Flying Lizard Motorsports - Porsche Endurance Racing

Sebring Race - March 19 - No. 45 P6, No. 44 P 7

10:30 - No. 45 finished P6 and No. 44 P7 - it was a rough race for everyone - Congrats to the Lizards for bringing both cars home. No. 10 Peugeot won overall, No. 56  BMW won in GT.  We'll be back with you for Long Beach in April.

9:52 -The No. 56 BMW is back in the lead, with the No. 03 Corvette in p2. No. 55 still P3. The second BMW got by the No. 03 to take P2. Positions: P1 No. 56; P2 No. 55; P3 No. 03; P 4 No. 04; P5 No. 51; P6 No. 45; P 7 No. 44.

9:40 - GT Positions: P1 No. 03; P2 No. 56; P 3 No. 51; P4 No. 55; P5 No. 04; P 6 No. 45; P 7 No. 44. Patrick is 2 laps down on the No. 03.

9:38 - The No. 03 Corvette passed the No. 56 BMW to take the lead. The No. 0 4Corvette is in the pits.

9:34 - No. 44 is in the pits for its last schedule stop of the night and driver change to Darren Law. Darren will finish out the race. The No. 55 is also in the pits. H e was P3 at the time of his pit stop.

9:28 - Marc is out on track quickly in the No. 45. No. 44 will also pit shortly.

9:27 - No. 45 is in the pits for final scheduled stop and driver change to Patrick Long, who will finish the race. Currently in P6.

9:15 - Car off drivers right turn 7- it's one of the Roberston Fords.

9:09 -No. 62 is in the pits and is going behind the wall. Not sure if they are done or if they will return.

9:07 - No. 44 moves to P7. Not sure if the No. 62 had to come in the pits again or if Marco passed him to take P7.

9:05 - Positions: P1 No. 56; P2 No. 03; P3 No. 55; P 4 No. 04 ;P 5 No. 51; P 6 No. 45; p 7 No. 62; P 8 No. 44.

9:01 - Darren is in the pits in theNo. 44 for driver change to Marco Holzer. They are P8.

8:57 - Positions: P1 No. 56; P2 No. 03; P3 No. 55; P 4 No. 51 ;P 5 No. 04; P 6 No. 45; p 7 No. 62; P 8 No. 44. Joerg is in the 45, Darren in the No. 44. Confirmed that with the No. 62's alternator problem they will have to pit several more times before the end to change batteries.

8:50 - No. 51 received a stop and go penalty for speeding in pit lane.

8:44 - The No. 62 is back in the pits for driver change to Mika Salo. They are heading out but no headlights.  He was stopped at pit out until the lights went on.  They received a stop and go penalty   - not sure if it was for the lights or something else. This will put Joerg into P 6 after the 62 serves their penalty.

8:43 - Positions: P1 No. 56; P2 No. 03; P 3 No. 51; P 4 No. 04; P 5 No. 55: p6 No. 52; P 7 No. 45; P 8 No. 44.

8:41 - No. 03 Corvette is inthe pits - he was P1 at the time of the pit stop. 

8:38 - The No. 56, which is in the lead, is in the pits for tires.

8:34 - The No. 55 now P5 after the incident and 1 lap down on the leader, which is the No. 56. Positions: P1 No. 56; P2 No. 03; P3 No. 51; P4 No. 04; P5 No. 55; P 6 No. 62; P 7 No. 45; P 8 No 44. Just under 2 hours left in the race.

8:32 - The No. 55 is back out. I didn't see the No. 04 pit so they must have stayed out.

8:29 - Something going on with the No. 55 BMW which has smoke coming out the rear of the car and sparks coming from underneath. Not sure what happened- replay shows that he got together with one of the Corvettes (the 04). Both cars have damage. The No. 55 is slow on course and working his way back to the pits. Not sure if the No. 04 will pit or not. The 55 had a tire puncture and is running on the wheel, with the bottom of the bodywork dragging on the ground.

8:22 - Positions: P1 No. 56; P2 No. 55; P3 No. 03; P4 No. 51; P5 No. 04; P 6 No. 62; P 7 No. 45; P 8 No. 44.

8:21 - No. 45 in the pits - he was P6 at the time. Driver change to Joerg Bergmeister, tires and fuel.

8:14 - The No. 62 has restarted but they have lost at least one lap on that - possibly 2. He is out on track in front of one Lizard and behind the other - so he lost 2 laps on that repair. So that puts marc into P 6, No. 62 into P 7. No. 45 will pit in a few laps.

8:11 - No. 62 is in the pits. They were P1 at the time of the pit stop. They are having a problem in the pits  - looks like they cannot get the car restarted. Update - they lost their alternator and are running on jump box, I think.  Not sure how long that can last.

8:05 pm - The 56 is back in the pits - they were P1 at time of pit stop. Marc will pit in 8 laps or so for driver change to Joerg. 2 hours 25 minutes to go.

8:02- The No. 55 BMW is in the pits. They were P2 at the time of the pit stop.

8:01- No. 44 is in the pits for driver change from Marco to Darren Law.  Marco was in P8 at the time of the pit stop.

7:54 - The 04 Corvette is in the pits. the No. 62 has moved to P3, the No. 03 back to P4. Positions: P1 No. 56; P2 No. 55; P 3 No. 62; P 4 No. 03; P 5 No. 51; P 6 No. 04; P 7 No. 45; P 8 No. 44; P9 No. 02. About 2.5 hours to go.

