the car. The No. 80 is still in the garage as the crew finishes the aero and suspension changes they've been working on since the last session.

****

20.00h - Checkered flag on the open practice session today. the No. 80 had the 10th fastest time in GTE Pro and the No. 81 was second in GT Am. The next session, which is the start of the three qualifying sessions, starts in two hours, at 22.00 and lasts for two hours until midnight.

19.37 - One of the Felbermyr Porsches is off in the Dunlop Chicane. He didn't impact the wall and it looks like they'll be able to pull him off easily.

19.28  - Both Lizard Porsches are in the pits. The No. 80 is heading into the garage for the crew to make a larger setup change - their goal is to get back out for the end of the session, which ends in 30 minutes.

19.08  - Lucas is in the pits for another setup change - a spring change to the rear - they'll try this for one lap, if it doesn't get them going in the right direction, they will bring the car into the garage for a more extreme change. Spencer is also in the pits. In the No. 81, Spencer is currently P3 in GT Am, the No. 80 is P9 in GT pro. It looks  like we might have a short rain in a few minutes although the weather report doesn't concur.

18.47 - Seth is in the pits for driver change to Spencer Pumpelly. This is Spencer's first Le Mans - he participated in the test but his first time running with the Lizards.

18.32 - Patrick is in the pits in the No. 80. He reports that the steering is off to the right and the brake pedal is soft. the No. 80 is currently P7.  Driver change to Lucas and short fuel.

18.27 - Seth is in the pits. He will head out again shortly. 

18.07 - No. 80 in the pits for driver change to Patrick Long for his first stint. He is currently P5 in GTE Pro.

17.46 -Darren's first take, "It was a good stint. I was with the first group out on track so it was slippery and dusty  with very little grip. But we still made some headway: the car feels pretty reasonable - we are in good shape right now in terms of our setup progress."

17.38 - Joerg is in the pits for more direct feedback for Craig Watkins.  He will stay in the car and continue setup work. He is now P5 in the session. 17.32 - Darren Law now P1 in GTE AM. He will pit for driver change to Seth Neiman. 

17.24 - Green flag. Darren Law is still in the No. 81, Joerg Bergmeister in the No. 80. Slow Corvette on course. 2 hours, 30 minutes left in the session.

17.04 - In the No. 81, Darren Law is in pit lane to give feedback to his engineer Steve Conover. Big crash - the IMSA Matmut No. 76 Porsche has significant damage. Could not tell where it is  - driver is out of the car. Red flag. This could be a lengthy  red flag as the tire wall has been displaced and that will require some repair.

16.57 CET - Darren now P2 out of the 8 AM entries on course. Joerg is in the pits giving his first setup feedback to engineer Craig Watkins.  This practice session runs from 16.00h to 20.00h tonight. Then we are on track again at 22.00, running to midnight. The first session is free practice, the second session is hte first of the three qualifying session so counts for qualifying times. Since the weather is so variable this week - it's possible that this could be our only dry qual session.

16.52 CET - Joerg is heading back to the pits - he is currently P7 out of the 15 GTE PRo cars running in this afternoon's practice.

16.26h CET - Joerg is leaving pit lane now for his install lap, on cold tires.

16.15h CET  - They appear to have fixed the issue in the No. 80 and Joerg is in pit lane in the car. Darren pitted after his install lap and is now back on track.

16.07h CET - Darren Law is out on track for his first laps  in the No. 81.  This is an install lap - Darren will confirm that everything is OK on the Porsche and radio check at each major location. The No. 80 is in the garage - they are working on resolving a possible issue.

16.00h CET , Wed June 8 - Good afternoon from Circuit de la Sarthe. We are just about ready for the first practice session of the week. Darren Law will go out first in the No. 81 - here he is with the car in the garage they are ready to go. Joerg Bergmeister will start in the No. 80.