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.