Flying Lizard Motorsports - Porsche Endurance Racing

Oct 2 - Petit Le Mans - Raceday!

**** Checkered flag on 2010 Petit Le Mans. No. 45 finishes 5th in GT; No. 44 9th. Joerg and Patrick take the ALMS GT drivers' championship - three in a row for the Lizards and two for Joerg and Patrick! Congratulations to Joerg, Patrick, Marc, Seth, Darren, Marco and the entire Lizard team for a fantastic season. ****

 

Unfortunately, the No. 62 ran out of gas on the final lap and did not take the checkered. They finished third. No. 4 won in GT, No. 01 second.

 

8:36 - Positions: P1 No. 62; P2 No. 4; P3 No. 01; P4 No. 92; P5 No. 45; P 6 No. 3.  3 more laps to go.

 

8:36 - No. 62 is also in the pits for fuel. he was in teh lead when he pitted.

 

8:34 - No. 92 is in the pits for 3 seconds of fuel.

 

8:33 - Positions: P1 No. 62; P2 No. 92; P3 No. 4; P4 No. 05; P5 No. 45; P 6 No. 3.  The No. 3 Corvette took tires in their pit stop, Patrick has not yet pitted, he was able to move up a position. The No. 62 and No. 92 have not yet pitted for additional fuel, they may be able to make it to the end.

 

8:32 - No. 3 Corvette is in the pits - tires  - didn't appear to be fuel. The Extreme Ferrari was also in for fuel.

 

8:30 -  No. 4 Corvette is in the pits for  fuel. He was P2.

 

8:27- Positions: P1 No. 62; P2 No. 4; P3 No. 01; P4 No. 92; P5 No. 3; P6 No. 45. All are on the same lap. It's not clear if all of the leaders will be able to make it to the end on fuel.

 

8:20  - No. 45 P6; No. 44 P9. 20 minutes to go.

 

8:00 - About 40 minutes remaining, if the circuit stays green. /The issue now is fuel - which GT cars will be able to make it to the end without having to stop for fuel.

 

7:48 - Marco now P8 in the No. 44. Lead GT positions remain unchanged. Patrick is P6, Marco P8.

 

7: 35 - Positions: P1 No. 62; P2 No. 4; P3 No. 01; P 4 No. 3; P5 No. 92; P 6 No. 45. No. 44 is in and out quckly driver change to Marco Holzer.  Approximately 1 hour left to go in the race. No. 44 now P9.

 

7:33 - No. 3 Corvette is in the pits. NO. 45 in the pits for driver change to Patrick Long, tires and fuel. No. 44 will be in the next lap.

 

7:30 - No. 4 Corvette is in the pits.  No. 62 Ferrarie is in the pits.  The No. 92 is in the pits.

 

7:28 - Lead GT positions: P1 No. 62; P2 No. 4; P3 No. 01; P4 No. 03; P5 No. 92; P6 No. 45. No. 44 is P8. No. 61 just pitted under green for tires and fuel.

 

7:25 - The No. 23 spun across traffic but luckily no one else hit him and he was able to continue. Still green.

 

7:19 - Both Lizard Porsches will pit in the next 15 minutes or so.

 

7:12 - Darren Law is now P8 in the No. 44. Joerg is P6 in the No. 45. The No. 62 Ferrari has caught the No. 4 Corvette in the lead and is putting pressure on him. The No. 92 BMW in P5 is pushing hard on the No. 3 Corvette, which is P4.

 

6:50 - Over 7 hours into the race - less than 2 to go. Positions: P1 No. 4; P2 No. 62; P3 No. 01; P4 No. 3; P5 No. 92; P 6 No. 45. No. 44 is P10. If the No. 45 finishes tenth or better and completes 70 % of the GT class winner's total race laps, Joerg and Patrick will win the championship, regardless of where Ferrari or BMW finish.

 

6:47 - The No. 92 overtook Joerg and is now P5. 

 

6:45 - The No. 3 Corvette and the No. 62 are in major battle right now - they keep swapping positions. I believe they are fighting for P2 . The No. 01 is right behind the No. 3 Corvette, and Joerg has now caught them and is right behind the No. 01.   The No. 4 Corvette is in the lead.

 

6:37 - Joerg now P5 again, the No. 01 P4.

 

6:35 -   We lost power there for a few minutes so I'm not sure what happened but Joerg is now P4. Positions: P1 No. 62; P2 No. 3; P3 No 4; P4 No. 45; P5 No. 01; P 6 No. 92.

 

6:32 - Green flag. 

 

6:30 -  No. 44 is in the pits. Driver change to Darren Law, tires and fuel. P9 at the time of the stop. Still yellow. Joerg has moved to P5. P1 No. 62; P2 No. 3; P3 No. 4; P4 No. 92; P 5 No. 45; P 6 No. 01.

