Laguna Seca Raceday - Oct 10, 2009

October 10, 2009
Race

The No. 45 wins Laguna Seca - the No. 45 drivers take the GT2 drivers' championship and the team wins the team championship. Congratulations to the Lizards!!

6:50 - At the final turn, the No. 3 Corvette bumped hard into the back of the No. 45. Joerg held his position, but the No. 3 pushed in on the inside. Both cars moved to cross the finish line first. The No. 3 moved to pass on the inside next to the concrete pit wall, then crossed the track to impact the far wall. Joerg crossed the finish line first.

6:46 -Just a few turns to go - Joerg in the lead but the No. 3 right behind trying everyrthing he can to get by. Through the corkscrew.

6:43 -- The No. 3 went through pit lane to pass Joerg on the front straight. Although he took the lead, race control notifies us that he has to let the No. 45 back by.

6:41 - The No. 45 and the No. 3 split again on either side of the Ford, with Jeorg on the inside - Joerg was able to stay ahead by navigating by a Challenge car. 4 minutes left.

6:39 - Aacck. Bumper cars on track as the No. 3 passes, then Joerg retakes him and the No. 3 bumps him. Joerg kept control and is still ahead.

6:38 - The No. 3 is right on Joerg's bumper.Joeg is pushing as hard as he can and is staying ahead.

6:35 - We watched Joerg nearly get taken out by the No. 15 as the No. 15 wobbled going onto the front straight. Luckily the No. 15 recovered and Joerg was able to avoid hitting him. Unfortunately Joerg flat spotted the tires. The No. 3 is right behind him.


6:33 - The gap is now 3.5. It is going to be very close. 11 minutes left.

6:32 - The No. 3 Corvette is now 5 seconds back from Joerg.

6:30 - 15 minutes left. Joerg is in the lead, the No. 3 is 7 seconds back. Both cars should be able to complete the race without stopping again. the No. 3 has slowly been closing the lap to him and Joerg but he is running out of time. Night is falling and visibility is getting low.

6:27 - Positions: P1 No. 45; P2 No. 3; P3 No. 87; P4 No. 21; P5 No. 12; P6 No. 44.

6:25 - The No. 3 just went off but recovered - he lost a second or so. 20 minutes left. About 12 laps left.

6:22 - The No. 3 Corvette has closed the gap further. Jan Magnussen just did a 1:23.963. He is now 7 seconds back from Joerg.

6:19 - 17 laps to go. The No. 3 is pushing hard - it is now the fastest car on the track and for the last few laps was 1 second faster than Joerg. Joerg is also pushing hard and is matching the pace.

6:16 - The No. 48 prototype has a puncture and is slow through Turn 6 and is continuing slowly. He is starting to lose bodywork from the rear puncture. Joerg radios in that his right rear tire is dropping pressure. In the No. 44, Johannes moves to P6. Positions: P1 No. 45; P2 No. 3; P3 No. 87; P4 No. 21; P5 No. 18, P6 No. 44. In the No. 3, Jan Magnussen is alowly closing the lead to Joerg slowly - he is now 10 seconds back.

6:10 pm - Joerg is still in the lead in the No. 45, ahead of the No. 3 Corvette, with an 11 second gap. Johannes is in P7 in the No. 44.

6:00 pm - 45 minutes left. Positions: P1 No. 45; P2 No. 3; P3 No. 87; P4 No. 21; P5 No. 92; P 6 No. 18; P 7 No. 44.

5:57 - the No. 87 is in the pits for their pit stop - looks like tires and fuel but Wolf Henzler will stay in the car. Joerg retakes the lead and is now 14 seconds ahead of the No. 3 Corvette, which is P2.

5:54 - Joerg is out again quickly after a clean stop. Johannes is also called into the pits for fuel. Johannes will stay in the car. The No. 3 Corvette is also in the pits - a bit of a delay for them in their pit stop but they are back out again. The No. 87 Farnbacher Loles Porsche, which did not pit, is now in the lead. Joerg is P2

5:53 - Patrick is in the pits for tires, fuel and driver change to Joerg Bergmeister. He is in the lead.

5:50 - Patrick still P1 in the No. 45. 7 seconds ahead of the No. 3 Corvette in P2. He will pit in 2 laps or so.

5:41 - 7 or 8 laps before the No. 45 pits for driver change back to Joerg. Positions: P1 No. 45; P2 No. 3; P3 No. 87; P4 No. 21; P5 No. 18; P6 No. 44. Just over an hour to go in the race.

