Race!!! Laguna Seca Season Finale

6:45 pm - Checkered flag! The No. 45 finished fourth and the No. 44 seventh. Both cars were fast and tough but the conditions just weren't in our favor for this race. The No. 62 Risi Ferrari won in GT2, the No. 71 Porsche was second, and the No. 18 Rahal Porsche third.

Congratulations to the entire Lizard team for their fourth ALMS season. We'll be back with you in 2008!!! We'll publish final team and championship results in a bit.

6:42 - The No. 18 had to pit for fuel but it looks like they are still out ahead of Johannes. losing just one position to the No. 71 Porsche. Positions are: P1 No. 62; P 2 No. 71; P3 No. 18; P4 No. 45; P 6 No. 54, P 7 No. 44.

6:37 pm - The No. 21 contacted the No. 18 and spun into the gravel, where it is now stuck. It appears that they will not go yellow, but will leave the car there for the remainder of the race. This puts the No. 45 in P4. Positions: P1 No. 62; P 2 No. 18; P 3 No. 71; P 4 N. 45; P 5. No. 21.

6:31 - The No. 18 in P 2 is slowing considerably, and they may be conserving fuel.
10 laps left in the race. No. 45 in P 5; No. 44 in P 7 (In the race overall, an incredible battle going on with the No. 1 Audi and the No. 7 Penske Porsche.)

6:24 - The No. 62 overtook the No. 45 and is now one lap ahead of Johannes. No. 45 in P5. No. 44 in P 7.

6:20 pm - The No. 62 overtook the No. 18 for the lead. Positions: P1 No. 2; P 2 No. 18; P 3 No. 21; P 4 No. 71; P 5. No 45; P 6 No. 54; P 7 No. 44

6:16 pm - the no. 45 just passed the No. 18 (which is leading in GT2) which put him back on the same lap as the GT2 leaders. P1. No. 18; P2 No. 62; P 3 No. 21; P 4. No 71; P 5 No. 45, No. 44 is P 7.

6:13 pm - Green flag.

6:10 pm - The No. 21, in P4, pitted at the end of the yellow. No. 62 and NO. 71, No. 54 and No. 53 and No. 61. also pitted. The No. 45 did not pit - they are going to try and make it to the end of the race. Positions are: P1 No. 18; P 2 No. 21; P 3 No. 62; P 4 No. 71; P 5 No. 45; P 6 No. 54; P 7 No. 44.


*** 40 minutes left in the race ***

5:55 - The No. 5 apppears to have impacted the tire wall and is the gravel. The track is full course yellow. Driver is out of the car and appears OK. The No. 45 crew needs to make the call if the car needs to pit again or if they can make it to the end of the race. Because of the length of the caution, they are able to conserve fuel and may make it.

5:54 - The No. 62 was able to pass the No. 18 and takes the lead in GT2.

5:53 pm - The crew calls the NO. 44 in for a driver change to Seth Neiman.

5:47 pm - Johannes still P 5; Darren P 7. Leader No. 18. No. 62 P2. Just under one hour left.

5:39 pm - Darren is the fastest car in GT2 right now, but is four laps down on the GT2 leader.

** 1 hour, seven minutes left in the race.***

5:34 - Unfortunately, Johannes was assessed a stop and go penalty for contact with the No. 71. He's in the pits and served the penalty. Positions: P1 No. 21; P 2 No. 18; P 3 No. 62; P 4 No. 71; P 5. No. 45; P 6. No 54; P 7. No 44.

5:28 - Darren reports that he saw the No. 45 and the No. 71 impact and the No. 45 went off course. Johannes has a flat right front and is coming into the pits. He was able to come in quickly and out but it will cost him several positions.

5:25 pm - Green flag.

5:22 pm - The No. 62 also pits for fuel, which puts Johannes into P 3. Positions: P1 No. 21; P 2 NO. 18; P 3. No 45; P 4 No. 71; P 5 No. 62. The No. 21 Panoz will need to pit soon for fuel.

5:21 pm - The No. 45 pits for fuel only. At the time of pit, Johannes was P 2, behind the No. 21 Panoz in P1, and the No. 62 Ferrari in P3. After the pit stop, Johannes is now P 4. Positions: P 1 No. 21; P 2 No. 62; P 3 No. 18; P 4 No. 45; P 4 No. 71; P 6 No. 54; P 7 No. 44.

5:06 pm - the overall leaders pitted and Darren gets the waveby - good news because he gains back one of the four laps lost during the radiator change. The No. 73 Tafel Porsche is still in the pits for a lengthy pit stop, so obviously something wrong. This moves Darren into P 7.

5:03 pm - No. 9 Acura is in the gravel after a tussel on track with another prototype. Double Yellow. Darren, in eighth, is now 4 laps down from the leaders. Johannes is on the lead lap, behind the No. 18 Porsche (in the lead) and the No. 21 Panoz in second.

4:55 pm - Positions: P 1 No. 18; P 2 No. 21; P 3 No. 45; P 4 No 62; P 5 No. 71; P 6 No. 54; P 7 No. 73; P 8 No. 44; P 9 No. 53; P 10 No. 11; P 11 No. 61. No 31 Ferrari was retired earlier in the race. All GT2 cars that pitted under the last yellow are on fresh tires, except No. 18 and No. 21. 1 hour and 45 minutes left in the four-hour race.

4:54 pm - The crew has completed the No. 44 radiator change and sends Darren Law back out for his second stint.

4:53 - Johannes reports that he just got touched by one of the Acuras - he said it knocked him loose a bit but he thinks all is ok.

4:48 pm - Both Lizard cars pit simultaneously. The No. 44 crew makes the call that the center radiator is damaged, from the earlier collision with the Audi. No. 45 is out quickly, but the No. 44 crew will do a radiator change. The No. 61 Ferrari pitted earlier in the yellow. Most of the rest of the GT2 field pitted under the yellow, however the No. 18 and No. 21 did not change tires, and therefore got out ahead of the pack. No. 18 is P1; NO. 21 is P2; No. 45 P 3; No. 62 P 4; P 5 No. 71; P 6 No. 54; P 7 No. 44.

4:35 pm - the No. 5 Zytek Prototype is off in the gravel - after colliding with the No. 26 on course. The course is now double yellow and both Lizard cars prepare to pit. No. 44 will do a driver change back to Darren Law, tires, and fuel. The crew will also inspect the car for damage from the earlier incident. No. 45 will do their first driver change to Johannes van Overbeek, tires and fuel. The No. 06 prototype is also now in the gravel, apparently in a separate incident.

4:30 Lonnie reports that he got hit by the Audi in the left front going into Turn 11. He is continuing. The No. 21 was able to get by him which moved Lonnie back to P 6. Joerg still in P 2.

4:15 pm - The No. 62 Ferrari, the No. 45 Porsche, and the No. 71 Porsche are all running nose to tail.

4:05 pm - Finally green flag after the lengthy yellow to remove the No. 37. Joerg is still P 2 and is less than 1 minute behind Melo. Lonnie Pechnik now in the No. 44 is p 5. Positions: P1 No. 62; P 2 No. 45; P 3 No. 71; P4. No 18; P 5 No. 44; P 6 No. 21; P 7 No. 54.

3:47 pm - The course will stay double yellow as another car - the No. 37 in the tires in Turn 6. The drier is out of the car and appears OK. Positions on the restart will be: P 1 No. 62; P 2 No. 45; P 3 No. 72; P 4 No. 18; P 5 No. 54; P 6 No. 44; P 7 No. 21; P 8 No. 73; P 9 No. 53; P 10 No. 11; P 11 No. 61. No. 31 is in the garage for repairs but has not yet been retired.

3:45 pm - No. 45 pits, fuel, tires and one additional drink bottle for Joerg. The No. 44 pits for fule, tires, and driver change to Lonnie Pechnik. It will be green on the outlap. No. 18, No. 62, and No. 71, No. 21, No, 54 and No. 43 all pit - the entire field. The ferrari was out ahead of the No. 45 although they did not change tires. I'll report positions in a minute.

3:42 pm - The wave by has started - nearly one hour into the four hour race. One time by and both cars will pit - probably nearly simultaneously.

3:37 pm - Course still double yellow. Looks like the No. 62 (in the lead) and the No. 18 (in third) will also pit. We will try and beat the No. 62 out of the pits to retake the lead. The No. 61 Ferrari is out of the gravel and continuing.

3:32 pm - Joerg radios in that he thinks he can match the pace of the No. 62. No. 45 engineer Stefan Pfeiffer asks Joerg if he wants to continue or change drivers. He elects to stay in. The No. 31 Ferrari is stopped on the front straight, apparently with a broken drive shaft. Will update you when I know more. With the No. 31 out, the No. 44 moves into P 4. Team manager and No. 44 strategist Eric Ingraham radios Darren that he will call him in to the pits for a splash of fuel, tires, and driver change to Lonnie. No. 45 will also pit for fuel and tires but Joerg will stay in the car.

3:31 pm - The No. 61 Ferrari with Traci Krohn is int he gravel - the course is double yellow and it looks like they'll need to tow him out.

3:27 - Melo was able to get around Joerg on the inside (after making contact) and moved into P 1. Joerg now P2. Darren still P 5. We haven't been able to communicate with Joerg for most of his stint which make it diffficult. We think we are back in contact with him. Joerg radioed in that he is trying to push and asked that we keep the radio quite.


3:23 - Joerg is still holding off the No. 62 Ferrari and is in P1. Chief Strategist notifies him that he has 20 laps to go in his stint before they'll call him in to pit and for a driver change to Johannes van Overbeek.

3:17 pm - the No. 45 and the No. 62 continue to battle it out as they weave through traffic together. The No. 62 has not been able to pass.

3:13 pm - Joerg and Melo in the No. 62 are nose to tail. Darren hsa moved down to P5 - not sure what happened but the No 31 and No. 18 both passed him.

3:11 pm - We've lost communication with Joerg in the No. 45. We'll get out the pit board - the manual sign that we use when we lose radio communications - so that we can talk to him if needed.

3:08 - Darren reports he is losing grip. The crew notifies him that he will need to manage the tires for the next 45 minutes until the end of his stint.

3:05 pm - Darren has moved into P 3 after passing the No. 31 Ferrari when it went into the dirt. Joerg still P1 although Melo in the No. 62 has closed the gap and is just 2 tenths of a seconds behind. Caught again in traffic, Joerg once again opened the gap to more than 1 second.

2:54 pm - The No. 62 is close behind Joerg, although traffic has given Joerg a little breathing room. Joerg is currently the fastest car in GT2 on the track. The No. 31 Ferrari is in P 3, traffic has also separated him slightly from the No. 62. Darren has moved past the No. 18 Porsche to move him into P 4. He is just 1 second behind the No. 31.

2:51 - Retart after the first yellow. Joerg in P 1; Darren in P 5.

2:45 - Green flag. On the first lap the course is double yellow after two of the Acuras spun on course. Luckily all of the cars were able to avoid them but the course went yellow. In the move to avoid the cars, Joerg was able to move ahead of the No. 62 and the No. 31, moving into P1. Darren is still in P 5. Positions: P 1 No. 45; P 2 No. 62; P 3 No 31; P 4 No. 18; P 5 No. 44.

2:39 pm PT - The cars are ready to head off the grid for the 2 pace laps before the green flag falls. Joerg Bergmeister is in the No. 45 and is third in GT2 on the grid. Darren Law is in the No. 44 and is third on the grid.

The race is being broadcast live on Speed. We are broadcasting our team radio live - listen in at www.lizardms.com

Laguna Seca Morning Warmup

10:45 - checkered flag - both cards are heading back to the garage. The session went well with no major problems. We'll be back with you in a few hours for the race - radio transmission will start around 2:30 PT. ** See you then ** Jennifer

10:38 am - With just 5 minutes left to go in the session, Johannes pits in the No. 45 for driver change to Joerg. It looks like Seth will finish out the entire warmup session in the No. 44.

Oct 10 - 10:20 am - Good morning from Laguna Seca raceway in Monterey, California. We are out on track for our final warmup session. Johannes is out in the No. 45 and Seth in the No. 44. we have a red flag on the first lap of the combined session. It's unfortunate because this is such as short session today - just 20 minutes. Hopefully we'll be green again quickly.