 

6:28 - No. 45 is out after a fast pit stop with Joerg behind the wheel.   No. 44 is next to arrive in the pits.

 

6:25 - Pits are open for GT cars.  Still yellow. I expect most of the GT field will pit.  The No. 44 will pit for driver change to Darren Law. The No. 45 will pit for driver change to Joerg Bergmeister, tires, and fuel. Positions: P1 No. 3; P2 NO. 62; P3 No. 92; P4 No. 4; P5 No. 01; P 6 No. 45; No. 44 is P9.

 

6:21 - A bit of a delay as the race officials sort out the field - Marc was passed under yellow by the No. 08 Peugout. which is the overall leader. This meant that Marc missed the waveby when the pace car caught the overall leader, the No. 08, and Marc was stuck behind him. If the No. 08 had not passed him, Marc would have been waved by and been able to catch the pack. Race control adjusted it and Marc was allowed to pass the safety car and hustle around to catch the pack.  Still yellow.

 

6:15 -Both Lizard Porsches will pit under yellow.  Pits are still  closed. the No. 44 will do driver change to Darren Law, fuel and tires.

 

6:11 - The crew believe the alarm was spurious - Marc has stayed out.  The No. 44 will pit shortly for driver change to Darren Law. Positions: P1 No. 3 Corvette; P2 No. 92 BMW; P3 No. 62 Ferrari; P4 No. 4 Corvette; P5 No. 01 Ferrari; P 6 No. 45. No. 44 is P9. No. 40 in the tire wall.  Double yellow. Approximately 90 minutes left if this is a short yellow and the rest of the race is green.

 

6:08 - Tire alarm  in the right front of the No. 45.

 

5:55 - The No. 01 Ferrari overtook the No. 45 for P 5. Marc now P 6. The No. 3 Corvette has moved into the lead. Positions: P1 No. 3; P2 No. 92; P3 No. 4; P 4 No. 62; P 5 No. 01; P 6 No. 45; P7 No. 61; P 8 No. 44; P 9 No. 04; P 10 No. 17. The first six GT cars are all on the same lap.

 

5:48 - Green flag. Positions: P1 No. 92; P2 No. 3; P3 No. 4; P 4 No. 62; P 5 No. 45; P6 No. 01. No. 44 is P10.

 

5:44  -In the No.44,  Marco Holzer is in the pits for a splash of fuel under yellow - he's back out quickly in P10. they were able to get in and out without losing  a position. if all goes as planned, the No. 44 needs only one more stop to make it until the end of the race.

 

5:35 - Another off by a GTC car in the gravel - and another double yellow. Marc Lieb P5, Marco Holzer P 10. Approximately 3 hours to go. I expect we will have 2 more driver changes in each car.

 

5:30 - Green flag. The No. 62 passed the No. 45 on the restart to take 4th. No. 45 fifth.

 

5:27 - No.  44 is in the pits for tires, fuel and driver change to Marco Holzer. GT positions: 

:P1 No. 92; P2 No. 3; P3 No. 4; P4 No. 45; P 5 No. 01; P 6 No. 62. Still yellow.

 

5:23 -  Joerg is pitting for tires, fuel and early driver change to Marc Lieb. Because of the heat,they want to conserve Joerg for later in the race - they want to take advantage of the yellow to do this.

 

5:17 - Double yellow - pits are closed.

 

5:15 - Positions: P1 No. 62; P2 No. 92; P3 No.3; P4 No. 4;  P5 No. 01; P6 No. 45; P 7 No. 61; P 8 No. 17; P 9 No. 44. There's a car stopped on track but they are only local yellow right now.

 

5:10 - No. 01 has passed No. 45. Joerg now P5.  P6 is the No. 61, which went from the lead to P7 after two consecutive penalties. No. 44 is P9. It is quite  hot and the drivers are starting to suffer from the heat and fatigue.

 

5:05 - No. 4 Corvette has moved to P3. Joerg now P4. No. 61 has received their penalty for stop and go in a closed pit - stop and go. They are currently P 7.

 

5:05 - No. 92 has moved to P3. Joerg now P4.

 

5 ish  - Green flag. Positions: P1 No. 62; P 2 No. 3; P 3 No. 45; P 4 No. 92. No. 44 is P9.

 

4:56 - No. 44 pitted for driver change to Seth, tires and fuel. No. 61 is still in the lead, but they will get a penality for coming in under a closed pit. The No. 62 is P2 - I believe they pitted, but did not take tires, the No. 45 is P3; No. 3 Corvette is P4. No. 92 BMW P5; No. 4 Corvette P6; No. 01 P 7; No. 44 P8 (before its pit stop); No. 17 P9; No. 05 P10.

