Flying Lizard Motorsports - Porsche Endurance Racing

Sat. Oct 1 - Petit Le Mans Raceday

9:05- Joerg finishes P2! He was able to pass the No. 55 but was too far back to make any progress on the No. 51. Congratulations to the Lizards for another great race this year. The No. 44 finished P8 - another great finish for them - the No. 44 finished in the points every race this year. It's been a long, tough season  - thanks to our fans, friends and family for all of your support. See you all in  a few months . Jen

9:02 - 2 more laps.

9:00  - Green flag. Joerg P3, Marco P8. Joerg is 1 lap ahead of the P4 car, Marco is 2 laps ahead of the P9. Joerg is chasing the No. 55 BMW in P2 - they are less than 1 second back.. Marco is after the No. 58 Ferrari - 10 seconds back.

8:57 - when (and if) we get restarted (they are trying to get teh No. 05 off course with a tow) we will only have a few laps left.

8:51 - Double yellow. They need to get all of the disabled cars back in and hopefully deal with the oil on the track. Joerg still behind the No. 55 BMW. Joerg is P3, No. 55 P2. No. 51 P1.

8:49 - lots of cars spinning on track. Can't tell if anyof them got together. All continued. Prototype still off in the grass , I think at Turn 2.

8:46 - He's caught him again.

8:44 - Joerg was held up by a slow Ferrari and lost some ground to the No. 55.

8:35 - Joerg (in P3) has caught the No. 55 BMW (in P2) and is pushing him hard looking for an opportunity to pass. Marco is now P8 in the No. 44. About 20 minutes left or so.

8:19 - Joerg 6 seconds back from the No. 55 BMW in P2. No. 51 still leads.  No. 56 BMW still in the pits - not sure what the issue is. Joerg is one lap ahead of the P4 car - the No. 4 Corvette.

8:16  -No. 56 back in the pits - not surewhat the issue is - looks like a flat. Joerg moves to P3. No. 51 P1; No. 45 P2. No. 59 just spun on track and lots of smoke as they extinguish flames. Driver is out of the car.

8:10 - No. 55 has passed Joerg to take P3. Joerg now P4.

8:08 - Positions: P1 No. 51; P2 No. 56; P3 No. 45; P 4 No. 55; P 5 No. 17. No 44 in the pits for driver change to Marco Holzer. No. 44 in P9. Clean stop for the No. 44. Joerg is 7 seconds back from the No. 56 in P2.

8:05 - Pilet is in the pits. Driver change to Joerg Bergmeister, tires and fuel. No. 51 also in the pits for driver change, tires and fuel. Clean stop for the No. 51 and for the No. 45.

8:03 - Patrick Pilet currently P2. He and No. 51, in the lead, have not yet pitted..

8:01 - No. 55 in the pits for drive change, tires and fuel. No. 56 also in the pits. No. 4 also pits. No. 56 had been P2. 45 will pit shortly

8:00 - Darren radioed in that he went off but continued - no damage.

7:50 - We've lost most of our visibility on the corner cameras due to darkness. This means the strategists are no longer able to call traffic for the drivers. - They are on their own out there in the dark.

7:34 - Lead GT positions unchanged. No. 51 holds the lead.

7:26 - Patrick Pilet in the No. 45 is 7 seconds back from the No. 56. He's running by himself at the moment. Darren Law P9 in the No. 44. Fully dark now

7:24 - The No. 56 BMW in P2 has caught the leader, the No. 51 Ferrari. Race control just warned they are watching the No. 51 for blocking.

7:13 - Green flag. It is nearly dark.

 

 7:10 - Still yellow.  

6:59 - No. 06 deep in the gravel drivers left. Again... another yellow. Ugh.

6:57 - Green flag. Patrick P3. No. 51 P1; No. 56 P2; No. 45 P3, No. 55 P4 and now on the lead lap with us. No. 17 P5. No. 44 P9.

6:56 - No. 44, in P9, in the pits for driver change to Darren Law, tires and fuel.

6:52 - Patrick in the pits for driver change, tires and fuel. Patrick Pilet is in the car. Still yellow. Patrick Pilet is back out in P3.