Reminder that the race starts today at 2:45 PT. It will be broadcast live on SpeedTV. We'll also broadcast our radio transmission for the morning warmup today and the race. Check that out at www.lizardms.com

Petit Le Mans - No. 45 Wins Petit Le Mans!!!

8:35 pm - No. 45 WINS Petit Le Mans!!! Our first win at the flagship ALMS race. The No. 44, which also had an incredibly strong race, is fifth.
Congratulations to the entire team, Johannes, Joerg, Marc, Seth, Lonnie and Darren for a nearly flawless race.

8:34 pm - The No. 18 Rahal Porsche spun on course, and the No. 71 Tafel moved into P 2. Checkered flag - The Lizards just need to cross the finish line at this point...

8:30 pm - Leaders have three laps to go so just minutes left in the race. It's been an incredible battle between the No. 1 Audi and the No. 07 Penske Porsche prototype since the last restart for the overall lead. In GT2 there's also a great race going on for second between the No. 18 Rahal Porsche and the No. 71 Tafel Porsche . Right now, the No. 18 is in P2. The No. 54 is P 3 and No. 44 is P 5.

8:23 pm - 15 minutes to go. Johannes is P1 in the No.45. Lonnie is P 5 in the No. 44.

8:16 pm - 22 minutes to go.

8:08 pm - 20 laps to go - about 30 minutes. Green flag. Positions: P 1 No. 45; P 2 No. 18; P 3 No. 71; P 4 No. 54; P 5 No. 44

8:04 pm - Darren's take on his last stint."I'm really happy wih the performance of our car - it's been quick and should have been higher in the field at this point - unfortunately we had one incident with a prototype that put us back. Other than that one incident it's been a great race and the crew has done a fantastic job."

7:50 - a car has stopped on the front straight after impacting the wall at the end of the final turn 12- the Lista Maserati. It's double yellow and he will have to be towed.

7:45 - Lonnie Pechnik is out in the No. 44 after a clean pit stop. Both cars should be able to finish the race with no additional stops if there are no problems. If there is a full course yellow, Blam may bring the No. 45 in for a fuel top up.

7:43 - Positions remain unchanged. P1 No. 45; P2 No. 71; P3 No. 18; P4 No. 54; P 5 No. 44. No. 71 has pitted and there appears to be a problem with a wheel nut that is stuck. The No. 54 has also had a lengthy pit stop. The No. 45 pitted for tires, fuel, and driver change to Johannes. the crew is taking the time to check over the car carefully - they are 3 laps up on the next car (the No. 71 which is also in the pits). The No. 44 is coming into the pits this lap.

7:32 pm - Chief strategist Thomas Blam notifies the No. 45 crew that they have six to seven laps to go before the pit stop and driver change from Joerg to Johannes. If all goes according to plan, this should be the last pit stop for the No. 45 although it will be very close on fuel. The No. 44 will also have one more stop. The No. 62 Ferrari has had a lengthy pit stop and has gone behind the wall.

7:22 pm - Positions: P 1 No. 45; P 2 No. 71; P 3 No. 18; P 4 No 54; P 5 No. 44.

7:21 pm - It appears that the 18 car exceeded the speed limit in pit lane so they will be assessed a penalty. Not sure yet what that will be. They are back in pit lane in the penalty box for a stop and go. The No. 54 Porsche in P 4 is still 7 laps behind them so the No. 18 retains its position.

7:19 pm - The No. 18 Porsche, which was in P 2 has pitted for tires and fuel. He had been slow on course for a lap or so after being hit on course. With this pit stop, the No. 71 Porsche, which had been in P3, may be able to take P 2. Joerg remains in P1 and Darren in P2. The No 54 is in P 4. less than 2 hours left in the race.

7:06 pm - About 2 hours left in the race. Positions remain unchanged in GT2. P 1 No. 45; P 2 No. 18; P 3 No. 71; P 4 No. 54; P 5 No. 44; P 6 No. 62. In the No. 44, Darren is now just 1 lap down on the No. 54 Porsche. Joerg is 2 laps ahead of the No. 18 which is in P 2. P3 is the No. 71 Porsche. It's dusk right now and should be completely dark in about 20 minutes.

6:51 - Joerg is the fastest GT2 car on the track right now - still in P 1.

6:41 pm - Green flag. Approx 2.5 hours left in the race. Joerg Bergmeister is back in the No. 45 and is in P1. Darren is in the No. 44 and is P 5. GT2 positions: P1 No. 45; P 2 No. 18; P 3 No 71; P 4 No 54; P 5 No 44; P 6 No 61; P 7 No 62; P 8 No 21.

6:40 pm - No. 45 pits for driver change, tires and fuel. Marc is out of the car and Joerg is in.

6:37 pm - No. 44 pits for tires, fuel and driver change to Darren Law.

6:32 pm - The No. 61 Ferrari is in the kitty litter and the course is double yellow.
Both Lizard crews are readying for a pit stop since they are in their fuel windows. Darren will take over in the No. 44 and Joerg in the No. 45.

6:26 pm - less than 3 hours left in the race and the No. 45 Porsche continues the lead. The No. 44 is in P 5. Top positions remain unchanged. The No. 61 Ferrari is in P 6 and the No. 62 in P 7. The No. 31 Ferrari retired halfway through the race. The No. 53 and No. 73 also have retired.

6:03 pm - Marc has retained the lead, even with his pit stop. No. 18 Rahal Porsche is P2, No 71 Tafel Porsche P3, No. 54 Porsche P4, and No. 44 Lizard Porsche P 5. The No. 44, after its repair in the garage, fell back and is now 12 laps behind the GT2 leader, the NO. 45.


5:57 pm - Positions: P1 No 45; P 2 No 18; P 3 No 71; P 4 No 54; P 5 No. 44. No 54 has pitted and the No. 71 too. Johannes has pitted - Marc Lieb is getting in.

5:55 - Johannes reports that the fuel light is on in the No. 45. Once he gets the bobble, he'll pit for tires and fuel.

5:47 - The No. 44 is back in its pit stall. Lonnie shut off the car, turned it on and rejoined the race. He is back out in P 5, but now 13 laps down on the leader, who is still the No. 45 Lizard Porsche. The No. 06 Penske Porsche prototype, which was the car which hit Darren, was assessed a penalty of a stop and go plus one minute in the penalty box. The No. 06 is still in the pits for repairs from the incident.

5:41 - The No. 44 had a bent toe link, bent exhaust. They have fixed them, removed some bodywork and are resetting the toe, and will be back on course as soon as they can. Lonnie will need to repit, turn off the engine and restart, then he can rejoin the race. He's now fallen to P5. If he can get back out quickly, he can keep that position because the next closest car in P 6 (the No. 61) is 8 laps down.

5:37 - Lonnie took the No. 44 Porsche out for one lap, then immediately pitted and went behind the wall for repairs. As soon as I know more, I'll update you.

5:33 - It appears that we were hit by the Penske No. 6 on course. The car spun and pitted for driver change to Lonnie, tires and fuel.

5:26 - Johannes reports that some element of the dash is loose. We're not sure if it's an issue yet or not.

5:24 - the No. 10 prototype also went off course but continued.

5:23 - The No. 54 Porsche had a brief off course excursion, but has rejoined with no apparent damage. They are currently in P 5. Positions remain unchanged.

5:15 - Johannes radioed in that he was being held up by the Maserati which was faster on the straights but holding him up in the corners. He was finally able to get past the car and is back on pace. Positions remain the same:
P1 No. 45; P 2 No. 18; P 3 No 71; P 4 No 44; P 5 No 54; P 6 No 61; P 7 No 62; P 8 No 21.

Johannes is 45 seconds ahead of the P2 car, the No. 18 Porsche.

Marc Lieb is up next for the No. 45, and has spent the last 2 hours recovering from his first stint - "I felt really bad during the stint - it was extremely hot and I had some stomach problems - by the end I was completely exhausted. I feel better now - and should be OK for the next round. The car was OK but had too much understeer earlier, which I hope has improved."

5:01 pm - Positions: P1 No. 45; P2 No. 18; P 3 No. 71; P 4 No. 44; P 5 No 54; P 6 No 61; P 7 No 62; P 8 No 21. Johannes and Darren are in the Lizard Porsches right now. Because of the number of cautions, it looks like the race could go to the full 10 hours - which means we have approximately 4 and a quarter hours left to go. To put this into perspective, a "regular" ALMS race is 2 hours and 45 minutes.

4:59 pm - Green flag!

4:57 pm - Joerg pits in the No. 45 for driver change to Johannes, tires and fuel. They were also able to refresh the ice in the cool suit box. Course is still yellow. At the time he pitted, he was P 1. No. 18 Rahal Porsche and the No. 71 Tafel Porsche have also pitted. Rahal fuel only, Tafel fuel and tires. Of the 10 11 starting GT2 cars only 8 are still runing. The No. 31, No. 53, and No. 73 have all retired.

4:37 - The No. 45 was able to get one lap up on the No. 18 during the yellow. Darren is in P 4.

4:32 pm - The No. 61 Ferrari is solidly off in the gravel. Looks like the course will go yellow to remove him. The No. 45 will pit during this yellow - taking advantage of the caution to do fuel, driver change and tires. The No. 62 Ferrari has gone behind the wall for repairs.

4:23 pm - Joerg in the lead in the No. 45. Darren in P 4 in the No. 44

4:17 pm - The No. 62 is back in the pits for tires, fuel, and driver change. They are still working on some repairs - not clear if it is related to the brake light problem or something else. Positions: P 1 No. 45; P 2 No. 18; P 3 No. 71; P 4 No. 44; P 5 No. 54. P 6 No. 62. The top five GT2 cars are all Porsches.

4:14 pm - The No. 18 pitted for tires, fuel and driver change and Joerg moves into the lead in GT2. Darren is out in P4, having lost just one position during the pit stop.

4:12 pm - Lonnie pits in the No. 44 for tires, fuel and driver change to Darren Law.
At the time of pit, he was P 3.

4:09 pm - Joerg in P 2; Lonnie in P3. No. 18 Rahal Porsche still in P 1. No. 71 Tafel Porsche in P 4. Joerg is on the same lap as the No. 18 Porsche and will take the lead when he pits. No. 71 Porsche is 46 seconds back from Lonnie and is 2 laps down on Joerg. All is well at the moment.

3:45 pm - Joerg Bergmeister is out again quickly and is still in P2. Lonnie is in P3.

The No. 62 has pitted again for repair to the light and the No. 71 (which was in P3) has also pitted. The No. 45 just pitted for driver change, tires and fuel. Joerg Bergmeister will take the wheel for his second stint of the race. Lonnie Pechnik in the No. 44 will pit in a few minutes.

3:39 pm - The No. 62 is back out but may still have problems with the lights - if so, they'll need to pit again.

3:36 pm- The No. 62 had to pit to repair a non-functioning brake light, which moved them from the lead down to fifth. This allowed the No. 18 Rahal Porsche to take the lead, with the No. 45 in P2. The No. 71 Tafel Porsche has moved into P 3 and the No. 44 Porsche into P 4. Both the No. 45 and the No. 44 will pit shortly for driver changes, tires, and fuel.

3:26 pm - With both Lizard Porsches near the end of their stings, the cars are slowing as the tires near the end of their stint.

3:12 pm ET - Approx 4 hours into the race, positions: P 1 No. 62; P 2 No. 45; P 3 No. 18; P 4 No. 71; P 5 No. 44; P 6 No. 54; P 7 No. 21; P 8 No 61; P 9 No. 31; P 10 No. 53. No. 73 retired early in the race.

3:08 - Green flag.

3:05 pm - No. 44 pits for a fast pit stop of fuel and tires, still under yellow. When he pitted, he was in P4. The NO. 45 stayed out.

2:56 pm - Double yellow to remove the No. 15 Acura prototype which appears to have lost a wheel. With this, the No. 18 Rahal Porsche got their lap back and will now be on the lead lap with the no. 62 and the No. 45. The No. 44 with Lonnie Pechnik is P 4 and is one lap down. The No. 71 Porsche is just behind Lonnie in P 5.