 

4:55 - No. 45 pitted for driver change to Joerg, tires and fuel. He was P3 at the time of the pit stop.

 

4:50  - Pits open for GT - still yellow. The No. 61, which was in the lead came into the pits while they were closed. Not sure what the issue was there.

 

4:41 - Car 55 off . We are in the driver change window. Double yellow - pits are closed.  Positions: P1 No. 61; P2 No. 3; P 4

 

 

4:28 - The No. 3 Corvette has moved to P2. Patrick now P3. Darren holds P10 in the No. 44. Next closest to Patrick is the No. 92 in P4 - he is 3 seconds back.  Behind the No. 92 is the No. 61, and those two are nose to tail.

 

4:23 - The GT field  behind Patrick continues to shuffle positions. Right now it's: P1 No. 61; P2 No. 45; P3 No. 3; P4 No. 01; P5 No. 92; P6 No. 4; P7 No. 62; P 8 No. 04; P 9 No. 17; P 10 No. 44. We have approximately four hours to go. The No. 3 Corvette is close behind Patrick, he is also on a faster pace than Patrick. The rest of the group is stacked up behind the No. 01 Ferrari.

 

4:20 - Patrick radios in that he has a small vibration, could just be from a small flat spot. Patrick is P2, behind the No. 61 - but the No. 61 is going a much faster pace and is widening the gap.

 

4:10 - Patrick now P2. Positions: P1 No. 61; P2 No. 45; P3 No. 4 Corvette; P4 No. 3 Corvette;  P5 No. 01; P 6 No. 92; P 7 No. 62; P 8 No. 04; P 9 No. 17; P 10 No. 44.  Patrick Long is in the No. 45, Darren Law in the No. 44.

 

4:07 - Green flag.

 

 

4:02 - Positions: P1 No. 61  Risi Ferrari, P2 No. 3 Corvette; P3 No. 45; P4 No. 4 Corvette; P5 No. 01 Extreme Ferrari; P 6 No. 92; P 7 No. 62; P 8 No. 17; P 9 No. 44.  Darren Law just pitted for tires and fuel Still yellow.  The No. 45 gained a position during that round of pit stops.

 

3:58 - Patrick is in the pits. He will stay in the car. Most of the rest fo the GT field also pitted. I'll report positions in a minute. Still yellow.

 

3:55 - Pits are open for GT. No. 45 is coming in this lap for short fuel and tires. Still yellow.  Both Corvettes are coming in, and one Risi Ferrari - I'm not sure which one yet.

 

3:50 - Pits closed, double yellow to tow the car from the tire wall.

 

3:47 - Car off drivers' left Turn 5. May go double yellow.

 

3:33  - Patrick has closed the gap to the No. 01 Extreme Ferrari, with Scott Sharp behind the wheel. But it's going to be difficult to pass. The No. 61 passed Patrick - Patrick radioed in that he needs his tires to come up to temp. Patrick now P5. Darren Law in the No. 44 is P9.

 

3:31 - Green flag.

 

3:26 - The No. 62 pitted for tires, fuel, and I think driver change.  They lost their lap, which they had gained back earlier in the yellow, when they were in the pits and are again one lap down on the six GT leaders.

Positions:  P1 No. 4 Corvette; P2 No. 3 Corvette; P3 No. 01 Extreme Ferrari; P4 No. 45; P5 No. 61; P6 No. 92; P 7 No. 62; P 8 No. 44. No. 44 pitted for tires, fuel, and driver change from Marco Holzer to Darren Law.

The first six GT cars are all on the lead lap.

 

3;22 - The No. 4 Corvette, No. 3 Corvette and No. 01 Ferrari were out of the pits first, followed by the No. 45, then the No. 61.  The No. 44 did not pit. So the lorder has shuffled a bit: P1 No. 4 Corvette; P2 No. 3 Corvette; P3 No. 01 Extreme Ferrari; P4 No. 45. The No. 61 is now P5 and the No. 62 P 6.

The No. 61 is just 1 second back from the No. 45.

The No. 44 is P8.

 

3:20 - No. 45 is in the pits.  Driver change to Patrick Long, tires and fuel. The No. 61, No. 4 and No. 01 are all in at the same. time.

 

3:18 - Pits are open for GT - both Lizard Porsches will pit this lap. Marc is in P4 at the time of the stop; Marco P8.

 

3:15 - Still yellow. I expect most of the GT field to pit once the pits are open. Positions: P1 No. 4 Corvette; P2 No. 61 Risi Ferrari; P3 No. 01 Extreme Ferrari; P4 No. 45; P5 No. 3; P6 No. 62; P7 No. 92; P 8 No. 44.