6:40 - Big wreck involving the No. 1 Audi which was P2. Romain Dumas is out of the car and walking to the medical vehicle. Very disappointing for Audi - the No. 2 is still running, but is many laps down after problems early in the race. Yellow flag.

6;36 - patrick still P3, Marco still P9. About 2.5 hours to go... No. 51 in the lead. No. 56 P2.

6:32  - Marco radios in vibration left front, I think. Patrick is 8 seconds back from the leader, No. 51 Ferrari.

6:23 - Green flag.

6:21 - Marco back in the pits for a second short fuel.  Still yellow.

6:16 - No. 44 in the pits for fuel only. Marco will stay in the car. He is P9.  Patrick is still P3. P1 No. 56; P2 No. 51; P3 No. 45; P4 No. 4; P 5 No. 55; P 6 No. 17. Still yellow

6:13 - Patrick in the pits. Tires and fuel. He will stay in the car.

6:11 - Still yellow. Patrick P3 in the No. 45, Marco P9. Patrick will pit this lap for tires and fuel.

5:55 - Another incident on track - double yellow. The 64 Lotus in the wall at Turn 12.

 5:53 No. 55 slow on course. He is in the pits, he was p3. Patrick Long now moves to P3.

5:50  - In the No 44, Marco Holzer now P9 after the driver change. No. 51 still leads, No. 45 P4 - Patrick Long behind the wheel.

5:48 - No. 44 in the pits for driver change to Marco Holzer, tires and fuel. He is P8. CAr 18 off drivers right Turn 7 .

5:47 - Positions: Positions: P1 No. 51; P2 No. 56; P3 No. 55; P4 No. 45; P 5 No. 4; P 6 No. 17.

5:44- Incident involving multiple cars at Turn 10.  They were able to get out of the way. The No. 01 ESM Ferrari  has a right rear tire puncture.

5:41 - No. 4 Corvette in the pits. Patrick P4.

5;36 - No. 01 Ferrari in the pits. This moves Patrick Long to P5. Seth P9.

5:18 - We are back to green flag racing. Patrick P6, Seth P9. No. 51 now in the lead, No. 01 P2. No. 4 P3; No. 56 P4; No 55 P5; No. 45 P6. No. 44 P8.

5:10 - Patrick P6 and on the lead lap. No. 01 P1 (they did not pit in the last round); No. 51 P2 (also did not pit); No. 4 P3; No. 56; P 4; No. 55 P5; No. 45 P6. No. 44 is P8. No. 44 will pit shortly for the crew to replace the passenger mirror, which shattered when it came loose on the last pit stop.

5:06 - Still yellow. Joerg is in the pits for driver chagne to Patrick Long, tires and fuel. He is P6. No. 56 also in the pits

5:03 - Seth P8. Still yellow. Positions: P1 No. 01; P2 No. 56; P3 No. 51; P4 No. 55; P5 No. 4; P 6 No. 45; P 7 No. 17; P 8 No. 44.

4:56 - Joerg now P6. Seth P9. Double yellow.

4:38 - Joerg reports left front tire down. He is in the pits for earlier than scheduled pit stop and tire change.

4:36 - No. 02 ESM Ferrari just rolled slowly by our pit stall with a problem.

4:34 - Positions: P1 No. 51; P2 No. 45; P3 No. 01; P4 No. 56; P5 No. 55; P6 No. 4; P7 No. 17; P8 No. 02; P9 No. 58; P10 No. 44; P 11 No. 48.

4:32 - Darren Law in the No. 44 is in the pits for driver change to Seth Neiman, tires and fuel. he is currently P9. Joerg is now P2 as the No. 4 Corvette is in the pits. The No. 44 passenger mirror came loose in the pit stop, causing a few second delay in the stop.

4:27 - Joerg now P5 after the BMW pit stops. Positions: P1 No. 01; P2 No. 51; P3 No. 4; P4 No. 45; P5 No. 56; P6 No.  55; P7 No. 17; P 8 No. 01; P9 No. 44. No. 45 will pit in about 15 mins. No. 01 ESM Ferrari in the pits.  No. 44 will be in shortly

4:20 the No. 55 BMW is in - this is probably for their scheduled pit stop.

4:17 - No. 56 in the pit swith a tire puncture. He was leading GT. No. 01 takes the lead.