2:51 - There's a pack of GT2 cars together right now - with many of the cars on different laps. The No. 62 Ferrari, the GT2 leader, and the No. 45 Porsche are at the rear of the pack so they now need to thread their way through the other Porsches and one or two prototypes.

2:40 pm - Marc pitted under the yellow, and the No. 62 Ferrari moved to P1. Lonnie is now P 3. The No. 31 Ferrari is still in the pits under repair from the earlier collision. The No. 62 and the No. 45 are the only two GT2 cars on the same lap. Lonnie is one lap down on the No. 45.

2:28 pm - The No. 31 Ferrari, moving to pass the No. 53 Panoz, collides with the No. 53 and sends the No. 53 into the wall. The No. 31 Ferrari appears to have some damage. Marc continues in P 1. The course is double yellow.

2:19 pm - Another incident in Turn 1, but luckily major problems were avoided - when one of the prototypes collided with the No. 62 Risi Ferrari. The No. 1 Audi, which was the overall leader, was collected in that incident but doesn't appear to have sustained significant damage. With this, Marc Lieb in the No. 45 moves into the lead. Immediately behind him is the No. 31 Ferrari. The No. 62 Ferrari, which hasn't yet pitted after the incident, is in P 3. No. 44 is P 4.

2:15 pm - The No. 21 Panoz pits and the No. 62 Ferrari moves to the lead. Marc Lieb in the No. 45 is now P2. Lonnie Pechnik was out quickly in the No. 44 after their pit stop. Not sure yet where the No. 44 will settle out - but probably P 4. The No. 31 is P 3. I'll report all GT2 positions in a bit when things clear out.

2:11 pm - Marc Lieb is out first ahead of the Ferrari and moves into P 4. Darren, in P 1, is now pitting for tires and fuel. This will put the No. 45 to P 3. The No. 62, which is in P 3, will move to P 2. In the lead will be the No. 21 Panoz.

2:10 pm - Johannes reports that he has the fuel bobble and pits for tires, fuel, and driver change to Marc Lieb. The No. 31 Ferrari pits at the same time, their pit stall is farther down pit lane than ours so we start our pit stop first. This will be a race to see who gets out first.

2:06 pm - The No. 31 Ferrari was able to get past Johannes again to take the lead. Johannes will pit within 10 minutes.

2:00 pm - The No. 44 will pit in about 10 minutes for tires and fuel and driver change to Lonnie Pechnik for Lonnie's first stint. We also expect the No. 31 Ferrari to pit shortly.

1:59 - Johannes is caught behind the No. 71 Porsche which is 2 laps down. The No. 31 Ferrari is immediately behind him. The No. 62 Ferrari, which is 1 lap down, is just ahead of the No. 71.

1:57 - Looks like the No. 31 Ferrari made an error in Turn 5, which allowed Johannes to pass him. Johannes is now in the lead. Darren was too far back to get through and is still P 3.

1:53 pm - No. 61 Risi Ferrari is slow on the back straight.No. 62 Ferrari went into the gravel but appears to have avoided a serious incident and is continuing. No. 31 Ferrari has taken the lead. Johannes is now P 2 and Darren P 3. The No. 62 pitted for tires, fuel, and driver change to Mika Salo.

1:50 pm - The No. 71 Porsche pitted and both Johannes and Darren have moved up a position. No. 45 is now P 3 and No. 44 P 4. P 1 is still No. 62 and P 2 No. 31. There may be some issues with the No. 71 that required the pit stop- not clear yet. It slid sideways a bit when it stopped in the pits and the crew has had it in the air for a lengthy time after fueling.

1:50 pm - The No. 2 Audi impacted the tire wall. He is continuing but with damage. So far, the course is green.

** Lizard team radio is being broadcast live at www.lizardms.com ***

1:41 pm - Johannes, in P4, is reeling in the No. 71 Tafel Porsche which is in P 3. He's now just 2 seconds behind. The No. 71 is on a slower pace, so Johannes needs to get by him quickly, or risk losing additional time on the No. 31 Ferrari which is in P 2 and the No. 62 Ferrari which is in hte lead. Darren is in P 5 in the No. 44 and is fighting some handling/tire issues.

1:31 pm - Johannes is on a slightly faster pace than Darren, and overtakes him for P 4. Darren is in P 5. P1 is No. 62 Risi Ferrari, P 2 No. 31 Petersen Ferrari, P3 No. 71 Tafel Porsche.

1:23 pm - No. 61 has a left rear flat and is proceeding slowly on course, apparently as the result of contact from the No. 20 Dyson Prototype. As the tire degrades, it is removing bodywork, which is now on the course.

1:20 pm - Positions: P 1 No. 62; P 2 No. 71; P 3 No 31; P 4 No 44; P 5 No 45; P 6 No 54; P 7 No. 21; P 8 No 18; P 9 No 53; P 10 No 61.

1:15 pm - Green flag!

1:06 pm - Positions: P 1 No. 31; P 2 No. 62; P 3 No 71; P 4 No 44; P 5 No 45; P 6 No 54; P 7 No 21; P 8 N. 18; P 9 No 53; P 10 No. 61. On the last pit stop, both NO. 44 and No. 45 pitted simultaneously. The No. 44 had a faster pit stop than the No. 45 (with no driver change) and made it out of the pits ahead of the No. 45.

1:02 pm - Major incident and several prototypes involved. The No. 15 Acura sustained significant damage as as the No. 37 prototype and one of the Dyson Porsches, which started the chain reaction. Luckily even though the course was completely blocked for at least 30 seconds, all other cars were able to avoid it.

12:59 - Joerg and Darren pit simultaneously on the last lap of the yellow. Both stops are clean.

12:55 pm - The course is still yellow. Darren will pit shortly for tires, fuel and windshield tear off. No. 45 will also pit for tires, fuel, and driver change. At the time of the pit stops, Joerg is P 3 and Darren is P 7.

12:46- The No. 61 Ferrari is in the gravel and the course is now double yellow.

12:44 - Positions: P 1 No. 62; P 2 No. 71; P 3 No. 45; P 4 No. 21; P 5 No. 31; P 5 No. 54; P 7 No. 44; P 8. No 18; P 9 No. 53; P 10 No. 61.

12:40 pm - The Dyson NO. 20 prototoype and one of the Acuras collided on course - both were able to continue.

12:36 pm - Darren went off in the No. 44 as the No. 61 Ferrari went of course. Both cars went into the grass. Not clear if there is damage.
The No. 62 was also able to get by Joerg for the lead.

Current positions are: P 1 No. 62; P 2 No. 45; P 3 No. 71; P 4 No. 21; P 5 No. 54; P 6 No. 31; P 7 No. 44; P 8 No. 18; P 9 No. 61; P 10 No. 53; P 11 No. 73.

12:28 - Joerg has taken the lead. Positions: P 1 No. 45; P 2 No. 54;P 3 No. 62; P 4 No. 71; P 5 No. 21; P 6 No. 61; P 7 No. 18; P 8 No. 44 P 9 No. 31; P 10 No. 53; P 11. NO. 73 has left the pits due to the earlier accident.

12:25 pm ET - Green flag.

12:13 - Darren radios in that he needs the windshield cleaned. No. 44 strategist Eric Ingraham communicates with the crew for a short pit stop with a windscreen tearoff and a splash of fuel, probably late in the yellow.

12:10 - No. 73 Tafel Porsche is in the wall and the course is full course yellow . Driver appears fine but the car has sustained significant damage. This yellow will further help the No. 44 Porsche close the gap. Positions: P 1 No. 31; P 2 No. 54; P 3 No. 45; P 4 No. 62; P 5 No. 71; P 6 No. 21; P 7 No. 61; P 8 No. 18; P 9 No 53; P 10 No. 44; P 11 No. 73.

12:05 pm - No. 44 pits for tires and fuel, driver change to Darren Law. No. 44 was able to take advantage of the yellow to get back on the same lap as the GT2 leaders - even with the pit stop, he will be able to remain on the lap. Darren will be focused on the next few laps on moving through the slower GT2 cars at the back of the pack. No. 45 is in P 3, with Joerg still in the car on his first stint.

Green flag

12:03 pm - 2 more laps to green. Pace car lights out next lap, then green flag.

11:56 am - Still yellow from the earlier incident. The No. 44 crew may bring Seth in for tires and fuel near the end of the yellow and possibly do a driver change to Darren. Positions are: P 1 No. 31; P 2 No. 18 ; P 3 No. 21; P 4 No. 54; P 5 No. 45; P 6 No. 73; P 7 No. 62; P 8 No. 71; P 9 No 61; P 10 No 53; P 11 No 44.

11:45 am - The No. 45 pitted for tires and fuel and although Joerg lost a few positions during the pit stop, he was able to stay on the same lap with the GT2 leaders.

No 62 Ferrari also pitted, but No. 45 was able to get out ahead of the No. 62. No. 71 also pitted, but looks like they had a slow pit stop because Wolf has fallen from P1 to P 8. I'll report positions in a few minutes once the field sorts out.


11:37 am - One of the Corvettes went off course and had a very hard hit against the tire wall. Driver Magnussen is out of the car and walking away with the medical personnel.
Course is double yellow.

11:31 - Had a question if we were doing commentary during the radio broadcast. No, we are only broadcasting the radio, no commentary for this race. We may resume commentary next year, but for now, just radio!

11:26 - Positions are: P 1 No 31; P 2 No 71; P 3 No 62; P 4 No 45; P 5 No 18; P 6 No 21; P 7 No 73; P 8 No 61; P 9 No 54; P 10 No 53; P 11 No 44.

11:20 - Wolf Henzler in the No. 71 Tafel car moves past Joerg to take P 3.

We are broadcasting our team radio today but the cloud cover is causing a few challenges on the comms side - if you are disconnected please wait a few minutes and then try again.

11:18 - The field is beginning to get sorted out - Joerg has held his position in P 3. Seth is now in P 11.

Reminder that the race is being broadcast live on SpeedTV.

11:16 - Race start!! Green flag and the cars are off. It looks like a clean start with all of the cars making it safely through turn 1 .

11:11 am - The cars are leaving the grid for the pace lap. All is OK at the moment.

11 am ET - Good morning from Road Atlanta. We are just 20 minutes from race start for the 10th annual running of Petit Le Mans. thankfully it's a bit cooler today after a very hot and humid week. It rained nearly all day yesterday, putting a damper on the practice sessions and qualifying. So far today, no rain, but there are grey skies and temperatures are starting to cool off. If the rain holds off, it should be good racing weather for the 1000 mile race today.

Joerg will start the No. 45 third on the GT2 grid and Seth will start the No. 44 seventh. We'll be broadcasting our radio during the race - you can access that on the home page at www.lizardms.com.

Detroit - Race - No. 44 2nd in GT2 !!!

6:00 pm - No. 44 is second in GT2! Congratulations to Patrick Long, Darren Law and the entire No. 44 crew for a great race.

The No. 45 was retired due to an accident and resulting car fire. Johannes van Overbeek, who was in the car at the time, is fine.

Thank you everyone for joining us. The race will be broadcast tonight, Saturday, starting at 9:30 pm ET on SpeedTV.
****

5:58 pm - 2 minutes left to go. Patrick P2.

5:51 pm - 9 minutes to go in the race. Patrick is losing some ground to the No. 62 Ferrari and is now 4 seconds behind, but still a solid second.

5:43 pm - The No. 31 Ferrari just received a penalty for contact with the No. 73, which will put him one lap down. So it is the No. 62 in the lead and No. 44 right on his tail - .3 seconds behind. Both cars are runing the same pace - Patrick has just set the fastest lap times for the GT2 Porsches so far in the race.


5:37 pm - Green flag. Positions: P1 No. 62; P2. No 44; P 3 No. 31; P 4. No. 61; P 4 No. 73. Patrick is just 2.5 seconds back from No. 62. No. 31 is four seconds behind Patrick. No. 61 is one lap down still although on track he is immediately behind the No. 31.

The No. 31 Ferrari appears to have just punted the No. 73 Tafel car off track.