 

3:13 - No. 77 is deep in the gravel. Double yellow - pits are closed. Marc is P4 - he needs to make sure that he stays with the GT leaders and does not get separated by the pace car, which would put him a lap down.

The 02 Ferrari is in the pits - the pits are closed so there must be a problem.

 

 

3:08 - LMPC off course but he was able to continue. No yellow.

 

3:05 - In the No. 44, Marco is by the No. 17 and is now in P8.

 

2:58 - The GT leaders are spread out again - The No. 4 Corvette in the lead has built a nice gap to the No. 61 in P2. Marc is 30 seconds back from the No. 4 Corvette and 20 seconds back from the No. 01.

Marco Holzer is in P9 - he is on the bumper of the No. 17 in P8 but has been unable to get by.

 

2:39 - The No. 01 Ferrari has moved past Marco to take P3.  Positions: P1 No. 4 Corvette; P2 No. 61 Risi Ferrari; P3 No. 01 Extreme Ferrari; P4 No. 45; P5 No. 3 Corvette. No. 44 is now P9.

 

2:35 - Car off Drivers right 10a - he's going again.

 

2:34 - Green flag.

 

2:31 - This yellow has worked in our favor - Marc Lieb has been able to close the gap to Oli Gavin in the No. 4 who is P1 and Mika Salo in the No. 61 who is P2. Marc is 5 seconds behind the No. 61 and 7 seconds back from the No. 4. Still yellow.

 

2:30 - Marco Holzer in the No. 44 is in the pits under yellow for a splash of fuel. Just at the three hour mark.

 

2:26 - The Spyder pitted and rejoined - looks like it was only a broken wheel.

 

2:22 - Car 6, the Muscle Milk Spider stopped on course. Double yellow.  He is continuing slowly. Looks like he's dropping oil all the eway down the back straight - no - maybe not oil, may be rubber - looks like he has a suspension issue.

 

2:20 - Green flag. Marc Lieb is P3.  No. 4 Corvette is P1; No. 61 Risi Ferrari P2. No. 01 Extreme Ferrari is P4. Marc is close behind Mika Salo in the No. 61, but has a 10 second gap to Domink Farnbacher in the No. 01.

 

2:15 - Marco Holzer takes the wheel of the No. 44 and is out on track for his first stint.  He is out in P9 - two laps down on the overall leader. Still yellow. He may get a waveby which would gain him back a lap. 

 

2:11 - Positions: P1 No. 4 Corvette; P2 No. 61 Risi Ferrari; P3 No. 45; P4 No. 01 Extreme Ferrari; P5 No. 3 Corvette; P6 No. 92; P 7 No. 62 Risi Ferrari; P8 No. 17; P9 No. 44.  I believe that GT cars in positions 1 thru 5 are on the same lap - I'll confirm that in a minute.

 

2:10  - I'll report positions in a minute - we will definitely be on the lead lap, I think we will be P3 - I'll report ina minute. Still yellow.

 

2:08 - Joerg is in the pits - driver change to Marc Lieb for Marc's first stint of the race. Both Risi Ferraris also pitted, they were slightly ahead of Joerg coming in to the pits. The No. 62 is one lap down on Joerg, the No. 61 will be on the same lap. Still yellow.

 

2:00 - One of the Audis is off course with bodywork damage. Double yellow.  We were just about to pit when it went double yellow. Joerg stayed out. Some of the other GT cars were not so lucky and had pitted under green. Joerg is now P1, with No. 61 P2, No. 4 P3; P62  P4; No. 01 P5. No. 44 is P10.

 

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1:39 - No. 61 Risi Ferrari, which was P2, is in the pits with a possible problem. No - looks like it was just for tires, however they are now P5 - Joerg moves to P 4.  He is about 40 seconds back from the No. 3 Corvette whis is in P3. Sounds like the No. 61 had contact with another car, which resulted in the pit stop.

 

1:36 - Just passed the two-hour mark. Positions: P1 No. 4; P2 No. 61; P3 No. 01; P4 No. 03; P5 No. 92; P 6 No. 45; P 7 No. 62; P 8 No. 17.

 

1:29 - The No. 04 Corvette has passed the No. 61 to take the lead. No. 61 now P2.

 

10:23  - Positions: P1 No. 61; P2 No. 4; P3 No. 01; P4 No. 03; P5 No. 92; P6 No. 45; P7 No. 62; P 8 No. 17; P9 No. 44. The first six GT cars are on the same lap. The No. 44 is 2 laps down.

 

1:05 - Clean stops for both Lizard Porsches. I'll report positions in a minute.

 

1:04 - Darren Law is in the pits in the No. 44 - tires, fuel and driver change to Seth Neiman. he was P10 at the time of the stop. The No. 45 is also pitting at the same time - just ahead of the No. 44. - driver change to Joerg Bergmeister, Tires and fuel.