4:01 - GT leader No. 56 now physically right behind Joerg on course. If the 56 overtakes Joerg, he will be 1 lap down. Positions: P1 No. 56; P2 No. 01; P3 No. 4; P4 No. 51; P 5 No. 55; P 6 No .01; P 7 No. 45. No 44 P9.

3:59 - Joerg is in the pits - he was P3.  Four tires.

3:57 - Joerg reports left front going down - tire pressure alarm.

3:51 Correction - wasn't the 01 that received the penalty was the 1 Audi and also the 012. Joerg is P4 now though after the Falken car pitted. Positions: P1 No. 51; P2 No. 56; P3 No. 01; P4 No. 45;. No. 44 with Darren behind the wheel is P9. The No. 51 is out of pit sequence with us - they should pit shortly putting Joerg into P3.

3:40 - Penalty to car No. 01 - working on a car while refueling. Stop and go plus 20 seconds. No. 01 is right in front of Joerg, so this will put Joerg into P4.

3:36 pm - No. 02 ESM Ferrari pitted, No. 51 takes the lead. No. 45 now P5.

3:35 - The Lotus is off drivers right Turn 3.

3:34 - Big spin right in front of us on front straight  - luckily he missed impacting the wall and any other cars and continued.

3:30 - No. 4 Corvette also pitted. Positions are now: P1. No. 02; P2 No. 51; P3 No. 17; P4 No. 56; P 5 No. 01; P 6 No. 45; P 7 No. 4; P 8 No. 55; P9 No. 58; P 10 No. 44. The GT cars are on different pit stop sequences.

3:28 - Patrick Pilet in the pits for driver change to Joerg Bergmeister, tires and fuel. No. 44 also in the pits for driver change to Darren Law, tires and fuel. No. 01 ESM Ferrari, which had been the GT leader, also pitted.

No. 4 Corvette stayed out and is now P1. No. 02 ESM Ferrari also stayed out and is P2.

3:22 -No. 56 BMW in the pits. Both Lizard Porsche will be in in about 5 laps. No. 55, the GT leader, slow on course with left rear tire puncture. No. 01 ESM will  take the lead, with No. 45 P2. Marco Holzer now P10.

3:14 - No. 4 Corvette on Pilet's bumper now.

3:07 - Car slow in the esses.

3:04.. The No .56 BMW is right behind Patrick Pilet, looking for an oportunity to get by.  He just overtook - 56 now P3, Patrick P4.

2:55 -Patrick Pilet overtook the No. 02 ESM Ferrari to take P3.

2:51 - Green flag.

2:35 - Yellow flag. again...both cars will stay out during this caution.

2:21 - Lead GT positions: P1 No. 55; P2 No. 02; P3 No. 01; P4 No. 45. P5 No. 4; P 6 No. 56; P 7 No. 59.

2:20 - No. 44 in the pits for tires and fuel.  Still yellow.  Marco Holzer will stay in the car. The No. 02 ESM Ferrari is slow on course.

2:17  -No. 45 is in the pits for tires and fuel and a tearoff. Still yellow. Pilet will stay in the car. he was P3 at the time of the stop.

2:09 - No. 44 will come in for tires under this yellow. No. 45 will get a passaround.

 2:07 - Car off in five. Not a factor. Deep in the gravel. Double yellow. It's our neighbor here in pit lane, the No. 12 Rebellion prototype.

1:55 - Patrick Pilet now P4 in the No. 45. No 51 Ferrari P3. No. 55 BMW still leads. No. 02 ESM Ferrari P2; No. 51 Ferrari P3. No. 44 P11 with Marco Holzer behind the wheel.

1:42 - Patrick  Long in the pits for driver change to Patrick Pilet, tires and fuel. No. 59 also in the pits as is the No. 55. 

1:34 - No. 44 is in the pits with a possible problem. Driver change  to Marco Holzer. Marco is out again after fuel. He will evaluate if there is an issue - if OK he will stay out.

1:32 - Seth radios in that there is something wrong. He is pitting.  They will fuel first.

***

1:26 - No. 02 ESM ow P3 and close on Patrick's tail.

1:15 - Positions: P1 No. 55; P1 No. 45 P2; No. 59 P3; No. 02 P4; No. 4 P5; No. 17 P6. No. 44 P13.