5:31 pm - No 18 Rahal Porsche is stopped on track - they will not be able to continue. Double yellow, pits are closed. This could be good for the No. 44 because it may be able to get the lap back on the No. 62 - putting the car back on the same lap. Yes - confirmed - Patrick is now on the lead lap with the No. 6 (as should be the No. 31 Ferrari). The No. 61 Ferrari, now one lap down on the No. 31, may also be able to move up a lap - this could mean a battle to the finish in GT2. I'll report positions again once the course goes green which should be shortly.

5:25 pm - Positions: P1 No. 62; P2 No. 44; P3 No. 31; P4 No. 61. P5 No. 73; P6 No. 54; P 7 No. 18. The No. 62 is one lap up on the No. 44. The No. 31 is just 2 seconds behind Patrick in the No. 44. The next closest car is the No. 61 Ferrari, which is 1 lap down on the No. 31.

Patrick is running the fastest pace of the top GT3 3 cars. The No. 61 (in fourth place) is running the fastest GT2 pace overall.

5:14 pm - At the end of his stint, Darren, in second place in the No. 44, pitted but was immediately sent back out to ensure he stayed in position under the yellow. He was assessed a stop and go penalty for exceeding the pit lane speed limit. He then pitted again for tires, fuel and driver change to Patrick. Patrick went out, then pitted again to serve the penalty. Even with the three pit stops, the No. 44 remains in second position.

Another yellow flag after the No. 6 Penske prototype collided with an Acura prototype, causing the wing of the No. 6 Penske to fly off into traffic.

5:05 pm - Things are settled down a bit. Johannes is back in pit lane and the No. 45 car has been returned to our paddock. I will report further details when I know them. The car, obviously, has been retired from the race.

4:47 pm - the No. 45 has had a fire on track. Johannes is out of the car and appears to be fine and is out of the car but the car appears to be totaled. We will report more when we know more. Course is double yellow.

4:40 pm - No. 45 and the No. 71 collided on track as the No. 45 moved to pass. Appears to be significant damage although he was able to continue. He will need a new rear wing, and of more concern to the crew is that the engine temperature is rising and Johannes sees/smells oil. No. 45 has not pitted yet - the crew needs a bit of time to determine their strategy for repair and have Johannes circling under yellow.
TV coverage shows body damage to the rear and a damaged/broken rear wing.

Darren pitted and he stopped in the pits and and restarted. He was assessed a penalty of a stop and go under green. I'm not sure what happened. I will report more when I have some more info.


4:35 pm - No. 61 pits for tires, fuel and probably driver change. Positions remain the same but No. 45, No. 44 and No. 31 now all running nose to tail and just about to hit traffic. Gap between the No. 62 in the lead and the No. 45 in P2 is now 20 seconds.

4:30 pm - Although the drivers (and their tires) are nearing the end of their stints, times continue to drop - Lizard engineer Stefan Pfeiffer explains that the track is just now "starting to come in" - we should see some fast times after field driver changes and new tires.

4:23 pm - Top 4 GT2 positions remain the same: P1 No. 62; P2 No 45; P3 No 44; P4 No 31. The No. 31 Ferrari has closed the gap on Darren, who lost some time when he went offline and is now just 1 second back.

4:19 pm - TV replay showed Darren being nudged offline by a prototype and narrowly missing the wall. He continued without incident.

Reminder - team radio live at: http://www.lizardms.com/radio.htm

4:15 pm ET - One hour into the race. Johannes in the No. 45 is still in P2 behind the No. 62 Ferrari. Johannes is now 10 seconds back from the No. 62. Darren in the No. 44 is 8 seconds behind Johannes. The No. 31 Ferari is now 15 seconds behind Darren.

The top 4 GT2 cars have all pitted once for tires and fuel, all four drivers are still on their first stints.

4:01 pm ET - The No. 62 Ferrari continues on a faster pace than the Porsches - .5 to 1 second per lap. Johannes needs to be patient and wait for him to either make a mistake, hit traffic,or for the course to go yellow. Darren lost a bit of time on the outlap and is now 8 seconds behind Johannes. The top four GT2 cars are on the same lap, the others are one or more laps back. The No. 31 Ferrari is 6 seconds back from Darren.

Positions: P1 No. 62; P2. No 45; P3 No. 44, P4 No 31.

3:57 pm ET - Fast, clean pit stops for both Lizard Porsches. The No. 62 was out of the pits first and the positions remain the same. Our short pit stops helped Johannes and Darren close the gap on the No. 62 - we came into the pits well behind the No. 62 but were out right on his tail. P1 No. 62; P2 No. 45, P3 No. 44; P 4. No. 31; P 5. No 61.

3:54 pm ET - Both Lizard Porsches are pitting for tires and fuel. It is the first pit stop for both. Both drivers will remain in the cars. The No. 62 Ferrari, the GT2 leader, is also pitting. If he has any problems in the pits, we could have the opportunity to take the lead if we can get out first. The No. 31 Ferrari also pitted.

Positions: P1 No. 62; P2 No. 45; P3 No. 44; P4 No 31; P5 No 61; P6 No 73; P7 No. 71; P 8 No. 54; P9 No 11; P10 No. 22; P11 No. 18.

3:47 pm - Pits are open but course is still yellow. The No. 45 will most likely stay out but the No. 44 will probably pit for tires and fuel. The No. 7 Penske Porsche pitted. After the wave by, the top four GT2 cars are now a lap up on the rest of the GT2 field - starting with the No. 61 in P5. So the first four GT2 cars are on one lap, the rest are one or more laps back.



3:42 - The No. 61 attempted to repass the No. 31 and ended up in the tire wall and the No. 31 also went off line. Both were able to continue but Johannes and Darren were able to move past both the No. 61 and the No. 31 into P 2 and P 3. In a separate incident, the No. 71 Tafel Porsche looks like it had tire damage and is limping back into pit lane. We have a full course yellow but pits are still closed.

3:39 pm ET - Johannes passed Darren to move into P4. Darren is now in P5. The 06 prototype is stopped on course but offline and we expect a yellow flag if he cannot continue. The No. 31 Ferrari has moved past the No. 61 Ferrari in a clean pass, putting the No. 31 Ferrari in P2. Positions are: P1 No. 62; P2 No. 31; P3. No 61; P4 No. 45; P5. No 44; P6. No 73; P 7. No 71; P8 No. 54;

3:36 pm - No. 54 reports they were hit by a prototype and sustained suspension damage.

3:35 pm ET - Race contral assessed a penalty on the NO. 6 Penkse Prototype for hitting teh No. 62 Ferrari earlier in the race.

**** Reminder - you can listen to our team radio live at

http://www.lizardms.com/radio.htm

3:30 pm - Darren reports that the No. 44 is staring to get a little loose. Johannes is still close behind Darren.

3:28 pm - one of the Penske prototypes contacted the No. 62 Ferrari on course and then spun on course. Both cars were able to continue.

3:25 pm - Darren and Johannes are running nose to tail in P 4 and P 5. In the No. 62 Ferrari, Mika Salo has extended his lead significantly over the GT2 field. In P 2 is the No. 61 Risi Ferrari with Eric Helary at the wheel, and the No. 31 Ferrari with Mueller. Darren is 2 seconds behind the No. 31 Ferrari. The No. 18 Porsche went behind the wall for further repairs.

3:24 - The No. 18 Rahal Porsche is in the pits for an extended stop, working on the right left rear, and to serve a penalty for a visor up during refueling. The No. 22 Panoz has also pitted unexpectedly.

3:20 pm ET - Positions: P1 No. 62; P2 No. 61; P 3 No. 31; P4 No. 44; P5 No. 45; P6 NO. 22; P7 No. 71; P8 No. 11; P9 No. 54; P10 No. 73; P11 No. 18.

3:15 pm ET - Green flag - it was a fairly clean start except for some light contact among the prototype field. Darren reports that the No. 73 Tafel Porsche turned into him on left front after the No. 73 spun on track. Darren was able to continue. He is currently in P 5 and Joerg is in P 5.

3:10 pm ET - Engines are started and the cars are rolling out behind the pace car for two pace laps.

3:05 pm ET - The grid is clear of fans and the National Anthem is underway. We'll start pace laps shortly.

2:25 pm ET - The cars are now on the grid awaiting their recon lap. Looks like we'll have an on time start at 3:15 pm ET. The No. 44 is starting fourth and the No. 45 is starting sixth on the grid. We've had a bit of fallout in the GT2 field - the No. 53 Panoz which blew a motor in yesterday's session has withdrawn. Also, the No. 71 Tafel Porsche, which sustained major damage in morning practice yesterday, will start from pit lane.

Darren will start in the No. 44 and Johannes will start in the No. 45.

****
Team radio transmissions are now working - you can listen in at

http://www.lizardms.com/radio.htm

*****

Detroit - Race day morning warmup

10:41 pm ET - The checkered is out on the session, which was, happily, uneventful for the Lizards. Patrick Long had the third fastest time in GT2 in the session. Joerg was sixth.

We'll be back with you for this afternoon's race - it starts at 3:15 ET. See you then - Jennifer

10:26 am ET - Good morning from Detroit. It's another beautiful day here at Belle Isle. Both Lizard Porsches are out on track for the short 30-minute morning warmup. Darren went out for the first 10 minutes and just pitted for driver change to Patrick Long. Joerg is out in the No. 45. Both cars are working as quickly as they can to get the tires up to temp so they can sort out the setup changes that they made yesterday. This is the final on track session before this afternoon's race.
Joerg will pit shortly for driver change to Johannes. So far, it's been a clean session with no incidents - a welcome change from yesterday's incident plagued morning session.

*** Note that our team radio transmission is not currently working. I'll update you if we get things sorted out by race start. ****

Detroit - Lizards Qualify 4th and 6th

The No. 44 is fourth and the No. 45 is sixth in today's qualifying session. The No. 44 is the fastest qualifying Porsche, behind the three Ferraris No. 61 in P1; the No. 62 in P2; the and No. 31 in P3. Johannes is sixth in the No. 45.

4:55 pm - After one more lap, Chief Strategist Thomas Blam tells Johannes to pit and save the tires. Johannes is in P 6.

4:53 pm - Patrick is pitting - P 4 is all that the car has right now. Patrick is still the fastest Porsche. Johannes will slow down one lap and stay out in an attempt to move up at least one position.

4:51 pm - Patrick has moved to P4 the fastest Porsche behind the No. 61; No. 62 and No. 31 Ferraris. Johannes still P 6.

4:49 pm - The No. 62 Risi Ferrari is now P1. No. 45 P 6; No. 44 P 5.

4:45 pm - Green flag. Still 13 minutes left in the session.

4:41 pm - The No. 11 Viper has pulled off track and the course is red. Times after just 2 laps - P1 No. 61 Ferrari, P2 No. 62 Ferrari, P3 No. 45 Porsche, P4 No. 44 Porsche.

4:38 pm ET - Green flag on the combined GT1 and GT2 qualifying session. Both Lizard Porsches are out early in the session - just in case there is a red flag that shortens the session they want to have an opportunity to put down a fast lap.

4:25 pm ET - Qualifying is slightly delayed as the track workers are still cleaning up a significant amount of water on the track. The water seems to have come out of the tires when the Penske prototype hit the wall at the end of the session.

Johannes is back from tech in the No. 45. He will qualify the No. 45 and Patrick will qualify the No. 44.

Detroit - Friday Afternoon Practice

4:16 pm - The No.7 Penske prototype is off in to the tire wall at Turn 8. And the session is red flagged. This may be the end of the session as he will probably need assistance to get back to the pits. Both cars are back in the pits. The No 45 is heading to tech before the qualifying session begins. The No. 44 will sit in pit lane. The No. 7 Penske is off the wall now and is returning to the pits. Qualifying may be somewhat delayed if the cleanup takes too long.

4:09 pm - Mika Salo in the No. 61 and Bruni in the No. 61 have both now edged past Patrick for the fastest times of the session. The No. 45 is still in P 5. Johannes has pitted for a setup change.

Patrick's take on his stint: "I'm getting used to the track now. Car was good right out of the box. We experimented with a different compound combination and that worked out well. Craig's (Watkins) changes from this morning really helped with the car - especially in managing the bumps. We've identified some more changes we can make after the session which could improve the car even more from a speed standpoint so we are optimistic that we can be competitive tomorrow."

4:01 pm - Green flag.