 

1:02- The No. 62 Risi Ferrari  is in the pits for tires, fuel and driver change. he was in P6, I believe. Patrick is P1 at the moment, but he still has to pit.

 

1:00 - We are in the window for driver changes. Some of the GT field is begining to pit. The No. 61 Risi Ferrari is first in for driver, fuel and tires.  The No. 4 Corvette is also in  - same for them. The No. 1 Ferrari is in too. They were positions 1, 2, and 4 respectively before their pit stops. They are out again in the same order to each other. Both Lizard cars will pit shortly.

 

12:55 - Positions: P1 No. 61; P2 No. 4; P 3 No. 01; P4 No. 45; P 5 No. 04; P6 No. 3; P 7 No. 62; P8 No. 17; P 9 No. 92; P 10 No. 44.  the first four GT cars are on the lead lap, the rest of the group is at least one lap down, includin gthe No. 44. The No. 04 had a big off but continued.

 

12:51- No. 02 Spun exit of 10A.

 

12:47 - Positions: P1 No. 61; P2 No. 4; P3 No. 3; P4 No. 01; P4 No. 45; P6 No. 04; P 7 No. 17; P 8 No. 44; P 9 No. 62; P 10 No. 92; P 11 No. 02

 

12:44 - Patrick now P5 - the No. 01 Ferrari now P4.

 

12:41 - No. 90 BMW and hte No. 92 BMW pitted for tires, but the No. 90 has not been able to restart and is still in the pits.

 

12:34 - Positions: P1 No. 62 Ferrari; P2 No. 4 Corvette, P3 No. 3 Corvette; P4 No. 45; P5 No. 92; P 6 No. 01; P7 No. 04; P 8 No. 17; P9 No. 44. Just over one hour into the race.

 

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12:26 - No. 90  BMWs in P2 received a stop and go plus 60 for avoidable contact  - I assume it was with the No. 88 which is in the gravel. Patrick moves to P5. Patrick passed the No. 92 BMW for P4.

12:20 – After serving its penalty, the No. 62 is back on track, but is now in P 11. Patrick has moved to P6 and he is just under a second behind the No. 92 which is P5.  Positions: P1 No. 90; P2 No. 61; P3 No. 4; P4 No. 3; P5 No. 92; P 6 No. 45; P 7 N. 01; P8 No. 04; P 9 No. 44.

 

12:13 - The No. 04 Ford, which was in P3 and the No. 62 Ferrari in P4 made contact, the No. 04 went off course and the No. 61, which has been behind the No. 62, moved ahead to P3. The No. 62 is now P4. The No. 04  has now fallen to P9., moving Patrick to P7.

The No. 62 received a stop and go penalty plus 60 for avoidable contact with the No. 04 in the incident. 

 

12:12 - The No. 75 Jaguar has a flat left front tire.

12:05 - The No. 3 Corvette passed Patrick to take P7. Patrick now P8. Positions: P1 No. 90; P2 No. 4; P 3 No. 04; P4 No. 62; P5 No. 61; P 6 No. 92; P7 No. 3; P8 No. 45. No. 44 is P11.

12:01 - Green Flag.

12:00 - After the round of pit stops, here are GT positions: P1 No. 90 BMW; P2 No. 04 Corvette; P 3 No. 92 BMW; P 4 No. 62 Ferrari; P 4 No. 4 Corvette; P 6 No. 61 Ferrari; P7 No. 45 Lizard; P8 No. 3 Corvette. No. 44 gained two positions in the last pit stop and is now P 10.

11:56 - The entire GT field has pitted together, including both Lizard cars, which both took tires and fuel.  I think we were the only GT cars to take tires.  I will report positions in a minute once timing and scoring updates. Still yellow.

11:55  - Pits are open - cars are beginningg to pit, still under yellow.

11:50 -Looks like both BMWs will come in the pits under yellow once the pits are open. They were in P4 and P 9 before the pit stop.

11:48 - Double Yellow - the No. 23 Porsche is in the tire wall.

11:47 - The No. 01 Extreme Ferrari in P3 is holding up the rest of the GT pack - close behind him is the No. 90 BMW, the No. 4 Covette, the No. 3 Corvette. This is not good for us because the No. 61 and No. 62 Ferraris in P1 and P2  are building a gap to the rest of the group.

11:45 - The GT field has settled in - Patrick is focused on getting past the No. 04 Ford. He's close behind him but hasn't been able to get by yet. Just behind Patrick is the No. 92 BMW, also looking to take a position. They are several seconds back form the No. 61 Risi Ferrari which is P1.

In today's race, if Joerg and Patrick finish tenth or better and complete 70 % of the GT class winner's total lap count, then they will win the championship, no matter where the other cars in contention finish.