7:50 - Car off drivers right, Turn 10, off course - not a factor. It's now dark and difficult to see what's happening on course. The No. 44 will pit in about 10 minutes for driver change to Darren.

7:47 - Positions: P1 No. 56; P2 No. 55; P 3 No. 03; P 4 No. 62; P 5 No. 51; P 6 No. 04; P 7 No. 45; P 8 No. 02; P9 No. 45.

7:45 - The rear passenger side window ist loose in the No. 51 AF Corse. Not sure if they will have to pit or not.

7:43- No. 51 AF Corse is in the pits.

7:37 - GT positions: P1 No. 56; P2 No. 51; P3 No. 55; P4 No. 03; P 5 No. 62; P6 No. 04; P 7 No. 45; P 8 No. 02; P 9 No. 44. No. 45 is 2 laps down on the No. 04 Corvette.  Car 034 off in turn 13 - drivers left, not a factor. The sun is setting a a red fireball. It will be dark in a few minutes. The most difficult part of the race (night) is still to come - 3 hours left.

7:35 - Marco now P9 in the No. 44.

7:27  - Car 02 received a penalty for pit lane speed violation. They were in P 7. This puts Marc into P7 .

7:24 - Positions: P1 No. 56; P2 No. 51; P3 No. 55; P4 No. 03; P 5 No. 62; P 6 No. 04; P 7 No. 02; P 8 No. 45; P 9 No. 17; P 10 No. 44. 

 7:20 - Patrick is in the pits for driver change to Marc Lieb, tires and fuel. The  Clean pit stop and mark is out again quickly.   The sun is setting - we have about 10 minutes left of daylight.

7:05 - Car stopped drivers right Turn 10, off track, not a factor.

7:05 pm ET - Positions: P1 No. 62; P2 No. 56; P3 No. 51; P 4 No. 55; P 5 No. 03; P 6 No. 17; P 7 No. 04; P8 No 45; P9 No. 02; P10 No. 44. Patrick Long is still in the No. 44 - he is 2 laps down on the GT leader.

7:00 - The GT leader - the No. 56 BMW - is in the pits. Looks like  tires only

6:55 - No. 44 is in the pits for driver change back to Marco Holzer.

6:46 - Car in the tires - he is moving again. Just under 4 hours left to go.

6:44 - GT Positions: P1 No. 56; P2 No. 55; P3 No. 51; P4 No. 03; P5 No. 17; P6 No. 62; P7 No. 04; P8 No. 45; P9 No. 02; P10 No. 44.

6:21 - Green flag.

6:16 - Positions: P1 No. 51; P2 No. 56; P3 No. 55; P 4 No. 17; P 5 No. 03; P 6 No. 62;; P 7 No. 04; P 8 No. 45; P9 No. 002;  P 10 No. 44.  Still yellow

6:15 - Still yellow. Pits are open for GT. No. 45 and No. 44 both pit.  Track clean up after the earlier car fire is almost complete.  Patrick stayed in the No. 45, driver change in the No. 44 to Seth Neiman.

5:58 - The Corsa prototype is on fire - fire is out, driver is out of the car. Double yellow. I expect that both Lizard cars will pit for fuel, possibly tires. Pits are closed.

5:55 - We aren't seeing much GT on TV so it's difficult to see what's happening at the front - positions are: P1 No. 51; P2 No. 56; P3 No. 55; P 4 No. 62; P5 No. 17; P 6 No. 03; P 7 No. 04; P 8 No. 02; P9 No. 45; P 10 No. 44.

5:46 - Green flag. Patrick P9, Marco P10.  Patrick is nearly 2 laps down on the GT leader, and nearly 1 lap down on the next closest GT car - the No. 02 Extreme Ferrari.

5:41 - GT Positions after that pit stop: P1 No. 51  AF Corse; P2 No. 56 BMW; P3 No. 62 Risi Ferrari; P 4 No. 55 BMW; P5 No 17 Falken Porsche; P 6 No. 03; P 7 No. 04; P8 No. 02 Extreme Ferrari; P 9 No. 45 (Patrick); P 10 No. 44 (Marco). Still yellow.

5:40 - The GT field is all pitting, including the 45 for a quick fuel top up. Patrick stayed in the car.

5:39 - Seth is in the pits for driver change to Marco Holzer. He is P10.

5:37 - Pits are open for GT only. Still yellow.

5:30 - Both the No. 44 and No. 45 got the pass by.  Still Yellow. Patrick reports the No. 3 Corvette was going slow on course and pulled over at one point, but got going again. Patrick is P9, Seth P10.

5:23  - Full course caution. The No. 51 may have had some bad luck with that - they had just pitted - or possibly it could work out in their favor depending on the pass by/ wave by. the 018 prototype is off course after impacting the tire wall. Driver is out of the car and appears OK.

5:19 - Good news - the car restarted, and Patrick is back out. Hopefully the fix will resolve the problem.  While I was focused on that, the GT field resorted again. Positions: P1 No. 51; P2 No. 56; P3 No. 62; P4 No. 03; P5 No. 17; P6 No. 55; P7 No. 04; P8 No. 002; P 9 No. 45; P10 No. 44.

5:16 - Joerg made it back. The crew have done the standard tires and fuel and driver change to Patrick. They are working on the repair now.