3:58 pm - The No. 53 Panoz, which has been struggling all day, appears to have an expired engine and is stopped on track near pit in. Red flag while the safety workers work to push it into the pits.

3:54 - Green flag. 25 minutes left in the session. Johannes does one outlap then pits for a change.

3:52 - We are still red. Darren is now in the car in the No. 44 and will join the line in pit out.

3:44 - Johannes is out in the No. 45 as the cars line up in pit lane waiting for the green flag. They have a flat tow on track now for the Mazda - probably 5 more minutes for the red flag. The No. 44 crew is still finishing their setup changes. Patrick will remain in the car.

3:42 pm - Red flag - the No. 8 Mazda Prototype is in the tire wall and will need assistance back to pit lane. driver appears fine.

3:35 pm - Joerg pits for a setup change.

3:33 pm - Patrick's last lap was 1:26.394 and he's P1. he's pitting for a setup change. Joerg has the fifth fastest time in GT2.

3:29 pm - Patrick is now P1 in the session with a 1:26.877.

3:26 pm - Nine of the GT2 cars are back out on track. Neither Tafel Porsche (both of which were damaged in this am's session) is back out yet and the 22 Panoz is not out either. Patrick has the second fastest time so far in the session.

3:22 pm - Green flag. One of the Panoz stopped on pit out with a possible loose
wheel. The No. 44 is on track and the No. 45 is just heading out.

3:20 pm ET - Good afternoon from Belle Isle. Both Porsches are fully repaired after this morning's incidents and back in pit lane ready for this afternoon's session. We have a one hour practice session and then qualifying immediately afterward. Patrick Long will start the session in the No. 44 and Joerg in the No. 45.

Detroit - Friday Morning Warmup

10:07 am ET - A red flag for the No. 71 Tafel Porsche impacted the concrete wall, which ripped the rear wheel and suspension off of the car. Driver is fine but session is ended. So - we were trying to get the No. 45 out for one lap but won't be able to now. Not a great morning. Report on the No. 44 - Patrick is fine, and the car should be back on track by this afternoon. See you in a few hours for the 3:20 pm ET afternoon session.

9:58 am - We now have radio contact with Patrick and although we can't hear him very well it sounds like he spun in turn 5 and impacted the wall with the right rear and may have suspension damage. He appears to be fine. He is parked near Turn 6. The crew is heading out to the car now to assess the damage and get the car back to the transporter. Not a great morning for the Lizards but we have a full day to make repairs needed.

9:57 am - The No. 45 may make it back out on track for an install check.

9:54 am - The No. 44 appears to have been involved in an incident but we don't have any info at the moment and don't have communication with Patrick. We hear from race control that he is parked safely and must be out of the car. I'll report back once I hvae more info.

9:39 am - Joerg was hit by the No. 73 Porsche - it was a hard hit in the right rear. Joerg is able to continue but there is significant damage in the rear of the No. 45. The No. 73 also has significant damage to the front. The crew will take the No. 45 back to the garage and attempt to get it back on track in the session. It's a shame because they had not progressed as far as they wanted to in setup in this session.

9:37 am - Looks like Joerg spun but was able to continue with no damage. Still a

9:32 am - The Mazda prototype with Ben Devlin at the wheel has spun in turn 1 and lightly impacted the tire wall. He was able to minimize the spin so thta the cars behind him could avoid the incident. He has continued.

9:27 am ET - Green flag. Patrick and Joerg are both out for their first spin on the track. Joerg currently has the 3rd fastest time in GT2. The No. 44 is sixth. Patrick pitted on his outlap to allow timing and scoring to adjust the beacon.

9:22 am ET - A second red flag in the session to remove some debris from the track and both cars pit. Patrick Long is now in the No. 44 taking over for Darren and Joerg for Johannes. Both engineers are making aggressive setup changes to accommodate this track.

Darren's take on the track; "as expected, it was very dusty and slick to begin with because there was no rubber down. But the thing that surprised me most were the bumps - it's so bumpy it's unreal! They are very extreme and difficult to handle- we're going to have to do some significant shock and spring work to adjust to this track."

9:07 am ET - Darren pits for some initial feedback to the engineers. His main comment about the track is the bumps. The cars are skittering across the bumps and he says it's extremely tough to manage. In Turn 3 and Turn 8 he sais that the car is "skipping all over the road there. The No 4 Corvette and one of the prototypes collided on course with the Corvette impacting the wall. Both cars are pitting with bodywork damage. This is indicative of how difficult this course will be - one incident could result in multiple cars being collected. Race control is also reporting an incident on pit lane in which one of the Porsches ran into the back of the No. 54 car. This is a newly constructed pit lane and is proving a bit complicated for teams to maneuver.

9:00- No. 11 Viper is in the tire wall in turn 8. He continued but with some bodywork damage. One of the Lizards was just behind when the No. 11 spun but was luckily able to avoid the incident.

8:58 am ET - The No. 37 prototype made light contact with the tire wall but appears to be continuing. The drivers consider this course a high consequence track - there is little to no run off so a mistake can be very costly.
Johannes pits for a setup change. After a few laps, Darren has the second fastest time in GT2 and Johannes is fifth. There is a very wide spread in lap times in the GT2 field right now - it should narrow as the drivers become more familiar with the track.

8:45 am ET - Good morning from Belle Isle in Detroit, Michigan. It's a gorgeous fall day here on the river. The ALMS teams are out for their first look at the track in this morning's warmup. The drivers expected the track to be very green and so they are cycling through drivers this morning - just getting used to the track - before they attempt any setup changes. Darren Law and Patrick Long are in the No. 44 this weekend and Johannes and Joerg are in the No. 45. Darren and Johannes have both driven here before but Joerg and Patrick have not.

We have a large GT2 field at this race - 12 cars - with the No. 54 Transport Porsche back after a break at Mosport and the No. 11 Viper also joining the GT2 field for this race.

This morning's 1.5 hour practice session is the first of two practice sessions today.

Mosport Results

Lizards fifth and seventh in GT2. See you all next week at Detroit.

Unreliable Internet Connection at Mosport

We apologize for the intermittent blogging and team radio transmission at Mosport. Unfortunately we were unable to get a reliable Internet connection.

Grand Prix of Mosport

5:30 pm - Positions: P1 No. 62; P2 No. 61; P3 No 18; P4 No 31; P5 No. 45; P 6 No. 71; P 7 No 44; P 8 No. 73; P 9 No 22 (retired).

4:54 pm - Johannes is now P5 but is 2 laps down on the overall leader, due to the earlier penalty assessed Joerg during his stint. Positions: P1. No 62; P2 No 61; P3 No 18; P4 No 31; P5 No 45; P6 No 71; P7 No. 44; P8 No. 22; P9 No 73.

4:42 pm - P1. No 62; P2 No 61; P3 No 18; P4 No 31; P5 No 71; P6 No 45; P7 No. 44; P8 No. 22; P9 No 73. Car 22, which was involved in the same penalty scenario earlier as the No. 45, has pulled out for "extenuating circumstances"

4:30 pm - Race control has called the No. 45 and I think two other cars back into the pits for a penalty. Race control says that we passed the No. 7 under yellow but Joerg says that the No. 7 had waved him by and understood that he was to pass. Things are a bit chaotic at the moment...

Looks like Johannes has pitted to serve the penalty - which is to hold for a lap. We are not in agreement with the penalty and will protest if we are able.


4:25 pm - Green flag - Positions: P1 No.62; P2 No. 22; P3 No. 45; P4. No 18; P5. No 61; P6 No. 31; P7 No. 71; P8 No. 44; P9 No. 73

4:23 pm - Johannes is out in the No. 45. I'll report positions again in one lap as soon as things have sorted out. The course is still yellow but should go green the next lap.

4:21 pm - The No. 31 pitted under yellow and the field has reshuffled.

Positions: P1 No. 62; P2 No. 45; P3. No 22; P 4 No. 31; P 5 No.18; P 6. No. 61 ;P 7 No. 71; P 8. No. 44; P 9. No. 73.

Strategist Thomas Blam calls Joerg in for driver change to JOhannes, tires, and fuel.

4:20 pm - The No. 44 crew calls Seth in for driver change to Pechnik, tires, and fuel. There's a lot of confusion on track under this yellow.

4:12 pm - Positions are: P1 No. 62; P2 No. 31; P 3 No. 22; P 4 No. 45; P 5 No 71; P 6 No. 18; P 7 No. 61; P 8 No 44; P 9 No. 73.

4:10 pm - The No. 9 Acura and the No. 73 Porsche both went off and are back on track. The No. 9 is attempting to return to the pits but is only on 3 wheels at the moment. It will go double yellow to clean up significant debris


4:05 pm - No. 4 Corvette is in the tire wall, but continued and pitted.

4:00 pm - Joerg passed Wolf in the No. 71 Porsche and moved into P 4.

3:57 - The No. 31 Ferrari moved past Wolf in the No. 71 Porsche. Positions: P1 No. 62; P2 No 41; P3 No. 71; P 4 No. 22; P 5 No.45; P 6 No. 18; P 7 No. 61; P 8 No. 73; P 9 No. 44.

3:53 pm - Joerg has passed the No. 18 Tafel Porsche and the No. 61 Ferrari to move into P 5. Seth is doing great in P 9 - running consistently fast lap times.

3:44 pm - It's a battle in GT2 as Mueller in the No. 31 puts the pressure on Wolf Henzler in the No. 71 Tafel Porsche - but is unable to pass. Auberlen in the No. 22 is close behind the No. 31.

3:37 - Joerg has passed the No. 73 Porsche to move into P 7.

3:35 pm - Positions: P1 No. 62; P2 No. 71; P3 No. 31; P4 No. 22; P5 No. 61; P6 No. 18; P7 No. 73; P8 No. 45; P9 No 44.

3:31 pm - Positions: P1 No. 62; P2 No. 61; P3 No. 71; P4 No. 31; P5 No. 22; P6 No. 18; P7 No. 73; P8 No. 45; P9 No 44. The No. 62 and the No. 45 have both pitted once for fuel and tires. None of the other GT2 cars have have pitted.


3:28 pm - Green flag.

3:26 pm - Thomas Blam calls No. 45 into the pits for tires and fuel. The course is still yellow, but should go green next lap. Joerg is out quickly with no problems on the pit stop.

3:24 pm - The No. 62 has pitted under yellow for fuel and tires. The No. 45 should also pit under yellow for tires and fuel. The No. 44, which started on new tires, will most likely not pit on this yellow.

3:15 pm - The No, 19 Radical spun on track and impacted the tire wall. The car has significant damage but driver is out of the car and appears OK. Double course yellow to remove the car from the track.

3:10 pm - Positions: P1 No 62; P 2 No. 61; P3 No. 71; P4 No. 31 ;P5 No. 22; P6 No. 45; P 7 No. 18; P 8 No 73; P 9 No. 44.

3:06 pm - Green flag. A clean start with no incidents on the first few turns so far. I'll report positions in a few laps. It appears that the No. 22 Panoz got by Joerg on the start. Joerg was in fifth and is now in sixth. The No. 44 started from the back of the grid on fresh tires and is in ninth.


3:03 pm - Cars are on the second pace lap - green next time by.

2:54 pm ET - Engine start will be at 3:00 pm, then two pace laps.

2:47 pm ET - Race control notified us that we might have a short race start delay to accommodate TV programming - we aren't sure yet if we will be on schedule or not. I'll keep you posted.

2:15 pm ET - We are less than one hour from race start for today's Grand Prix of Mosport. Joerg is starting in the No. 45 and Seth in the No. 44. Both drivers are in their cars in pit lane, awaiting the recon lap. Weather is pleasant - low clouds but no rain, about 75 degrees. Some large crowds here at Mosport today - thousands of folks lined up on the hills above the front straight waiting for the grid to open to fans.

We will be broadcasting our radio today at www.lizardms.com/radio.htm

Internet connection here is not 100% reliable so if you lose the connection or cannot connect, try again in a few minutes. We may need to stop and restart frequently.

Mosport - Raceday!

10:55 am - Seth pits for driver change to Lonnie and Johannes pits for driver change to Joerg.

10:48 am - Stefan Pfeiffer calls Johannes in to the pits for an aero setup change.

In the No. 44 chief engineer Craig Watkins is leaving Seth out for a bit longer before calling him in.