1:13  - Patrick is by the No. 61.  Now he has some ground to regain on the No. 55. No. 44 is P13.

1:11 - Patrick held up by slower GTE-Am Ferrari (No. 61). This is letting the 55 BMW build a larger gap.

 1:04 -Patrick Long overtook the No. 02 ESM Ferrari for P2. No. 55 BMW P1.

1:00  - No start when expected, remains double yellow.

12:58 - Still yellow, patrick now P3. The GT field is split about 50/50 on  their pit stop sequence. the No. 45 is with the No. 55, which is now P1, and the No. 01 ESM Ferrari P2.

12:55 - Darren in the pits for driver change to Seth Neiman.

12:45 - Double yellow - car in the tire wall at Turn 1.

12:44 - Patrick P8. Darren P7.

12:40  -No. 56 BMW overtook No. 3 Corvette for P2. No. 4 Corvette in the pits. No. 58 Ferrari still P1. Patrick P9, Darren P7. Looks like No. 4 was in to serve a penalty, I missed the reason for it. No. 4 is now P13.

12:36 - Patrick P9 after the last pit stop.  No. 59 Ferrari is close on Patrick’s tail, with the No. 4 Corvette just behind him. No. 44 P6.

 12:31 - Green flag.   No. 58 is P1. No. 3 Corvette P2, No. 56 BMW P3. None of those three cars pitted during the last yellow. 

 12:26 - Joerg is in the pits for driver change to Patrick Long, fuel and tires.  No. 55 also in the pits, as is 59.   Darren Law now P13.

12:17 - Jaguar on fire on track.  Double yellow.

*** Internet connection here is intermittent at the moment so blog updates may be less frequent. Hopefully it will improve over the day ***

12:05 - The No. 59 Ferrari is right on Joerg’s bumper - Joerg is right behind the No. 55 - they are running nose to tail.  Joerg still P2, No. 55 P1.

11:40 - Joerg is chasing the No. 56, the No. 59 Ferrari and both Corvettes are right behind Joerg. Positions: P1 No. 55; P2 No. 51; P3 No. 56; P4 No. 45; P 5 No. 59 ; P 6 No. 4; P 7 No. 3.

11:35 - No. 55 BMW passed the No. 51  for the lead.

11:30 - Green flag. Clean start for the field. Joerg held position at the start but was held up but a slow prototype. Positions now: P1 No. 51; P2 No. 56; P3 No. 55; P4 No. 45.  We started P4 i nt the No. 45 and P 12 in the No. 44. Joerg and Darren are in the cars.

11:23 - Engine start.

11:20 - 10 minutes from race start. Drivers are in their cars on the grid. Several cars, including Falken are starting from pit lane.

We are broadcasting our team radio live. Unfortunately my Internet connection here is not great so the connection will go up and down over the day. If you lose connection, wait a few minutes and refresh.  Direct link here http://tinyurl.com/46ds4qr

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10:06 - Reports in that the Risi No. 62 hit the wall on the recon lap. Not sure what happened or how much damage. There are still several cars waiting in the wings to take any positions which open up.

10:00 - Recon laps are underay. Jerg is out in the No. 45 already, Darren is getting ready to head out in the No. 44. this is the final chance for the cars to sort out any issues before they head to the grid.

9:40 - Checkered flag on morning warmup. Recon laps begin  at 10. No. 45 was P2 and No. 44 P7 in the morning session.

9:33 - Patrick Pilet takes over for Patrick Long. No. 45 currently P5.

9:29 - Driver change in the No. 44 to Seth Neiman.

9:26 - Patrick in the pits to check tire pressures and make a damper change. He is P3. He reports the car feels pretty good this morning. It's cool out - temperatures have dropped about 10 degrees overnight. Highs only in the upper 60s today.

9:23 - Patrick Long currently P in GT. Marcho Holzer is P11 in the No. 44

9:21 - Both Lizard Porsches have finished their install laps and breaking in new brake pads. They will be up to speed this lap. Warmup is 25 minutes, followed almost immediately by recon laps. Any cars that have issues in morning warmup will have a tough time getting things sorted out by racestart.

9:17 - One of the BMWs still in the pits - possibly an issue there.