5:15 - Chief strategist Thomas Blam calls Joerg into the pits. They are going to attempt to repair the electrical problem in the pits, assuming Joerg can make it back.

5:13 - No. 45 - engine has died while Joerg is on course. He is running again. They think they have diagnosed the electrical issue.

5:13 - The No. 51 AF Corse Ferrari (with Pierre kaffer behidn the wheel) overtook the No. 55 BMW,

5:09- The No. 04 Corvette has moved into P7. Joerg now P8.

5:03 - No. 51 is now P2, the No. 56 BMW has taken P1.  Joerg is now physically just behind the No. 62 Risi Ferrari on track (but one lap down). The No. 62 is chasing the No 51. The No. 51 did not pit with the last group, so he is on older tires.

4:58 - The No. 55 is in the pits for tires (they mavy not have done all four)  and driver change. Not sure if they did fuel or not - it was a short stop. The No. 55 is now P5.

Positions: P1 No. 51; P2 No. 56; P 3 No. 62; P 4 No. 03; P 5 No. 55; P 6 No. 17; P 7 No. 45. No. 44 is P10. The No. 51 and No. 55 are out of cycle with the others  on pit stops- the No. 51 will have to pit earlier than the No. 56 and the No. 62, the No. 55 later.

4:54 - Amazing pass by No. 62 Risi Ferrari ast Tony Vilander overtook the No. 55 BMW to take P3. The No. 55 is on his tail now though, with the No. 03 Corvette right behind him. I believe that the No. 55 did not pit in that lats pit stop (not sure about that though), so he may be slowing as his tires go down. They are now ahead of Joerg on track but he is staying close with them. The No. 51 in the lead and the No. 56 now have a solid gap to the pack of the No. 62, and the No. 55, followed by the No. 45 (which is one lap down)

4:50 - Joerg's challenge now is to stay ahead of the GT  lead pack that is now closing in on home. the No. 51 Ferrari in P1 is ahead of him on track, but the BMWs and the No. 62 Risi Ferrari are closing in. The No. 51 did not pit in that last yellow (I believe he had pitted a few laps before) so he is on older tires than the BMWs and the No. 62.

4:49 - Joerg is physically on track ahead of the No. 55 and No. 56 BMWs but he nearly is a lap down in position. They are being held up by a  slow 90 Jaguar which has  bodywork damage and one of the Fords, but they will be through shortly.

4:45  - Green flag.

4:44 - The No. 51 AF Corse Ferrari did not pit during that yellow, they are now in the lead. No. 55 BMW is P2, No. 56 is P3 (one of the BMWs must not have pitted - sorry I missed it), No. 62 is P4, No. 03 is P5, No. 17 P6, No. 45 P 7. No. 04 Corvette now P8. Seth Neiman is now in theNo. 44 - he is P10.

4:40 The GT leaders are all pitting - looks like the BMW beat the No. 62 out of the pits. Not sure yet which BMW it is - I assume the No. 56. Joerg did not pit (he had just pitted prior to the yellow) so he'll gain a bit of ground. I'll report positions in a minute.

4:39 - GT pits are open. Still yellow. Joerg reports some fluid coming from the back of the AF Corse 51 Ferrari. 

4:35 - The engineers are still trying to sort out a possible issue with the No. 45 which may have contributed to the restart problem.  Joerg is P8, 16 seconds behind the No. 04 Corvette, which is the next closest GT car.

4:29 - Joerg is getting a pass around - pits are still closed. This is good news - he may be able to get the lap back and be back on the lead lap.

4:23 - GT Positions: P1 No. 62; P2 No. 56; P3 No. 55; P 4 No. 51; P5 No. 03; P 6 No. 17; P 7 No. 04; P 8 No. 45; P 9 No. 002; P10 No. 44.  Correction - the No. 45 lost one position in that last pit stop - we are now P8. The No. 04 moved ot P 7. Car stopped drivers right turn 3. Double yellow, pits closed. TheNo. 44 is having a few issues - the cool suit isn't working.

4:17 - Joerg is in the pits for tires and fuel. We are having trouble restarting - we have no fuel pressure. He was able to restart after several tries. The crew is working to diagnose the issue. Joerg is back out again. He reatined P8, but is no longer on the same lap as the GT leaders. he had to come in because his tires  were done - they had been flat spotted early in his stint. Darren is still in the No. 44 - he is P10.

4:04 - The No. 51 Ferrari (in P3) attempted to pass the No. 56 BMW, but had to go wide and opened the door for the No. 55 BMW (in P4) to move up a position. No. 62 leads, No. 56 P2, No. 55 P3, No 51 P4.

4:02 - GT Positions: P1 No. 62; P2 No. 56; P3 No. 51; P 4 No. 55; P 5 No. 03; P 6 No. 17; P 7 No. 45; P 8 No. 04; P9 No. 002; P10 No. 44.  the No. 04 is 1 minute 30 seconds back from Joerg.

3:52 - Car off drivers right, Turn 16 - he was able to continue.

3:47 - Joerg now 1 minute, 10 seconds back from the next closest GT car -the No. 17 Porsche

3:40 - Green flag. Joerg is P7, Darren P10.Positions: P1 No. 56; P2 No. 62; P3 No. 55; P 4 No. 51; P 5 No. 03; P 6 No. 17.