Note that our Internet connection here is a bit flaky so our radio communications and blogging may be intermittent. I hope that when the cloud cover lifts later today it will improve.

10:30 am - Johannes is heading out first in the No. 45. He'll focus on getting tires up to temp, and getting a read on the car before engineers make the call on any additional setup changes. Seth is going out first in the No. 44. Track time this week has been very limited for the teams due to the rain and this is the final session before the race to make any major changes.

10:20 am ET - Good morning from Mosport. It's a bit cooler today and, thankfully, not raining. There are scattered low clouds and a light breeze but looks like it should clear up by this afternoon for some excellent racing weather. Lizards are getting ready for the final warmup session this morning before the race, which starts at 3:00 pm ET.

A reminder that we are broadcasting our radio today when we are on on track.

Go to: www.lizardms.com/radio.htm to listen.

Lizards will start fifth and ninth on the grid this afternoon.

Mosport - LIzards Qualify Fifth and Ninth in GT2

2:50 pm - Joerg Bergmeister qualified the No. 45 fifth in GT2 and Lonnie Pechnik was ninth in GT2 for tomorrow's Grand Prix of Mosport. Jamie Melo in the 62 Ferrari is on the pole.

Mosport - Sat Aug 25 - Afternoon Practice

2:30 pm - Practice is complete and both cars are back in pit lane. Qualifying begins at 2:40 and it appears that it will remain dry for the session. Lonnie will qualify in the No. 44 and Joerg in the NO. 45.


2:20 pm - Joerg now P 3. Lonnie Pechnik in for Seth in the No. 44.

2:13 pm - Joerg is back in in the No. 45, which is P 6. Seth pitted for a clean up of oil on the windshield.

2:05 pm - Johannes is out in the No. 45, taking over from Joerg. No. 45 now P 5 in session.

1:50 pm - Joerg set the fastest time so far in the session on his first full lap - 1:21.764, and then beat that on his second: 1:21.177, third was 1:20.5 and change and his fifth lap 1:20.327. Stefan calls him in for a setup change. Meanwhile, Seth is out in the No. 44. Wolf Henzler in No. 71 Tafel Porsche just clocked a 1:19.506.

1:40 pm - Both cars are still in pit lane as the team waits for the track to completely dry before they head out. Stefan Preiffer notifies the No. 45 crew that as soon as the No. 45 is warmed up Joerg should head out. Lonnie and Seth are still in the pits without helmets on so it looks like it will be a while before the NO. 44 goes out.

1:30 pm ET - It has stopped raining here at the track just in time for the afternoon 1 hour practice session and qualifying. The line is nearly dry on the track but still slick in some places. Both the 44 and the 45 are in pit lane. Joerg is back in the No. 45 and awaiting the green flag. the No. 44 needs a few minutes to warm up and Lonnie and Seth are sitting tight until that car is ready. Engineers Craig Watkins and Stefan Pfeiffer want the cars to run in the session as long as they can so that they can continue to work on setup before qualifying. However, if it begins to rain, the cars will not run. It's unclear right now if it will rain but it looks like the majority of the rain passing through the area this afternoon will miss us.

Mosport - Saturday Aug 25 Morning Warmup

11:20 am ET - And morning session was pretty much a bust with rain during the entire session. The 44 and 45 did a few laps before the rain began, then parked for the remainder of the session. Joerg had the fastest time of the session. Qualifying session is at 2:40 pm ET today.

10:15 am ET - Good morning from Mosport. It's humid and damp here this morning with rain imminent and predicted also for this afternoon's qualifying session. Joerg is out in the No. 45 and was able to get in two laps on a dry track before it began to rain. The strategy for most of the teams this am is to get in at least one fast lap in case this afternoon's qualifying session is cancelled due to rain. If qualifying is cancelled then the starting positions will be based on this morning's lap times. Right now, Joerg has the fastest time in GT2. Seth in No. 44 is P 5. All cars are now back in pit lane and teams are waiting to see if the weather lets up. Neither Lizard cars will run in the rain this morning.

Road America - Race! - Lizards Fifth and Ninth

Lizards finish fifth and ninth at Road America. It was a very strange race - only three race cautions, but they lasted more than 1/4 of the race. It was definitly a disappointing race for the Lizards. On the podium are: No. 62 Risi Ferrari in P1; No. 18 Rahal Porsche in P2; and No. 31 Ferrari in P 3.

8:10 - with just a minute left in the race, Darren has to stop for a final splash of fuel. Since he was in last position anyway, the crew did not want to risk him running out of gast on the final lap.

8:00 pm - eight minutes left, and the No. 45 is in P5, just behind the No. 61 Ferrari. Darren has moved up to P 9, after the No. 22 had a lengthy pit stop.

7:50 pm - NO. 45 pits for tires and short fuel. they are in P 5 with the No. 61 a minute behind. The No. 61 is also pitting and the No. 45 crew is working to get the No. 45 out of the pits in front of the No. 61. Looks like the No. 61 did not pit and is now in P 5. The No. 45 is out again quickly but now P 6. However, we should not have to pit again and the No. 61 Ferrari should. Positions are: P 1 No. 61; P 2 No. 18; P 3 No. 31; P 4 No. 71; P 5 No. 61; P 6 No. 45; P 7 NO. 54; P 8 No. 73; P 9 No. 22; P 10 No. 44.


7:33 pm - Positions: P 1 No. 62; P 2 No. 18; P 3 No. 31; P 4 No. 71; P 5 No. 45; P 6 No. 61; P 7 No. 73; P 8 No. 22; P 9 No. 54; P 10 No. 44

7:28 - About forty minutes left in the race and it's beginning to get dark. No. 45 is in a solid P 5 and No. 44 in P 10. Both Joerg and Johannes will go to the end of the race and neither should have to stop for fuel.

7:10 - Joerg moves to P 5 after the last round of pit stops. All GT2 cars should now be on slicks. 1 hour left to go in the race.

Positions: P 1 No. 62; P 2 No. 18; P 3 No. 31; P 4 No. 71; P 5 No. 45; P 6 NO. 73; P 7 No. 61; P 8 No. 22; P 9 No. 54; P 10 No. 44.

7:00 - Joerg pitted for tires and fuel. It was a longer than usual pit stop due to a problem with one of the wheel nuts, which cost us several positions. The crew hopes that Joerg can make it for the rest of the session without requiring another fuel stop. Seth is now pitting in the NO. 44. Joerg is out in P 7.

6:53 - Joerg maintained his third position on the restart. Seth is in P 10 in the No. 44 and will pit shortly to switch back to slicks and driver change to Darren Law. Joerg is still out on rain tires.

6:50 pm - The GT2 field is beginning to move to slicks. Petersen, and Tafel have both gone to slicks. We are still on rains.

6:50 pm - Green flag next lap.

6:45 - Double yellow to remove the Mazda. We have an opportunity here to potentially get back on the lead lap with the No. 18 and the No. 62.

6:45 - The Mazda prototype is off in the gravel and is stuck. Unfortunately, this will mean another yellow flag.

6:41 - Joerg now has been able to retake his position and get by Wolf and also moved in front of Petersen Ferrari No. 41, which was in P 3. Joerg is now P 3.

6:40 pm - Wolf Henzler in the No. 71 Tafel Porsche got past Joerg on the restart, putting Joerg in P 5. The cars are still on rain tires and Joerg reports a very strong vibration. The crew will bring him in for slicks as soon as the track is ready.
6:35 pm - Looks like we'll be going green in one lap - after more than an hour (1/4 of the race) under yellow. Joerg is in P 4 - the cars on this lap are bunched up and it will be a challenge at the start - No. 31 is in P 3 and No. 61 is in P 5. No 71 and No. 73 are just behind the No. 61. No. 62 is in the lead and No. 18 in P 2.

6:05 pm - And happily it appears to be clearing although the track is still extremely wet. I expect that it will be another 30 minutes before we are green flag racing. the No. 44 will pit for driver change to Seth but they will leave the rains on. Joerg is in fourth position.

Positions: P 1 No. 18; P 2 No. 62; P 3 No. 31; P 4 No. 45; P 5 No. 61; P 6 No. 71; P 7 No. 73; P 8 No. 54; P 9 No. 22; P 10 No. 44; P 11 No. 21. Joerg and the No 31 are one lap down on the No 62 and the No. 18.


5:46 pm - We hear that the corner workers are taking cover because of the lightning and are no longer at the flags. Hopefully this will be over soon.

5:44 pm - Positions are: P 1 No. 18; P 2 No. 62; P 3 No. 31; P 4 No. 61; P 5 No. 45; P 6 No. 71; P 7 No. 73; P 8 No. 54; P 9 No. 22; P 10 No. 44; P 11 No. 21.

5:34 pm - and it is really raining now. course is double yellow - evidently due to rain. and we are now very wet in the pits. They will keep the course yellow until the rain abates - unclear how long although we have heard 30 minutes.

5:31 pm - Both crews are staying fully ready for a possible change back to slicks. Joerg is in p7.

5:29 - Johannes is in pit lane for a short fuel and driver change to Joerg and rain tires. Darren is also pitting and will get rain tires. Most teams have made the call to change to rain.

5:28 pm - Johannes is in P 7. Darren in P 10. No. 44 crew made the call to change to rain tires on the pit stop for fuel.

5:22 pm - Positions after most cars pitted for fuel, driver change and tires: P1 No. 18; P 2 No. 54; P 3 No. 73; P 4 No. 22; P 5 No. 62; P 6 No. 31; p 7 No. 61; P 8 No. 45; P 9 No. 71; P 10 No. 44; P 11, No. 21.

Both the No. 44 and the No. 45 need to come in for fuel in the next few laps. It's a tough call on how to manage the stops because although it's not raining now, rain is imminent, so they will need to stop again for rain tires.

5:17 pm - No. 62 has pitted.

5:15 pm - And to top it all off - lightning is now reported on the back side of the track. Rain is imminent.The cars will stay out as long as the can on slicks, and then come in for rain tires. No. 62 Ferarri has pitted for tires, fuel although it does not look like they changed drivers.

5:05 pm - We are one hour into the four hour race. Positions are:
P 1 NO. 31; P 2 No. 62; P 3 No. 61; P 4 No. 22; P 5 No. 71; P 6 No. 18; P 7 No. 73; P 8 No. 54; P 9 No. 45; P 10 No. 44; P 11 No. 21.
Reminder that we are broadcasting our team radio live - you can listen in at www.lizardms.com/radio.htm


4:54 pm - Heavy rain is forecast within the next 10 minutes. Rain will obviously cause tremendous problems for all teams - if it is a short squall they can continue on slicks but if it is a lengthy rain shower, teams will have to pit for rains.

Race control has assessed a stop and go penalty on the No. 45 for the second contact with the No. 62 Ferrari. The Ferrari did not receive a penalty for the first contact.

4:52 pm - Positions are: P 1 No. 31; P 2 No. 62; P 3 No. 61; P 4 No. 22; P 5 No. 18; P 6 No. 73; P 7 No. 71; P 8 No. 54; P 9 No. 45; P 10 No. 44; P 11 No. 21.

4:45 - Johannes reports contact from the No. 62 Ferrari as it made an attempt to pass him, and was off in the Canada corner. The No. 62 moved past and Johannes move into P 2. Shortly after, it appears that the cars contacted again and Johannes called in that he had a flat and was coming in. He went off track and into the gravel, but was able to drive off. the crew is replacing all four tires and inspecing the car to determine if there is something broken in the front. Looks like all is OK and he is back out quickly. There's a lot of gravel in the car and Johannes shakes it aggressively leaving pit lane to get as much off as he can before entering the track.

4:38 pm - Johannes still in P 1, with the No. 62 and No. 31 Ferraris close behind.

4:34 - rumor on pit lane is that rain will pass through in 25 minutes or so.

4:31 pm - Johannes, who had started fourth on the grid, was in third under the yellow (after the No. 54, which started from third was off track on the first lap) and was able to get past the No. 62 Ferrari and the No. 31 Petersen Ferraris on the green restart. He's now in P1.

4:29 - the No. 44 is out on track after a rapid transmission change in the garage - they had some luck because the entire first 20 minutes of the race were under yellow - this helped minimize the time that they lost on track - they are down only 5 laps.