5:26 pm - Patrick remains in the lead. He is 10 seconds ahead of the No. 3 in P2. If all goes as planned, the No. 45 will pit in 20-25 minutes for a driver change to Joerg Bergmeister. To recap for those just joining, Flying Lizard has won the GT2 Drivers' and Team championships. Risi retired from the race. We went into the race 19 points ahead, so no matter where we finish in the race, we will win both championships.

5:19 - The No. 44 made contact with the No. 18 but Johannes was able to continue and doesn't think there is damage to the car. Johannes is currently P5.

5:17 - The No. 4 Corvette is pitting with a puncture and damage to the right front after contact with the No. 16 Mazda prototype. He is in the pits for a new wheel and quickly back out again. The No. 4 is far down in the field after being involved in a multi-car incident early in the race.

5:15 - 90 minutes left to go. Patrick Long, doing a double stint, retains the lead. The No. 44 is sixth. The No. 3 Corvette is P2, the No. 18 Vici Racing Porsche P3, and the No. 87 Farbacher Loles Racing Porsche is P4. The No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari has retired - the Lizards have won both team and drivers' championships - 2 years in a row.

5:07 - The NO. 3 Corvette overtook the No. 18 Vici Racing Porsche who went to the outside and dropped a wheel off. The No. 18 was able to recover, but the No. 3 Corvette was by. The No. 3 is now P2.

5:05 - The No. 18 Vici Racing Porsche in second is working hard to hold off the No. 3Corvette in P3. In the No. 45, Patrick is in the lead and has a 10 second lead on the No. 18. The No. 44 is in P7.

4:55 - Positions: P1 No. 45; P2 No. 18; P3 No. 3; P4 No. 21; P5 No. 87; P6 No. 92; P7 No. 44.

4:54 - The Vici Racing Porsche with Richard Westbrook behind the wheel passed the No. 3 Corvette to take second. The No. 21 is fourth.

4:50 - Green flag. Great restart for Patrick - he was able to manage a huge amount of traffic and get a gap to the No. 3 Corvette, which is P2.

4:48 - Still yellow.

4:45 - Nearing the halway point, Patrick Long in the No. 45 now in the lead.

4:42 - Positions: P1 No. 87; P2 No. 45; P3 No.3; P4 No. 21; P5 No.18; P6 No. 92. The first five cars are on the same lap. The No. 92 is one lap down. The No. 44 is pitting for driver change, tires and fuel. The No. 87 pits, which puts us P1.

4:36 - the No. 45 pitted immediately after the pits open and Patrick is out again on track quickly after a seamless stop for tires and short fuel. The No. 3 Corvette also pitted, but the No. 45 was out of the pits first, gaining a position. He is now P2 - the No. 87 did not pit and it looks like they now have the lead. The No. 44 has not yet pitted, but they will at the end of the yellow.

4:34 - STill yellow. Positions: P1 No. 3; P2 No. 21; P3 No. 45; P4 No. 18; P5 No. 87. No. 44 is P7. Pits are open and both cars are called into the pits. The No. 45 will do a short fuel and tires only. The No. 44 will do tires, fuel, and driver change from Seth Neiman to Johannes van Overbeek.

4:31 - Seth reports a flat spot on the front tire. He is close to the window for driver change back to Johannes but needs him to stay out a few more minutes. Joerg and Johannes are hustling to get ready for possible driver changes. Patrick radios in that he is OK, that he can double stint. Seth will pit for driver change to Johannes.

4:22 - With the championship now secure, chief strategist Thomas Blam notifies Patrick Long that he can push - he's in P3 right now, and the No. 18 Vici Porsche is close behind in P4. No. 3 Corvette is P1; No. 21 Panoz in P2.

4:21 - Two challenge cars are off at Turn 3 - one is continuing, one remains off track in the gravel.

4:19 - Seth radios in that he was just hit by the Autocon Prototype. he is continuing, but can't tell yet if any damage to the car.

4:15 - 90 minutes into the race: P1 No. 3; P2 No. 21; P3 No. 45; P4 No. 18; P5 No. 17. No. 44 is P8. It looks like Risi may retire the No. 62, which means that the No. 45 and Flying Lizard will win the drivers and team championships.

4:14 - The No. 62 is going behind the wall and they don't appear to be in a hurry. the No. 21 has passed the No. 45 to take second. The No. 45 will focus on finishing the race, tenth or better, they do not want to take any unecessary risks.

4:11 - Positions: P1 No. 3; P2 No. 45; P3 No. 21; P4 No. 18; P5 No. 17; P6 No. 87. No. 44 is P8. The No. 62 is still in the pits.