9:15 am - Morning warmup is underway. Marco Holzer is in theNo. 44 and Patrick Long in the No. 45- heading out on their outlap now.

Fri Sept 30 - Petit Le Mans Qualifying - No. 45 P5

3:12 -Bruni of the No. 51 Ferrari on the GT pole with a 1:18.699. No. 55 BMW P2, No. 56 P3, No. 062 Ferrari P4; Joerg is P5  in the No. 45;  No. 44 P 14.

3:12 - Bruni of the No. 51 Ferrari took P1 with a 1:18.699. Darren is P14 in the No. 44 with a 1:21.090.

3:11 - Joerg is in the pits - he is currently P4 with a time of 1:19.611. The No. 56 BMW just went out so we'll see how it sorts out. No. 55 BMW still P1 with a 1:18.786.

3:08 - Joerg P4 1:19.511 on lap 4. Dirk Werner still P1.

3:07 - Joerg P7 after 3 las with a 1:19.988. Dirk Werner P1 wth a 1:18.786. Darren Law P 11. with a 1:21.090

2:55 - GT qualifying is under way. Joerg Bergmeister is in the No. 45, Darren Law in the No. 44.

Fri Sept 30 - Petit Le Mans Morning Practice

11:04 - Big crash in  Turn 1 between the No. 40 Ford and one of the LMPC prototypes. Hard impact. Red flag and checkered.

10:55 - Still red. Darren Law will take over in the No. 44.  Joerg Bergmeister will stay in the No. 45.

10:47 - Seth Neiman is still in the No. 44, Joerg in the No. 45 . Joerg is P6 with a 1:19.957. Dirk Werner is P1 with a 1:19.483. Red flag to remove the No. 15 prorotype which impacted the tire wall and is stopped on course. Both Lizards are back in the pits for feedback to the engineers. Joerg is pretty happy with the car at the moment - we are working on refinements at this point - we tested here early in the week so had a bit of a head start to the teams who didn't test. Temperatures are dropping -  a cold front is expected tomorrow and raceday should be cool  (mid-60s), pleasant and breezy - perfect Fall weather in Atlanta and great racing weather.

10:16 - Morning practice is underway at Road Atlanta. Seth Neiman is in the No. 44, Joerg Bergmeister in the No. 45.

Thu Sept 29 - Petit Le Mans Practice

8:05 pm - Patrick Pilet is in the pits  - the No. 45 is also done for the night. The crew will do a few pit stop practices, then head back to the garage. We'll be back with you tomorrow for morning practice at 10:15 am ET.

8:00 - 1 hour left in the session. No. 44 is back in the garage, No. 45 in the pits for driver change to Pilet.

7:52 - Both Lizard Porsches are in the pits. The are adjusting the lights in the No. 45, driver change to Patrick long. Darren Law is giving feedback to No. 44 engineer Steve Conover, before the No. 44  heads back to the garage. They are done for the evening.

7:39 - Joerg heads out on sticker tires - it's now completely dark on the track.

7:38 - Both Lizard Porsches are in the pits. 44 driver change to Darren Law for his night laps. The No. 45 is doing driver change practice in pit lane.

7:25 - Patrick Long in the pits for driver change to Patrick Pilet.

7:19 - Joerg is in the pits for driver change to Patrick Long.  He was P4.

7:15 - Joerg currently P5 in the session. Seth Neiman is in the pits, Marco Holzer is in the No. 44 for his stint.

7:10 pm ET - Good evening from Road Atlanta. It's been a beautiful day here - very pleasant Fall weather. This is the third of the three practice sessions today. Seth Neiman is in the No. 44, Joerg Bergmeister is in the No. 45.   Patrick Pilet, who is the third driver in the 45 for this race, had an opportunity in this morning's session to get acclimated to the course - although  a lengthy red flag shortened the session somewhat. Marco  Holzer, the third driver in the No. 44, is here and he'll have his first turn at the track this evening. Each driver must do three timed night laps during this  session.

***

11:30 - Checkered flag. We'll be back with you for the second practice session today which starts at 2:55.

11:27 - Pilet back in the pits for a setup change. Main issue right now is rear grip.

11:17 - Pilet is in the pits for engineer Craig Watkins to make a tire pressure adjustment and possibly a tire change.  Darren is also in the pits.