4:38 - Not the most auspicious start to the race - on the replay it looks like the No. 15 Acura plowed into one of the Porsches (either the No. 73 or the No. 54) and it in turn took out the other Porsche. All three cars are now back on track but the course is still yellow. The No. 18 Rahal Porsche and the Mazda took advantage of the yellow for unscheduled pit stops. We should go green on the next lap.

4:11 pm - Green flag and on the first lap the No. 73 Tafel Porsche and the No. 54 Porsche appear to have made contact and both are in the gravel (unclear what happened but one of them may have been hit by a prototype which was starting from the rear of the grid). The course is double yellow as they pull both cars out. There appears to be a possible problem at the start as well as it looks like one of the prototypes jumped the start.

3:53 pm - We are just a few minutes away from race start for the 4 hour Generac 500 at Road America. The No. 45 Porsche is on the grid and Johannes is getting ready for race start. Unfortunately, on the recon lap which precedes the grid, the No. 44 had some shifting issues and the crew took the car behind the wall. They are working to fix the problem and get the car back in time for race start although it will need to start from pit lane. We have 5 minutes to go - the No. 44 will probably not make the race start, but hopefully closely thereafter. I'll keep you posted.

Just had confirmation from IMSA race control that the No. 44 has one hour from the start of the race to enter the race. After 1 hour, they would not be able to enter the race.

Road America Raceday!

10:25 - checkered flag and the No. 44 is back in pit lane and Joerg is on his way. The crew will work on some driver changes, then head back to the paddock for final work before the race, which begins at 4:00 pm CT today. Joerg had the fastest time of the session today with a 2:08:118.

We'll broadcast our radio again this afternoon, starting around 3:45 pm CT.
See you then! Jennifer

10:22 - The No. 61 Ferrari is off at the exit of 5 in the gravel trap. Road America has some very extensive run offs and deep gravel traps - once it, it's tough for most cars to get out unassisted.

10:21 - Joerg and Seth are both now in their cars.
Darren's take on the session "Car is actually really nice, they've done a great jo - only did 5 laps but a few more laps and we'll be in there - I think it's good enough to run right in the front."

10:00 am - The No. 73 Tafel Porsche is going behind the wall with some apparent problems - an oil leak, possibly something more.
The No. 45 crew is getting ready for a pit stop and driver change to Joerg. Darren will stay out for another few minutes before coming in for a driver change to Seth.

10:00 am CT - Good morning from Road America. Both Lizard Porsches are out on track for the final track session before this evening's race. Darren arrived late last night from Watkins Glen and is now in the No. 44 confirming the race setup and getting adjusted to the car. Darren estimates it takes at least a few laps before drivers can adjust from the Daytona prototype that he was driving at WG to the Porsche. Johannes is out in the No. 45. It's still very warm and humid today but slightly overcast, which is helping keep the heat down.

Both drivers are commenting that the track is dirty and there is a lot of oil in some areas - probably residual from the Champcar session this morning.

Road America Qualifying - No. 45 Fourth

2:50 pm - The No. 45 qualified fourth in GT2 out of 8 cars. It was the top qualifying Porsche in GT2, behind the three Ferraris, which finished 1, 2 and 3.
The No. 44 will start from the rear of the grid for tomorrow's race.

2:30 pm - The qualifying session has the green flag and Joerg is getting ready to go out in the No. 45. The No. 44 decided not to run the qualifying session after all, since they will be starting from the back because of Darren Law's late arrival tomorrow.


1:45 pm CT - Greetings from beautiful Elkhart Lake Wisconsin, where it is hot, hot hot and very humid. The Lizards are out for final warmup before this afternoon's qualifying session for Saturday's race. The No. 45 is currently mid-pack in the GT2 group with Joerg now in the car after Johannes took it out for the first 20 minutes of the 1 hour session. Joerg will qualify in the No. 45 - the qualifying session starts at 2:30 pm CT today.

Seth Neiman is in the No. 44 Porsche, finalizing setup for that car. Darren Law will not be here until Saturday morning for the morning warmup. Seth will qualify the car today, although they will need to start from the back because DArren did not make a full practice session prior to the race. There are several other team drivers who are in the same position - all of them coming in to Wisconsin tonight from Watkins Glen.

Mid-Ohio Race! - Lizards Win!!!

Lizards win Mid-Ohio! Second win in a row! No. 45 is P 1 and No. 44 is P 4.
Congratulations to Johannes, Joerg, Lonnie, Seth and the entire crew.
******
5:57 pm - 11 laps left - 14 minutes. Joerg leads in the No.45. Even with his pit stop, Lonnie is still in P 4 in the No.44.

5:55 pm - No. 61 is back in the pits, giving the No. 45 nearly a 2 lap lead. Joerg is now focused on staying out of trouble and staying clean through the end of the race.

5:52 pm - Lonnie is in the pits for tires and fuel. 18 minutes left in the race.

5:42 pm - P 1 No. 45; P 2 No. 61; P 3 No. 62; P 4 No. 44; P 5. No 54; P 6. No 31. The No. 61 is one lap down. The No. 62 and the No. 61 are on the same lap, with the No. 62 20 seconds behind. Both the No. 61 and the No. 62 are running a similar pace, slightly faster than the No. 45. Joerg is slowing slightly now to conserve the tires, which will need to see him through the end of the race - 21 minutes. The No. 44 crew is getting ready for its last pit stop for tires and fuel. Lonnie will stay in the car and finish the race.

5:38 pm - No. 61 appears to havve run out of gas while in pit lane. Although the crew was able to assist and push the car into their pit stall for their scheduled pit stop, the have lost some additional time on the pit stop - 20-30 seconds. Joerg is in P1 and just did a 1:21.932. Lonnie continues to move up the fiedl - now in P 4.

5:33 pm - 38 minutes left in the race. No. 45 in P2 behind No. 61, but No. 61 still needs to pit again before the end of the race. No. 71 is in the pits and needs to replace a rear upright. No. 62 is 1 lap down on the No. 45. Positions: P1 No. 61; P 2 No. 45; P 3 No 62; P 4 No. 54; P 5 No. 44.

5:27 - Johannes reports he has the bobble and strategist Thomas Blam calls him in for tires, fuel and driver change back to Joerg. He is in the lead now but will go back to P2 behind the No. 61 Ferrari after he rejoins. The No. 61 also needs to pit soon for fuel. Lonnie is doing great in the No. 44, clocking consistenly fast laps. He is in P 5. ONly the No. 61 nd the No. 45 are on the lead lap.
Positions are: No. 61 P 1; No. 45 P 2; No. 62 P 3. No. 54 P 4; P 44 P 5.

5:20 pm - Melo in the No. 62 just did the fastest GT2 lap time of the race with a 1:21.552

5:18 pm - No. 71 pits for driver change from Robin Liddell to Wolf Henzler, tires nad fuel. At the time of pit, they were in P 3 and appear to have held that position.
P 1 No. 45; P 2 No. 61; P 3 No. 71; P 4 No. 62; P 4 No. 54; P 6 No. 44; P 7 No. 31; P 8 No. 13; P 9 No. 18; P 10 No. 21 (retired) P 11. No 73.No. 45 will pit in about 7 minute.

5:10 pm - No. 62 pits for driver change to Melo, tires and fuel. At the time of their pit stop, they had moved back up to P 4. Johannes is in P1, but the No 61 Ferrari in P 2 is gradualy closing the gap - running a slightly faster pace. Both the No. 61 and the No. 45 will need to pit one more time for fuel.

5:00 pm - 1 hour and 35 minutes into the race, the No. 45 is still in the lead. Of the 11 starting GT2 cars, all are still in the race except the No. 21 Panoz which is out with engine failure. Positions are: P1 No. 45; P 2 No. 61; P 3 No. 71; P4 No. 62; P5 No. 54; P 6 No. 44; P 7 No. 31; P 8 No. 13; P 9 No. 21 (retired); P 10 No. 18; P 11 No. 73

4:42 pm - The crew does a fast evaluation of the No. 44 and determines all is OK. They were concerned that the muffler clamps might have come loose, but all is good. Lonnie is out quickly in with sticker tires and full fuel and is back in P6.

4:41 pm - The No. 73 Tafel Porsche is back on pit lane and looks like he will be rejoining the race. Johannes continues to lead and Seth is pitting in P 6.

4:40 pm - No. 44 has the bobble and the crew calls Seth in for tires, fuel, and driver change to Lonnie Pechnik.

4:37 pm - Johannes reports a "bad turn in understeer" on the No. 45. The No. 61 Ferrari is 21 seconds behind Johannes - running a slightly faster pace. The No. 71 Porsche in P 3 is slightly slower - during their pit stop, they lost some ground to the No. 45 and the No. 61 - and is now 40 seconds down on Johannes.

4:32 pm - Johannes regains the lead in the No. 45 during the No. 71 pit stop. The No. 61 Ferrari was able to move to P 2 while the No. 71 pitted. Seth is in P 5 in the No. 44.
Positions are: P1 No. 45; P 2 No. 61; P 3 No. 71; P4 No. 54; P 5 No. 44; P 6 No. 62; P 7. No 13; P 8 No. 31; P 9 No. 21; P 10 No. 18. The No. 73 Tafel Porsche has not yet rejoined the race.

4:30 pm - No. 71 is in the pits for driver change to Robin Liddel, tires and fuel.
I'll report positions again once the field resorts after this round of stops. No. 44 has stayed out - Seth reporting that the car is OK and he'll finish out his stint.

4:27 pm - A clean pit stop for the No. 45 and JOhannes is out on schedule.
the No. 44 should be in in a few minutes. Meanwhile Wolf Henzler has moved into P 1 in the No. 71 Tafel Porsche but he will also need to pit shortly for tires, fuel and driver change. If all goes as planned, this should be a 2 stop race for the Porsche field. The Porsches will need stop again for tires and fuel at around hour 2 (5:20 pm ET).

4:25 pm - Joerg radios in that he "got the bobble", is on reserve fuel, and the crew calls him in to pit.

4:23 pm - Joerg is in his pit window and should need to pit in the next few laps for fuel, tires, and driver change to Johannes. He is still in P 1. the No. 44 will pit after the No. 45 and the crew will do any needed repairs.

4:15 pm - Joerg in P 1 in the No. 45; and Wolf in P 2 in the No. 71. P 3 is the No. 61 Ferrari. The No. 31 has returned to pit lane to serve his penalty. The No. 44 is continuing to circulate while the crew attempts to diagnose the problem. Seth is in P 5.

4:12 pm. The No. 31 car has pitted for tires and fuel. In the No. 44, Seth reporting something wrong under the car. The crew has called him in for tires, fuel, and driver change to Lonnie. The No. 62 Ferrari is serving its penalty. The No. 31 has completed his pit stop but must go out for one lap before being able to serve his penalty.

4:05 pm - The No. 62 Ferrari appears to have a problem with smoke from the rear and has pitted - it looks like he was hit by the No. 31 Ferrari in traffic. The No. 31 and the No. 62 then both spun on course after nearly colliding. Both cars have been issued black flags and penalties. The No. 31 has a 5 minute stop and go penalty and the No. 62 a 2 minute stop and go penalty. No. 31 is still on course, the No. 62 pitted, and is back on course but both will have to come in for their penalties.

4:00 pm- One of the Ferraris spun but rejoined. Not clear yet which of the three.
Positions are: P1 No. 62; P2 No. 31; P3 No. 45; P4 No. 71; P5 No. 61; P6 No. 54; P7 No. 44; P8 No. 13.

3:57 pm - The No. 73 Rahal Porsche and No. 21 Panoz are both still out of the race -not clear yet what the issues are for those cars.

3:56 pm - Tomas Enge in the No. 31 Ferrari has clocked the fastest GT2 lap so far in the race of 1:21:975 although he is still behind Mika Salo in the No. 62 Ferrari.

3:55 pm - The No. 21 Panoz has rejoined the race.

3:50 pm - In P 3, Joerg has widened the gap between him and the No. 71 Porsche in P 4. However, both Ferraris now have a strong lead - still running nose to tail with the No. 62 in the lead and the No. 31 Ferrari in P 2. Seth is now in P 7 in the No. 44.