3:36 - Joerg went off in turn 3 - lots of dirt, but hopefully no damage - still yellow. He is hustling to catch the pack while still yellow. Still P7. He is now back on the lead lap, but still a big distance from the lead GT pack. Darren is P10. Joerg radios in that he flat spotted the tires, but everything else OK.

3:35 - No. 45 in the pits for driver change to Joerg Bergmeister, tires and fuel. He was in P7 at the time.   No. 44 is also pitting just behind him for tires, fuel, and driver change to Darren Law.

3:30 -  GT pits are open. Strategists are trying to determine the best time for us to pit during this yellow. Good news -  both cars should get a waveby, which should put marc  in the No. 45 back on the lead GT lap. Not sure about the No. 44 yet.

3:13 - Yellow flag - a car is stopped off line but can't continue (No. 063). No. 45 P7, No. 44 P 10. Positions: P1 No. 55; P2 No. 51; P 3 No. 56; P 4 No. 62; P5 No. 03; P 6 No. 17; P 7 No.  45; P 8 No. 04.  The No. 04 is 10 seconds back from the No. 45, they are both 1 lap down on the leaders.

2:58 - Positions: P1 No. 55; P2 No. 56; P3 No.51; P 4 No. 62; P 5 No. 03; P6 No. 17; P 7 No. 45; P 8 No. 002; P 9 No. 44. Marc Lieb is in the No. 45 - he is on pace with the leaders, but is 1 lap down.

2:57  - The No. 7 received a stop and go + 60 second penalty for the incident with the No. 2 Audi (I think this also incorporates a previous speeding violation in pit lane. )

2:55- The No. 2 Audi is also going behind the wall.

2:52 - Car off drivers left Turn 17 - the No. 2 Audi and the No. 7 Peugot - the Audi lost another wheel. Stop and go penalty for the No. 7 peugot which is now going behind the wall. 

2:50- Green flag.

2:42 - Still yellow - pits are open.

2:35  - Double yellow - the No. 23 is stopped on course.

2:32 - Positions:  P1 No. 55; P2 No. 56; P3 No. 62; P 4 No. 03; P5 No. 17; P6 No. 51; P 7 No. 45; P 8 No. 002; P 9 No. 44.

2:28 - Green flag.

2:22 - No. 44in the pits for tires and fuel. marco Holzer will stay in the car.  He was P8 at the time of the pit stop.

2:18 - Marc beat one one of the BMWs  out of the pits- the No. 56 out of the pits. The No. 56 was one lap ahead of him. I'll report positions in a minute once they circle around. Still yellow.

2:17 - No. 45 is in the pits for fuel and tires.  The entire GT field is pitting at the same time - marc was P7 at the time of the pit stop, 1 lap down on the leaders - in order, the No. 56 and No. 55 BMWs, the No. 03 Corvette and the No. 62 Risi Ferrari.

2:16 - Pits are open, GT only.

2:04 - Yellow flag - the 52 GMG Porsche is stopped off course - we could see flames below the car. driver is fine.

2:00 - GT positions: P1 No. 56; P2 No. 55; P 3 No. 62; P 4 No. 03; P5 No. 17; P 6 No. 51; P 7 No. 45; P 8 No. 44. 3 and a half hours down, 8 and a half hours to go.

1:50 Car slow between 16 and 17 drivers' right.

1:45 - No. 45 in the pits for tires, fuel, driver change to Marc Lieb. No. 45 was P7 at the time of the pit stop, 1 lap down on the GT leaders. The No. 51 is in the penalty box for a pit stop violation. He was in P5 before the penalty.

1:41 pm - GT Positions: P1 No. 56;  P2 No 55; P3 No. 62; P4 No. 03; P 5 No. 51; P6 No. 17; P 7 No. 45.

1:38 - Marco is back on course in the No. 44 - still P9.

1:38 - No. 44 P9, Seth in the pits for driver change to Marco Holzer. He is 1 lap down on the GT leaders.  Positions: P1 No. 55; P 2 No. 62; P3 No. 56; P4 No. 03; P5 No. 17. The GT field is starting to pit.

1:22 - Patrick now P7. He is one lap down on the GT leader, the No. 55. No. 56 now P2. No. 62 P3. No. 51 P4.

1:17 - Positions: P1 No. 55; P2 No. 62; P3 No. 56; P4 No. 03; P5 No. 51; P6 No.  17; P 7 No. 55; P 8 No. 45.

1:05 - A heated GT battle at the front with the No. 55 in the lead, No. 62 Risi Ferrari P2, No. 51 Ferrari in P3 and No. 56 BMW in P4. No. 56 passed the No. 51 to take P3. The pack has caught up with Patrick (now almost one lap down) - I expect them to thread through over the next lap or so.  Patrick now P8, the No. 002 Extreme Ferrari P9. Patrick reports no grip on the left rear tire.

1:00 pm - No. 44  (Seth) is P7; No. 45 (Patrick) is P9.

12:46 - Green flag. The No. 45 is in the pits to serve his stop and go penalty. Looks like the No. 04 is also serving his penalty for their earlier penalty in the pits.

12:45 - Positions: P1 No. 62; P2 No. 55; P3 No. 51; P4 No. 03; P 5 No. 017; P 6 No. 002; P7 No. 44; P 8 No. 56; P 9 No. 45.

12:41 - The No. 45 received a stop and go penalty - stop plus 60 seconds for avoidable contact with the No. 04 Corvette.