11:35 - Positions: P1 No. 61 Risi Ferrari, P2 No. 62 Risi Ferrari, P3 No. 01 Exterme Ferrari, P4 No. 90 BMW, P5 No. 4 Corvette, P6 No. 3 Corvette, P 7 No. 04 Ford; P 8 No. 45; P 9 No. 92; P 10 No. 17.

11:30 - Green flag.  Patrick started 8th on the grid, Darren Law 14th. Clean start for the entire field (45 cars entered). We are having internet issues - the radio is down right now, but I hope to have it up shortly.

** We'll be back with you for the race, which starts at 11:15 am ET. ***

9:40 - Checkered flag - Patrick was P5 in the session, Darren Law P11.

9:36 - Patrick moves to P5 in GT. 4 minutes left in the morning warmup.

9:30 -Patrick is now on track in the No. 45.

9:28 - Joerg is in the pits for drier change to Patrick Long. 12 minutes left in the session. So far, Joerg is sixth fastest in the session, Darren is ninth.

9:23 - Green flag. Both Lizard Porsches are back out again.

9:21 - Red flag. Joerg is currently P5 in the session.

9:20 - No. 89 Car spun drivers left turn five.

9:19 -   Joerg radios in that he's battling strong oversteer this morning.

9:15 am ET - Good morning from Road Atlanta. It's raceday and we are ready to go. It's a beautiful day- clear, sunny and cool. Green flag on morning practice - a 25 minute practice session. Darren Law is in the No. 44 and Joerg Bergmeister in the No. 45. This is our last chance before the race to shakedown the race components installed last night.

Reminder that we are broadcsasting our team radio today - to listen, click on the Follow the Lizards tab on www.lizardms.com.

Fri. Oct 1 - Petit Le Mans Practice & Qualifying

3:40 -  Checkered flag on qualifying. Patrick is P8 in the No. 45, Seth is P 14 in the No. 44. Ferraris are positions one through four - on the pole is Jaime Melo in the No. 61; P2 is Gianmaria Bruni in the No. 62; P3 Guy Cosmo in the No. 02 Extreme Ferrari, P4 Johannes van Overbeek in the No. 01 Extreme Ferrari.

3:35 - one of the Extreme Ferraris went off - he's off line, still green. Patrick is out back on course.

3:32 - They are making a rollbar change and wing adjustment on the No. 45 - Patrick will  go out one more time to see if he can improve positon.

3;26 - Patrick has moved up to P7. Thomas Blam has called him into the pits to make a setup change- he is seven-tenths behind P6, which is Jan Magnussen in the No. 4 Corvette.

3:25 pm - We are ten minutes into  the 20-minute GT qualifying session. Patrick Long in the No. 45 has done five laps and is now P8. 10 minutes to go. Seth Neiman is in the No. 44 - he is currently 14. The No. 62 Risi Ferrari is currently P1.

***

We'll be back with you for GT qualifying this afternoon at 3:15 pm ET. See you then. Qualifying broadcast live on www.Speedtv.com.

10:30 am - Audi off drivers left in the Esses. Some bodywork strewn about the track. Unclear what happened. Driver remains in the car but he appears OK and is trying to continue. He's stuck now on course and looks like he will need a tow. Checkered flag on the session.  Patrick was P 7 in GT during the sessoin, Seth was P 14.

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***

10:20 - Seth is in the pits. 10 minutes left in the session. Sounds like he went into the marbles on the last lap - they are checking it over to make sure no problems. He's back out again.

Marco Holzer, a Junior Porsche factory driver, is joining Seth and Darren Law for the race. This is Marco's first ALMS race. I asked him what he thought so far: "For sure it's a new environment here. The team is freinedly and they do a perfect job organizing. It's great to have my first race with them here in the ALMS at Petit Le Mans. Darren and Seth and Eric (team manager) have been very helpful in getting me up to speed on the series rules.  Road Atlanta is completely different from European tracks. It's really tight here - lots of fun, the track is fast with both slow corners and lots of fast ones - very nice to drive! I can't wait for the race tomorrow."

10:14 - one of the Audis went off in the grass (the No. 9) but continued. Chief Strategist Thomas Blam called patrick into the pits - he's currently P6. 15 minutes left in the session. Romain Dumas who is driving the Hybrid is sitting next to me in the pits right now - he appears to be very happy with the Hybrid setup right now - they've been running consistently fast times - on par with the top 5 to 10 of GT2. They are in the GTH class - they won't get to score GT points at this race but it's good to see them here. Flying Lizard is hosting the hybrid in our pits.

10:10- GTC car spun Turn 10 B, drivers' left - he is continuing.

10:08 - One of the Jaguars is having probles on track and appears to have nicely oiled the track. Still green but he is working his way slowly around the course back tothe pits. Patrick now P9, Seth P 13 - 20 minute left in the session.