3:46 pm - The No. 18 Rahal car has pitted and was assessed a 20-second penalty for a crew member having visor up during refueling. The No. 21 Panoz has also pitted. the No. 73 Tafel Porsche has also pitted unexpectedly. So things have changed quickly in GT2 with three of the 11 cars making unplanned pit stops in the first 20 minutes of the race.

3:42 - Seth radios in that he was hit by a prototype in the left front. He is continuing. Not sure yet if there is any damage. Bill Rader reports that the grill screen is a bit beat up but there does not appear to be any radiator damage.

3:36 pm - The No. 62 Ferrari and the No. 31 Ferrari are running nose to tail, Joerg is back a few seconds in P 3 and Wofl Henzler is close behind Joerg in P 4 in the Tafel No. 71 Porsche. Ralf Kellners is P 5 in the No. 18 Porsche, and Helary is in P 6 in the No. 61 Ferrari. So far, it's been incident-free in GT2.

3:27 pm - Joerg in P3 after a clean start in GT2. The No. 62 Ferrari with Mika Salo at the wheel, which was on the pole, is in the lead, the No. 31 Ferari with Tomas Enge is in P 2. Seth is in P 9 after the start.

3:25 pm - Green flag! Two prototypes collided on the first lap turn 2 - one of the acuras and an audi. Both have rejoined but appear to have some bodywork damage.

3:20 - cars have started - 2 pace laps to come.

3:18 pm ET - Engines have started and the cars are readying for their pace lap.

2:55 pm ET - We are just 20 minutes away from race start. Cars are on the grid and the grid is open to fans. Thousands of fans are lined up on the front straight taking a last look at their favorite cars and drivers. We have excellent racing conditions today - not too hot, a light breeze, and high clouds.
Joerg Bergmeister is starting in the No. 45 and Seth Neiman in the No. 44. Joerg is third on the grid and Seth is seventh.

Mid-Ohio Morning Warmup - Saturday July 21

Morning warmup is complete and was, happily, uneventful. Joerg is P 2 overall in the session. See you back this afternoon at race start - 3:15 pm ET. Team radio will be live during the race at http://www.lizardms.com/radio.htm

10:40 am - No. 45 pits for a setup change, No. 44 pits for driver change to Lonnie.

10:38 am - Joerg now P 1.
10:30 am - No. 45 pits for driver change to Joerg. Seth will stay out.

10:15 am ET - Good morning from Mid-Ohio. The Lizards have just headed out for mornign warmup - Seth in the No. 44 and Johannes in the No. 45.
It's a beautiful day here in Lexington Ohio - mixed clouds and sun with low humidity and unseasonably cool temperatures. It's a nice change after a week of rain here. The cars are on course for final warmup prior to this afternoon's race.

Reminder - Lizards broadcasting team radio live at http://www.lizardms.com/radio.htm
***

Mid-Ohio Qualifying -3rd and 7th in GT2

No. 45 is third and No. 44 is 7th in today's qualifying session out of 10 GT2 cars. Please join us for morning warmup tomorrow, Saturday, at 10:20 am ET.
*** Jennifer

5:42 pm ET - Both cars are in the pits - Lonnie is in P 7 and Joerg in P3 now behind the No. 62 Ferrari in P 1 and the No. 31 Ferrari in P2. After a brief pit stop, Joerg is back out for one more attempt to improve his position. The No. 44 will sit tight for the rest of the session.

5:36 pm ET - Joerg is in P2 and Lonnie is in P 5. Joerg is minus two tenths from P1. Jeorg will continue to try for P 1.

5:30 pm ET - Lonnie Pechnik is out in the No. 44 and Joerg Bergmeister in the No. 45 for this evening's qualifying session for Mid-Ohio. The session has just begun and both drivers are out on their outlaps. The weather is finally cooperating for us after several days of rain today is sunny and pleasant.

We've had some rather eventful practice sessions today and yesterday with numerous red flags and quite a few damaged cars. It looks like most if not all of the cars will be back on track for tomorrorw's race. Luckily, the Lizards have had a relatively incident free setup sessions so far.

We have just one final warmup session tomorrow before the race, which starts at 3:15 pm ET on Saturday. Pechnik and Seth Neiman will drive the No. 44 and Bergmeister and Johannes van Overbeek the No. 45.

Lizards Finish 1st and 4th!

No. 45 wins -- our first win of the year! No. #44 finished in P4. It was a hard-fought race for both Lizard Porsches. No. 45 came from the back of the pack after a flat tire on the first lap to win.

Congratulations to all the drivers!

Morning Practice

11:15 am - good morning from Lime Rock. We are having a few Internet challenges here. Lime Rock is a beautiful track in the Berkshires in Connecticut but it definitely is not an easy place to get a reliable Internet connection.

The Lizards are out on track for the final morning warmup prior to the race. Joerg is out in the No. 45 and Seth in the No. 44. The crew worked late last night repairing the No. 45 which was substantially damaged in afternoon practice yesterday.

Yesterday's qualifying was cancelled due to rain, so the cars will grid based on the relative fastest lap times of yesterday's morning practice. Lizards will start seventh and eighth in GT2.

Our internet connection is having problems, so no radio today.

Lime Rock July 6 - Afternoon Practice

4:15 pm ET - A brief but intense rainstorm just before today's qualifying session at Lime Rock Park resulted in the cancellation of qualifying. IMSA decided to turn the session into a practice session instead for all classes. Starting positions will be determined by this morning's practice times.

Both the No. 44 and the No. 45 went out on slicks on a nearly dry track. All was going well until the No. 45 was hit on track by one of the Audis, sending Johannes into the wall. The left side of the car sustained significant body damage, and the front left radiator will need to be replaced. Johannes is fine and was able to continue slowly on track and into the garage. It's unfortunate because we've had so little track time up to this point - this will push the No. 45 up to race day morning warmup before they can really begin setup.

It looks like the rain will begin again shortly - if that happens, the crew will pull the No. 44 off track. And.. yes, the track is now getting too wet and slick so the crew calls Darren in in the No. 44 and back into the paddock.

Race - Hours 6-10

1:10 am - Unfortunately, we have had to retire the No. 80 Flying Lizard Porsche from the race due to a mechanical driveline failure that we cannot repair.

I'd like to thank all of you for joining us and for all of your support. We are disappointed, but at the same time very proud of what we accomplished so far in our time here at Le Mans.

We will see you all in a few weeks at Lime Rock!! *** Jen, Shane, and the entire Lizard crew ***

12:57 pm - Thomas Blam, our chief strategist, updated us that the crew has removed the gearbox and is working to see if they can fix the problem. By ACO regulations, we cannot change the transmission externals, but we can work on the internal components.

Radio is still live - but the crew have their radios off as they work on the car.


12:44 - the crew is working quickly in the garage to diagnose the problem. We hope to be able to update you soon.

12:30 - Johannes reported a gearbox problem - sixth gear was gone- and the crew called him in and immediately into the garage. I will update when I know more. He was in p 6 at the time

11:49 pm -Even with a lightning fast pit stop, Johannes is back one position, and Nic Jonsson in the No. 99 Ferrari moved into fifth. But it looks like the No. 99 pitted immediately after that, which will allow Johannes to move back into fifth on the next lap.

11:48 pm - Johannes pits for fuel only and water bottle. Johannes is double stinting, and they are double stinting the tires. No 40 is slow on track but the course is still green.


11:37 pm - Johannes has passed the No. 99 Ferarri and moved into P 5. He is the fastest Porsche on track right now.

11:15 pm - Whoops, sorry for the brief delay in blog updates. Johannes is now back in the car, and is in P 6. He is very close behind the No. 99 Ferrari in P 5 and is running a much faster pace. A prototype is slow on track with no lights - almost impossible to see.

10:38 pm - Seth reports a slight vibration in the car.

10:26 pm - Seth is now in P 6. Positions P 1 No. 97; P 2 No. 87; P 3 No. 93; P 4 No. 76; P 5. No 99; P 6. No 80.

10:24 pm - It's dark now here in Le Mans. Luckily the weather is still clear so the drivers will have to deal with the dark, but at least it is dry.

10:20 pm - unfortunately we missed our window - we were able to complete the repair but Seth did not get out in time to get ahead of the second pace car and the pits were closed. This will cost us at several positions.

10:14 pm - Seth did 2 more laps, and is now pitting, luckily still under yellow. The crew will put the rear wing on, and attempt to set it up. The goal is to get Seth out in front of the pace car.

10:05 pm- The crew did the first step on the replacement - removing the rear wing and a few other needed changes. They sent Seth back out under yellow so he would not lose any additional positions (with no rear wing at all) and will put the new wing on on the next stop.

10:00 pm The No. 9 Creation prototype is off course and we could get a yellow. That would be helpful for us as we replace the wing on Seth's upcoming pit stop. Looks like the safety car is out on course and going double yellow.

9:55 pm - on the pit stop it was easy for the crew to see the problem - the rear wing had collapsed on the uprights. With no rear wing, it's very difficult to steer and control the car. They did a driver change to Seth and fuel, and then sent Seth back out. The crew needed time to prepare the wing for the replacement. They hope to be ready for Seth to pit on the next lap and replace the wing. It's a shame because the No. 80 is in P2 at the moment. With just 2 minutes left before needing to call Seth in to pit, the crew asks team manager Eric Ingraham for one more lap to complete their prep.

9:46 pm - Joerg is reporting some issues - lock up in the front and also issues in the back. He's not sure what it is but the engineers decide to have him pit and have the crew pull wheels off check it while they change drivers.

9:33 - Joerg reports a strong vibration in the left rear. No other info yet.

9:27 - Joerg now in P 2.

9:16 - Joerg in P 4. Positions are: P 1 No. 97; P 2 No. 93; P 3 No. 87; P 4 No. 80. 9:06 - After the unplanned pit stop, Joerg is now P 4. Positions are: P 1 No. 97; P 2 No. 93; P 3 No. 87; P 4 No. 80.

9:00 - Joerg radios in that the passenger side door blew out. We don't know the reason. He was able to pit quickly and the crew replaced the door. Joerg radioed in that "it is much nicer in here now with the door."

Race - Hours 3-6

8:44 - Joeg now in P 2 behind P 1 leader No. 97 Ferrari. In P 3 is No. 87 Ferrari. Flying Lizard is the top Porsche in GT2. The track is completely dry now and the sun is shining for the first time in a week.

8:30 pm - Joerg pits for tires, fuel, and new drink bottle.

8:11 pm - Joerg, in P 5, set the fastest race lap, then beat his own fast time with a new fastest GT2 time of 4:04.619.

7:46 - Johannes, in P 5, pits for driver change to Joerg, tires and fuel.

7:23 pm - Johannes set the fastest GT2 race lap so far with a 4:06:085. He is still in P 6, still closing on the spyker which is in P 5.

7:14 pm - Johannes in P 6 after the No. 82 Panoz pitted. Positions: P 1 No. 97; P 2 No. 93; P 3 No. 76; P 4 No. 87; P 5 No. 86; P 6 No. 80.

7:03 pm - Johannes in P 7 on same lap as leader.

6:49 pm - The crew readies for a pit stop for fuel and to give Johannes a new water bottle. Stefan Pfeiffer has made the decision to double stint Johannes and possibly the tires. They will make the tire decision when he pits. It looks like they made the call for new tires so with a quick tire change, he is out again.

6:44 pm - Johannes P 6. He is closing on the Spyker in P 5- running four seconds faster per lap

6:36 pm - Johannes moves to P 7, as the No. 82 Panoz pits. No 5 prototype off course, after contact with teh No. 81 Panoz. He appears to be able to continue slowly into the pits.

6:22 pm CET - 3 and a half hours into the race - we are in P 8 with Johannes in the car. Seth pitted for driver change around 6 pm. This is Johannes' second stint. Your blogger is back after a brief cat nap in the trailer. Positions: P 1 No. 93 Porsche; P 2 No. 97 Ferrari; P 3 No. 76 Porsche; P 4 No. 86 Spyker; P 5 No. 87 Ferrari; P 6 No. 81 Porsche; P 7 No. 82 Panoz; P 8 No. 80.

The track is completely dry now and the skies appear to be clearing for the moment.