12:39 - No. 04, which had been in the pits for repair after the incident, received two separate penalties in the pits - one of them a stop and go penalty.

12:37 - No. 45 is in the pits for tires and fuel. he was P9 at the time of the pit stop.

12:34 - Patrick will pit for tires and to let the crew check out the damage. Still yellow.

12:28 -  The GT cars are nose to tail. No. 62 has retaken the lead, the No. 55 behind him. The No. 04 Corvette was passing on the outside, Patrick was  on the inside, Patrick's car went in the air as he hit a bump and the two cars impacted,and both cars spun on course.  The Extreme Ferrari with Johannes was then collected  in the incident when it hit the Corvette. The Extreme Ferrari lost a wheel, which luckily did not hit any cars.  The Corvette pitted to repair body damage. The Extreme Ferrari is stopped on course.  It's an unfortunate incident - Patrick radioed in that he hit a bump and the car went airborne and jumped to the left, impacting the Corvette. Yellow flag.

12:27 - Green flag. Patrick is P4. Patrick passed the No. 04 Corvette on the restart to take P3.

12:19 - The No. 55 BMW made it out of the pits ahead of the No. 62, which had been in the lead, to take the lead. No. 62 is now P2. The No. 04 Corvette is P3, and Patrick Long, now in the No. 45 gained a position to P4. The No. 44 is P9 with Seth Neiman behind the wheel.  Still yellow. Johannes van Overbeek in the No. 001 Extreme Ferrari is P5; the No. 51 is P6.

12:18 pm -  Both Lizard Porsches pit simultaneously.  Joerg was in P5 at the time of the pit stop; Darren in P10.  The caution allowed the No. 45 to close the gap to the leaders by 10 seconds.

12:15 - Joerg will pit next time by, as will Darren in the No. 44. Driver change to Patrick Long in the No. 45; Seth Neiman in the No. 44.

12:13- Pits open for prototypes only.

12:11 - Still yellow. Pits aren't open yet for prototypes so will be a few more laps. We are close on fuel but should still be OK.

12:04  - Yellow flag to retrieve a prototype stopped on course. Joerg is P5. We will not get the pass around (because our class leader is ahead of us and behind the overall leader), but this may still help us but allowing us to close the gap to the GT leaders - No. 62 Risi Ferrari, No. 04 Corvette, No. 55 BMW, and No. 51 Ferrari. Pits are closed. Darren is P11.

11:57 - Car off drivers right, Turn 7. I think it's the Larbre No. 50 Corvette. Appears to have smoke in the cockpit  - driver is out of the car.

11:53  - Positions: P1 No. 62; P2 No. 04 Corvette; P3 No. 55 BMW; P4 No. 51 Ferrari; P 5 No. 45.  No. 44 is P11.

11:51 -The No. 51, which is running a slightly faster pace than Joerg, overtook the No. 45 for P4. Joerg now P5.

11:50 The No. 55 BMW (in p3) and No. 04 Corvette (in p2) are in a tussle for P2 right now but the No. 04 is holding him off.

11:40 - Joerg passed the No. 51 to take P4. The GT leaders (No. 62, No. 04 nad No. 55) built a nice gap - they are almost 20 seconds ahead of Joerg so he has to focus on closing that gap.

11:38 - Joerg passed the No. 03 Corvette to take P5. The No. 001 Extreme Ferrari also got past the No. 3 and is now P6.

11:36 - The No. 51 got by Joerg and the No. 03 Corvette to take P4. Joerg now P6. Positions: P1 No. 62; P2 No. 04; P3 No. 55; P 4 No. 51; P 5 No. 03; P 6 No. 05. Darren is P 10

11:34 - Another Audi slow in Turn 10. Still green. Another left rear puncture for the No. 1 Audi.

1:26 - Joerg is now working to pass the No. 40 - both he and the No. 51 has made it past. Both extreme Ferraris are right behind them. Joerg now P5. Positions: P1 No. 62; P2 No. 04; P3 No. 55; P4 No. 03; P5 No. 45. One of the Audis has some body damage and is pitting.

 11:25  - the No. 03 Corvette got past Joerg, but Joerg was able to hold off the No. 51 which tried to thread through at the same time.

11:24 - One of the BMWs (the No. 56) and the No. 98  Jaguar got together and both  spun and went off course. They were ooth able to continue without impacting the wall or any other cars.

11:23 - Positions: P1 No. 62 Risi Ferrari; P2 No. 04; P3 No. 55; P 4 No. 40; P5 No. 45. The No. 40 didn't stop during the last pit stop and is on older tires.

11:14 - Green flag. Correction - Joerg is now P5 - didn't see what happened on the restart. Positions: P1 No. 40; P2 No. 62; P3 No. 04; P 4 No. 44; P 5 No. 45. Darren is P 8 in the No. 44.

11:11 - The No. 45 gained three positions in that last pit stop and the No. 44 gained four. Joerg is now P3.   No. 44 is now P9 and is on the lead lap. No. 40 Robertson Ford did not pit and now has the lead. No. 55 BMW is P2; No. 45 is P3; No. 62 P4; No. 04 P5.

11:08 - Both Porsches in the pits. The No. 51, wihch was p2, No. 4, and No. 55 all pitted slightly ahead of us.