9:55 am ET - Good morning from Road Atlanta. It's a beautiful day here - sunny and mild with a light breeze. Great racing weather! Morning practice is underway - Seth Neiman is in the No. 45 and Patrick Long in the No. 45. Patrick is currently P5 in the session. We had an uneventful night practice last night - each driver did his required three laps and we were able to make some additional setup progress in the No. 45. We have not had as much setup time as we had expected due to the rain yesterday so need to make the most of this morning's session.

Darren Law is in the pits waiting for his first run of the day in the No. 44.  His take on the car: "Overall we feel pretty good and I'm happy with the handling of the car. I'm glad we were here this weekend to make up for the lost time. Traffic is very, very hard to manage - there are few places to pass, the Peugeots and Audis are so much faster than everyone else and are very aggressive in getting by so it's going to be a challenging race until traffic thins out."

Here's a Bob Chapman image from the rainy practice session yesterday

Thu. Sept 30 - Petit Le Mans Practice Sessions

8:52 - Checkered flag on the session - a few minutes before the scheduled end, due to the red flag to recover the Peugot. We'll be back with you tomorrow, Friday, for morning practice at 9:30, then qualifying at 3:15. See you then.

8:45 - Red flag - car off d Turn 4. It's a closed cockpit prototype but i can't see more than that right now.  It's No. 07 Peugot. Medical personnel are with the driver right now. He is out of the car and walking. Patrick was just behind the No. 07 and said that he went hard head on into the tire wall. The No. 45 is currently P9 in the session, the No. 44 is 11th.

8:32 - Green flag. The No. 45 does not appear to have any damage, so Patrck Long will go out again for a shakedown to make sure everything is OK and finish out the session.

8:29 - Marc is out of the gravel and making his way back to the pits. Still red.

8:27 - No. 45 is deep in the gravel. Red flag for them to tow Marc out. Not sure what happened - he says that he lost the rear under braking, but not sure what precipitated it. He's fine, the car seems fine - just need to get him out of the gravel.

8:16 - The No. 23 is off drivers' left turn 12. Red flag. Just under 45 minutes left in the session.

8:00 -Marc Lieb is now in the No. 45. He will do his required laps and then continue to work on setup   - track conditions are similar now to what we expect during the last part of the race tomorrow. The No. 44 is in the pits - they are done for the evening. No. 02 Extreme Ferrari is now P1; No. 45 is P9; No. 44 P11.

7:55 - Joerg is now P7 in the No. 45.

7:46 - Marco and Joerg are both in the pits for driver change. Darren Law is now in the No. 44, Joerg will continue in the No. 45. No. 44 is P10 (lap time set by Marco Holzer) and No. 45 is  P11. The No. 01 Extreme Ferrari is currently P1.

7:34  - Green flag. Marco Holzer in the No. 44 and now Joerg Bergmeister in the No. 45. Only Seth and Patrick have completed their required 3 laps but we have 90 minutes left in the night practice session.

7:21 -  Incident between two prototypes Exit of Turn 5. The No. 8 Drayson car and the Level 5 prototype, I believe. Luckily the field behind them was able to avoid the incident. Both cars are being towed off the course. Red flag. Both drivers are out of their cars, medical assistance is with the driver of the No. 8 car. The No. 8 is requiring a flat tow.

7:15 - Seth Neiman is in the pits. Driver change to Marco Holzer. This is Marco's first race with the Lizards and his first ALMS race. He is a Junior Factory driver.

7:10 pm ET - Good evening from Road Atlanta. We are 10 minutes into night practice. Patrick Long is in the No. 45 and Seth Neiman is in the No. 44. All six Lizard drivers need to do three laps during this night session. Luckily we now have a dry track and still have some light. Patrick is currently P9 in the session. He is in the pits for new tires and will go out again shortly.

****

3:00 - And we are done. Another very short session - just too wet for us to make any progress setup.  Hopefully the rain will let up before this evening's practice so we can get some track time today. Practice begins at 7:00 pm ET.

2:49 - Both Lizard Porsches are now on course - it's still raining hard and the track is very wet. On his outlap Marc Lieb in the No. 45 reported " a lot of hydroplaning".  In the No. 44, Darren Law is in the Porsche - he will run just five laps, and they will return to the garage.

2:40 - The Lizard Porsches are warming up in the garage - they will head out to the pits shortly. Still raining hard.

Roland Kussmaul and Scott Jasmund are waiting patiently in the pits for the cars to come into the pits. 
 

 

2:35 pm - Well, just in time for the start of the session the skies opened up and it's now raining cats and dogs. The Lizard Porsches will go out this session, but they are waiting to see if it lets up a bit. The hybrid went out - one of two cars on track right now. Here's the hybrid coming into the pits after one lap in the wet.