11:07 - Pilet in the pits for fuel for the 45. He is currently P10. Darren is P11. Patrick reports that the car is pretty good - a bit unstable on the brake at initial turn in.

11:05 - Darren is in the pits for a change. His issue is on brake release - when he releases the brake the car goes sideways on entry.

10:53 - Green flag.

10:50 - Red flag to remove the 98 Jaguar which is stopped on track. This will be a short red. Both Pilet and Darren reported that it's crazy out there - tons of traffic.

10:43 - Green flag. Darren is in the No. 44; Patrick Pilet is now in the No. 45 for his first laps on the circuit.

10:42 - Still red flag as they clean up the incident and repair the wall. They are extending the session until 11:30 - we should get underway shortly.

10:15- This will be  a lengthy red. The incident involved one of the GTC cars (the No. 11) and a prototype (the No. 24). The GTC car sustained significant damage. We don't have TV in the pits right now so no coverage.   We have numerous entries here at this race who are competing in the ILMC championship - many of these are European teams and the drivers need to get acclimated both to a new track and to the ALMS.

10:07 - Red flag - big incident. Neither Lizard Porsche involved.

10:00 - Good morning from Road Atlanta. Patrick Long and Darren Law are on track for the first of today's three sessions. Patrick Pilet has arrived from France and we'll get him as much seat time as we can today to get him acclimated to the track and the Porsche. Pilet is filling in for Marc Lieb, who due to a last minute travel issue, is unable to join us as the guest driver in the No. 45. Seth Neiman and Marco Holzer are the other two driver in the No. 44.

 

Wed Sept. 28 - Petit Le Mans - Practice

4:43 - Red flag and checkered. Incident at Turn 7. Patrick back in the pits for tire change to rollers.  He was P5 in the session with a 1:20.446. No. 062 was P1 in the session with a 1:20.102. Darren was P12 in the session. We'll be back with you tomorrow,Thursday, for practice at 10 am ET.

4:36 - Seth is back in the pits after the tow.  Green flag.

4:29 - Seth is stopped on course -no throttle  -  he is idling but can't continue. They will tow him back.

4:24 - Patrick Long is now in the No. 45. 20 minutes left in the session.

4:16 - 30 minutes left. Seth Neiman takes over for Darren in the No. 44.  Darren was P12 in the session.  Joerg is also in the pits for one more front damper change - he will head out to evaluate the change, then driver change to Patrick Long.

4:01 - Both Porsches back in the pits. Since we tested on Sunday and Monday, changes are incremental at tihs point. Damper change on the 45.

3:48 -Joerg is in the pits to give feedback to Craig Watkins. His main issue right now is understeer in the high speed corners. Craig will make a wing adjustment.

3:44 - Darren is in the pits for a setup change. Joerg is back on track  - he is currently P 5. Darren is P 11. 1 hour left in the session.

3:26 - Green flag. The No. 45 has been back in the garage for a quick  repair - they will be back out shortly.

3:15 - Accident on the front straight between the No. 40 Robertson car and the No. 64 Lotus. The driver of the Lotus is out of the car, but I don't yet see the driver of the Robertson Ford, listed as Andrea Robertson.  The Lotus spun and was collected by the Ford. I see Andrea standing by the pit wall, so she appears OK. May be a lengthy red as they remove both cars.

2:58 - Joerg currently P4 in the session, Darren P10. No. 4 Corvette is P1.  This is our only practice session of the day -- lasts until 4:45 pm ET.

2:47 - Both Lizard Porsches have completed an install lap  and are back in the pits. All good so far.

2:45 pm ET - Good afternoon from Road Atlanta. We are just about ready to head out for the first official practice session of Petit Le Mans race week. Joerg is in the No. 45 and Darren in the No. 44.  We tested on Sunday and Monday here. Our driver lineup this week is: Joerg Bergmeister and Patrick Long in the No. 45, joined by Patrick Pilet. Darren Law, Marco Holzer and Seth Neiman are in the No. 44.

Marc Lieb had been scheduled to drive in the No. 45, a last minute travel issue prevented him from arriving here in time, Patrick Pilet will fill in. Patrick Pilet is a Porsche factory driver, he drove with us for the full season in 2008.