 11:06 am ET - Pits are open for GT. The No. 44 will stop for a short fuel and tires, Darren is staying in the car.   The No. 45  will stop for fuel, tires, and a new drink bottle for Joerg. Still yellow.

10:57 am ET - For 2011, there are two elements of a caution - first the pass around (new for 2011) while the pits are still closed,  and then the wave by, which is at the end of the caution after the pit stops.   During the caution, the classes have different pit periods - first the prototypes, then GT.

10:53 - yellow flag. Pits are closed.  Positions: P1 No. 51 Ferrari, P2 No. 55 BMW; P3 No. 04 Corvette; P 4 No. 62 Risi Ferrari; P5 No. 45. No. 44 is now P12. I expect both Lizard Porsches in during this yellow for a short fuel.

10:49 - The 56 BMW may have a flat left front after an  incident with a prototype. The No. 04 Corvette continues to slow. Will probably go yellow. Car off (I think it's the Lamborghini) drivers left turn 13. This puts Joerg to P5.

10:43 am ET - The No. 04 Corvette in P2 is starting to slow and the No. 55 BMW is close behind, waiting him out.

10:41 - Joerg in P6 is putting the pressure on No. 62 Ferrari. No. 51 Ferrari, which started on the pole, has caught back up tot he No. 04 Corvette and is looking for a chance to pass - he passed on the inside to retake the lead.

10:32 - The GT leaders are all running nose to tail. No. 04 Corvette has taken the lead and now has a gap, No. 51 AF Corse Ferrari P2;  No. 55 BMW P3; No. 56 BMW P4;  No. 62 Risi Ferrari P5; No. 45 P 6. In the No. 44 Darren is P 17.

10:30 - Green flag. Clean start for the entire field.

10:21 am  - Engine start. Cars are out for their  2 pace laps

10:20  am - We are just minutes away from engine start.  No. 45 is 6th on the grid. No. 44 is at the back of the GT grid, starting on sticker tires.  Joerg will start in the No. 45. No. 51 AF Corse Ferrari is on the pole.

Online store special - today only - enter Sebring12 at checkout for 15% off anything storewide. Through 10:30 pm ET today, Saturday, March 19 only.

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8:25 - Checkered flag on morning session - all is well so far. Marc Lieb was P3 in the session, Darren Law P10 in the No. 44. Drivers reporting track is very slippery - cold and sandy - and traffic very difficult to manage. Race starts at 10:30 am ET. The race is broadcast live on ESPN3.com (ISP support of ESPN3.com required) and tape-delayed on ABC - Sunday, March 20 at 12:30 pm ET.

Our team radio and this blog will be live throughout the race. Details at lizardms.com.

8:06 am - Good morning from Sebring. We are on track for morning warmup. Looks like it will be another very nice day - it's a bit cooler today, which is good -yesterday was a scorcher. The air quality is pretty bad right now - a lot of smoke in the air creating a hazy scene here.

Patrick Long is in the No. 45 and  Darren Law is in the No. 44.

 Reminder we are broadcasting our team radio live .Details at lizardms.com or direc tlink to

http://events.powerstream.net/002/00324/2011_Flying_Lizard_Player/iplay.asp

 

Sebring Qualifying - No. 45 Sixth in GT

3:15 pm ET - Joerg brought the No. 45 in sixth in GT qualifying today with a - 2:02.334. The pole went to Gianmaria Bruni wiht the No. 51 AF Corse Ferrari with a time of 2:01.561. Oliver Gavin in the No. 04 Corvette was P2, No. 55 and 56 BMWs P 3 and 4, and Jaime Melo in the No. 62 Risi Ferrari was P5. Race begins tomorrow at 10:30 am ET. It is broadcast live on ESPN3.com (subscription required) and tape delayed on ABC (Sunday March 20).  Outside of the U.S., fans can also watch the race live on americanlemans.com.

Sebring Raceweek Practice - Thu & Fri March 17-18

Friday March 18

10:40 - Checkered flag on morning practice. Joerg ran the entire practice in the No. 45 - he was P4 in the session. Qualfying will begin at 3 pm. ET Joerg will qualify the No. 45.

10:23 - Red flag - big crash in Turn 17. Car 030 - a GTC car, I believe. Unclear if we go green again. Joerg currently P2 with a 2:03.497. Dirk Mueller in the No. 56 BMW is P1.

10:11 - The No. 44 is coming back into the pits after their repair. Seth will go out for the first stint. This is our final practice session before qualifying at 3:00 pm ET today. Joerg is back out on track. 30 minutes left in the session.

10:07 - Joergis now P1 with a 2:03.497 - he is coming back into the pits to give his report to Chief Engineer Craig Watkins. He reports that the rear of the car is very nervous coming into Turn 1 and 3,  and understeer in most of the other turns. In general, he feels that the car is rougher/bumpier today. They will make a damper change during this stop. Joerg says the track is much lower grip this morning. 

10:00 - Good morning from Sebring. It's another gorgeous day here at the racetrack. Morning practice is underway. The No. 44 sustained some minor damage at the start of the session so they are back in the paddock working on that repair. The No. 45 is out on track with Joerg Bergmeister behind the wheel. Car spun in the middle of Turn 10. It looks like the circuit is still pretty green - lots of spins and offs so far this am. Joerg is currently P2.

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Thursday March 17

9:30 - No. 45 is safely back in the pits. All six drivers did their minimum three night laps and we were able to bed in race brakes and rotors. We'll be back with you tomorrow for morning practice  at 10:40 am ET and qualifying at 3 pm ET.