****

10:23 - OK we are calling it a session - both the No. 44 and No. 45 are heading back to the garage. It's too wet to learn much more considering that we expect a dry race and we can use the time for race prep. We'll be back with you at 2:25 pm ET for the next practice today. We were fastest in this morning's session so far in the No. 45.

10:21- It's raining harder - the track is now fully wet. All three Porsches are now in the pits waiting to see how the conditions progress.

10:18 - Patrick is in the pits giving feedback to engineer Stefan Pfeiffer. They are waiting to see if the rain increases and will decide if they move to rain tires or if they call it a session and head back to the garage.

10:07 am ET - Good morning from Road Atlanta. It's damp here after some rain last night. We have threatening skies right now - it looks like it could be a wet practice session, which is underway. The session runs from 10 to 11 am ET this morning, then a second practice session  at 2:35, then night practice at 7 pm. Every driver will need to complete at least three laps during the night session.

Patrick Long is first out in the No. 45 - he's currently P1 in the session. The No. 44 is not out yet but is in its pit stall. The track had almost dried out at the beginning of the session so the No. 45 went out on slicks but I think we'll see some rain shortly. They need to have some dry running time today to bed in their dry brake pads, etc. So hopefully it will stay dry for a bit.

Before the rain started, we were able to get a team photo - here's the group:

 

10:21- It's raining harder - the track is now fully wet. All three Porsches are now in the pits waiting to see how

We are sharing our pits and paddock with the Porsche Hybrid for this race.

The three Porsches are lined up in pit lane ready for today's session. The order is the No. 45, then the No.44, then the Hybrid.

the conditions progress.

10:18 - Patrick is in the pits giving feedback to engineer Stefan Pfeiffer. They are waiting to see if the rain increases and will decide if they move to rain tires or if they call it a session and head back to the garage.

10:07 am ET - Good morning from Road Atlanta. It's damp here after some rain last night. We have threatening skies right now - it looks like it could be a wet practice session, which is underway. The session runs from 10 to 11 am ET this morning, then a second practice session  at 2:35, then night practice at 7 pm. Every driver will need to complete at least three laps during the night session.

Patrick Long is first out in the No. 45 - he's currently P1 in the session. The No. 44 is not out yet but is in its pit stall. The track had almost dried out at the beginning of the session so the No. 45 went out on slicks but I think we'll see some rain shortly. They need to have some dry running time today to bed in their dry brake pads, etc. So hopefully it will stay dry for a bit.

Wed. Sept. 29 - Petit Le Mans Practice

5:15 - Checkered flag on the GT portion of this afternoon's session. The No. 45 was eighth fastest in the session, the No. 44 was 10th. No. 62 Risi Ferrari was P1, No. 61 Risi Ferrari P2.

4:48 - Green flag. Patrick is heading out for his first stint of the day in the No. 45. Marco will stay in the No. 44.  Both cars are cycling  quickly though setup changes to take advantage of the dry session since there is possible rain tomorrow.

4:40 -And another red flag - IMSA wants to look at a portion of the track, which either appears to be starting to come up or is covered with oil. Marco Holzer is P9 with a 1:21.607. Joeg is P7 iwth a 1:21.562. No rain yet but the cloud cover is thickening.... 35 minutes left in the session. yes, it's the oil that they want to clean up - the track surface is fine.

4:30 - Back to green flag running. Marco Holzer is in the No. 44 and Joerg still in the No. 45

4:19 - Red flag to remove Car No. 55 from track. No. 45 will pit for an aero change. I believe Joerg will still stay in the car.

4:02 pm ET - Good afternoon from Road Atlanta. It's cool and breezy here with low cloud cover and a few sprinkles. The weather over the last week has been really variable - very hot then torrential rain, now mild and pleasant. Hopefully the rain will hold off and we'll have a dry few days of practice and race.

Both Lizard Porsches are out on track for the first official practice session - which runs until 5:15 pm today. Joerg Bergmeister is currently P7 in the session. He's in the pits giving turn by turn feedback to enigneer Stefan Pfeiffer. Seth Neiman is in the No. 44. Driver lineup for Saturday's race is: Joerg Bergmeister, Patrick Long and Marc Lieb. In the No 44 it's Seth Neiman, Darren Law and Marco Holzer. Marco is a Porsche Junior Factory driver. This will be his first ALMS race.  Here is Marco on pit wall before his first stint today.

For the race ,we are hosting the Porsche Hybrid in our paddock and pits. This will be the hybrid racecar's first U.S. race. Both the Hybrid and the Lizard Porsches tested at Road Atlanta last weekend in the open test. Although it was rained out on Sunday, the cars were able to make some setup progress on Saturday.