9:23 - Marco is back in the pits and they are done for the night. No. 45 will be in shortly.

9:13 - Patrick pits for driver change to Joerg. No. 45 is currently P 7.  Marco Holzer is still in the No. 44.

9:02 - Green flag. 35 minutes left in the session.

8:54 - Red flag. Car stopped drivers right turn 4.

8:52 - Patrick is in the No. 45 for his night stint. The No. 45 is currently P7. No. 51 is P1.

8:45 - No. 44 is in the pits for their rotor and pad change and driver change to Marco Holzer.

8:35 - Marc Lieb is in the No. 45 for his night laps and Darren Law is in the No. 44.

8:25 - Joerg is in the pits for the crew to put back in older rotors and pads now that race rotors and pads are bedded in.  And red flag.

8:14 - Green flag.

8:10 pm ET - Good evening - we are 20 minutes into our night practice session which runs from 7:50-9:35 pm tonight. All drivers must do three night laps in this session. Joerg is in the car, he's just bedded in brakes. Seth is in the No. 44. It's a red flag right now so they are parked in pit lane.

4:05- Checkered flag. The No. 45 was P2 in the session with a 2:03.108, with the No. 03  P1 with a 2:02.751.

4:00 - Green flag. Five minutes left in the session.

3:51 - Unfortunately, now we hear that there is extensive tirewall damage and so we may be parked here for a while. Session ends in 15 minutes. 

3:46 - Red Flag - No. 54 went into the tires, but continued. Should be a short red.

3:43 - Green flag.

3:38 -Red flag. Driver change in the No. 45 to Marc Lieb. Darren will stay in the No. 44.

3:32 - Darren is in the pits for feedback to the engineers. Lack of front grip is their biggest issue right now. One of the many Sebring challenges is the sand that blows across the track - making low grip situation even worse.

3:22 - Patrick is in the pits for new tires and fuel.

3:21   - Patrick is now P1 with a 2:03.212. No. 62 is P2, No. 44 P3. Seth will pit for driver change to Darren Law. Patrick will pit for a setup change.

3:10  - No. 45 is in pit lane, Patrick is in the car. Seth Neiman is in the No. 44.

3:05 pm ET - The No. 44 is out on course for the second of today's three practice sessions. The No. 45 crew is finishing up a radiator change on the No. 45 and they should be out shortly.

11:09- The No. 44 will head back to the garage for crew for repair. The No. 45 will also head back. They were fifth in the session. First was No. 55 BMW, 2nd No. 56 BMW. We'll be back with you for the second session of today's practice at 3:05 pm ET.

11:06 -one of the Robertson cars spun in front of the No. 44 and the No. 44 impacted the side of the Ford. The No. 44 is returning to the pits for the crew to assess the damage.

11:00 - Green flag. Patrick is in the No. 45.

10:49 - And Red flag. Car off in Turn 7.  Pit lane is full today for the first official day of Sebring raceweek practice. We had testing on Monday and Tuesday, which gave a chance for many of the ILMC European teams to learn the circuit and shakedown their cars. 

 

Patrick will take over from Joerg once we go green again. Sounds like the incident was in Turn 7, involving a few GTC Porsches. Here's Patrick waiting for driver change - Marc Lieb is behind him, with Steffi Kuehn (from Porsche) in the background.

  

10:42 - Green flag.

10:30 am - Good morning and Happy St. Patrick's Day. It's another beautiful day here in Sebring 

clear and warm. Temperatures will be a bit cooler than yesterday - in the low 80's today. We are 15 minutes into the first practice session of the day. We have  a 1 hour practice this morning, then 1 hour at 3:05 pm ET, then night practice starting at 7:50 pm ET.

Red flag right now. Joerg is in the No. 45 and is P2, with the No. 03 Corvette P1. Seth is in the No. 44.

Sebring Raceweek - Pre Race Testing - Mon. March 14-Tue. March 15

Tuesday, March 15

3:48 - Looks like we will not go green again so we are done until the next practice session - Thursday, at 10:15 am ET.

3:42 - Red flag again. Just a few minutes left in the session.

3:32 - They are done with the spring change and Joerg is out on course.

3:29 - Joerg is in the No. 45, taking over for Marc. 20 minutes left in the session,engineer Craig Watkins is making a spring change before Joerg heads out. In the No. 44, Seth is now in the pits and they will do a driver change to Darren Law.

3:24 - Marc now P2 in the No. 45 with a 2:02.494.

3:18 - Marc Lieb is P3 in the No. 45 with a 2:02.859. No. 51 AF Corse Ferrari is P1 with a 2:01.873.

3:12 - Seth Neiman is in the No. 44 - he called in an oil pressure alarm so is back in the pits for the crew to check it out.

3:09 pm - Green flag.   This is our last test session before the official start of raceweek practice on Thursday. Qualifying is Friday. This year, the race will be broadcast live on ESPN.com and tape-delayed on ABC, starting at 12:30 pm on Sunday, March 20.

3:05 pm - We are into the second session of the day. Marc Lieb is in the No. 45. Red flag right now to remove the Panoz which has stopped on course. The No. 45 is P7 in the session.

12:35- Checkered flag on the first of the two testing sessions today. The No. 45 was P5 in the session, No. 44 P 13. We'll be back with you at 3:50 this afternoon.

12:13 - Both Porsches are pitting for driver change to Marc in the No. 45 and Seth in the No.44. Just 20 minutes left in the session. The No. 45 is currently P4 in the session with a 2:02:475. No. 04 is P1 with a 2:02.043. 

11:45 am ET - Good morning from Sebring. Patrick Long is out in the No. 45 and Marco Holzer in the No. 44 for the first of two one-hour test sessions today.  Patrick is currently P1 in the session. Both cars made a lot of setup progress in yesterday's test session and they are starting to work on refining things. Today's weather (and the rest of the week) looks like it will be similar to yesterday - cool in the morning, building to high 70s low 80s.

Monday, March 14

5:00- Checkered on the session. We'll be back with you tomorrow, Tuesday March 15, for the second day of testing before Sebring race activities officially begin.

4:55 - Green flag. Five minutes left in the session.

4:45 -Yet another red flag. Patrick is in the No. 45, Darren in the 44.  Hopefully we'll get a bit more green flag running before session ends at 5. Patrick reports that the track is very low grip - it's the warmest it's been all day so probably at its point of minimum grip.

4:35 -Red flag, again... Lots of interruptions in this afternoon session. No. 45 is currently P4 in the session with a 2:02.138. No 55 BMW is P1 (2:01.714), No. 03 Corvette is P2, No. 56 BMW is P3.

4:30 - Both Porsches are in the pits. No. 44 is making a rollbar change. Darren will finish out the session in the No. 44. Marc will do two timed laps, then I think Patrick will finish out the session.

4:18 - Green flag. Marc went back out in the No. 45 instead of Patrick, Darren is in the No. 44.

3:50 - Another red flag.  We'll finish out the session, hopefully this won't be too long. Patrick will  do the final stint in the No. 45.

3:47 - Darren Law is now in the No. 44. Just over an hour left to go in the session.

3:36 - Red flag - an incident with one of the BMWs in Turn 16.

3:12 - Marc is now out on course in the No. 45. Marco Holzer is now in the pits in the No. 44 for a setup change. Marco is working with engineer Steve Conover. Chief engineer Craig Watkins is responsible for the No. 45.

 3:02- Green flag. 2 hours left in the test session today. We have a second test session tomorrow (same schedule 8 to 12; 1 to 5), then into race week. No track sessions on Wednesday, then regular practice begins on Thursday, qualifying Friday. No. 45 is currently P4. Marc is still in the pits as the crew bleeds the brakes before he goes out.

2:52  - Marc Lieb takes over from Joerg. He'll do 5 or 6 laps, then come in for a change. Red flag before Marc got out of the pit stall so he'll be sitting while they do some cleanup in Turn 17.

2:45 pm - Afternoon test session is underway. Joerg is in the No. 45 and Marco is in the No. 44. Joerg is currently P2 in the session, the No. 03 is P1. In the No. 45, they are evaluating the suspension changes they made over lunch hour.

***

12:00 - Checkered flag. We'll be back with you at 1 pm for the second half of the test day.

11:54 - Green flag. Joerg and Seth will finish out the session in the No. 45 and No. 44 Porsches.

11:50 - Red flag. Just a few minutes left in the session - not sure if we will go green again or not.

11:38 - The No. 45 has been progressing through setup changes this morning - mostly chassis, bar and damper/spring adjustments. All three drivers have been in the car.  In the No. 44, they've been focused on getting Marco enough time to learn the track (it's his first time here) and seat time for Seth and Darren.

11:06 - 1 hour left in the morning session. Joerg is in the No. 45, still P2. Marco Holzer is in the No. 44.

10:30 - Red flag. Both Porsches are heading back to the pits. We don't have IMSA race control for these two test days so not sure yet the reason for the red. No. 45 is currently P2 in the session. The No. 55 BMW is P1. 

Note that for the ILMC races this year (Sebring and Petit) the Lizard Porsches will be the 045 and the 044.  I'm going to ignore that for our purposes and continue to refer to the cars as 45 and 44.

10:28 - Marco Holzer is in the No. 44 for his first stint. No. 45 will do a driver change to Joerg shortly. All is well so far. It's starting to warm up, I expect we'll see times start falling.

9:30- Marc Lieb is in the No. 45 for his first run of the week. Darren Law is in the No. 44. We are 90 minutes into the four hour morning test session.

9 am - Marc Lieb is here so he'll take over from Patrick for his first stint. Patrick has spent the last hour bedding in brakes, warming up the tires, and shaking down changes from yesterday's prep. It's still chilly but starting to warm up - looks like it will be sunny and warm today.

That's Joerg  below on the left, talking with Mike Rockenfeller (Audi) and Marc Lieb.

 
 

 

 

8 am - Good Morning from Sebring. It's looking to be another beautiful day here - we are certainly lucking out in the weather. It's the first of two test days prior to official race week. The track is green from 8 to 12 and 1 to 5 today. Both Lizard Porsches are on track - Seth Neiman is in the No. 44 and Patrick Long in the No. 45. The driver lineup for this weekend's race is: Joerg Bergmeister, Patrick Long and Marc Lieb in the No. 45 and Seth Neiman, Darren Law and Marco Holzer in the No. 44. Joerg, Patrick, Marc and Marco are all Porsche factory drivers. Here's an image that team photographer Bob Chapman took last night on the front straight.