4:08 - We think that the No. 62 Risi Ferrari hit the No. 33 car and damaged the radiator - we can see water. Yes, the No. 62 has some issue - they are pitting. They were in the lead at the time. This puts the No. 3 Corvette into the lead and the No. 45 into P2.


4:04 - The No. 4 Corvette is in the pits for a stop and go penalty - not sure what that was for, but they are back out again. The No. 33 Jaguar and No. 47 Challenge car also served penalties and are back out again. There is a second penalty on the NO. 4 car for avoidable contact in the earlier incident with the Challenge cars and theNo. 92 BMW - this is a stop and go plus one minute. So they will be back in on the next lap.

3:49 - The No. 45 has moved to P3, passing the No. 17 Falken Tire Porsche, which did not pit earlier. Positions: P1 No. 62; P2 No. 3; P3 No. 45; P4 No. 17. P5 No. 21. No. 44 is P9. The No. 4 Corvette was involved in an earlier incdident and spent some time in the pits and have now fallen back to the back of the pack.

3:57 - Green flag.

3:45 - Green flag but in the restrart huge incident with multiple cars off in Turn 2, including the No. 4 Corvette, and the No. 92 BMW, which is now is disabled on track. Yellow flag. The No. 4 was able to continue back into the pits but has substantial front end damage. Both Lizard cars were able to avoid the damage (the No. 44 was in front, the No. 45 in back.) The No. 92 has restarted and returned to the pits. We are now P4. Positions: P1 No. 62; P2 No. 17; P3 No.3: P4 No. 45; P4 No. 21. No. 44 is P8.


3:43 - Still yellow.

3:37 - Pits are open, stategist Thomas Blam calls the No. 45 in and Eric Ingraham calls No. 44 in. The First six GT2 cars all pitted. Driver change in the No. 45 to Patrick Long. Driver change in the No. 44 to Seth Neiman. We beat the No. 87 Farnbacher Loles Porsche out of the pits. We believe that the No. 62 Ferrari did not take tires, nore did the No. 92 BMW. The No. 40 and No. 17 did not pit. So the No. 40 has moved to P1 (since they did not pit), followed by the No. 17 in P2. The No. 62 Ferrari is now P3, the No. 92 BMW is P4. The No. 4 and No. 3 Corvettes, which both took tires and fuel, are P5 and P6. The No. 87 is now P8. The No. 44 is P9.

3:37 - Pits are open, stategist Thomas Blam calls the No. 45 in and Eric Ingraham calls No. 44 in. The First six GT2 cars all pitted.

3:34 - Double yellows. The cars are staying out, should pit at the end of the yellow. The cars cannot pass under yellow. Positions: P1 No. 3; P2No. 4; P3 No. 62; P4 No. 87; P5 No. 45. The No. 20 Dyson prototype is parked off course - I thought I heard something about running out of fuel, but I can't confirm that.

3:33 - No. 08 Patron Challenge Porsche is in the gravel - may go double yellow. The drivers are getting ready for possible drivers changes. I expect both cars will pit late in the yellow.

3:26 - GT2 top positions remain the same: P1 No. 3; P2 No. 4; P3 No. 62; P4 No. 87; P5 No. 45; No. 44 is P9. Johannes is stuck behind the No. 92 BMW, which is behind the No. 40 Ford. Joerg and Patrick in the No. 45 are 19 points ahead of Jaime Melo and Pierre Kaffer in the No. 62. If the No. 45 finishes tenth or better, they will win the championship, no matter where Risi finishes. If the No. 45 does not finish the reuqired 70 % of the overall winners race length, they can still win if Risi finishes third or worse (first place at Laguna is worth 25, third is worth 18).

3:20 - The top GT2 cars are all running a similar pace. Joerg, in fifth, is right behind Wolf Henzler in the No. 87 Farnbacher Loles Racing Porsche. The two Corvettes and the Risi Ferrari are all running together and have a 3 second gap to the No. 87.

3:14 pm - Lead GT2 psoitions remain the same - the Corvettes and the Ferarri have pulled a few seconds ahead of the No. 87 in P4 and the No. 45 in P5. In the No. 44, Johannes is now P9. The group is threading through a clutch of slower Challenge cars.

3:03 - The No. 20 prototype is in the pits for an unscheduled stop.

3:02 - Green flag. GT2 lead positions remain unchanged but they have packed back up into a bunch. P1 No. 3; P2 No. 4; P3 No. 62; P 3 No. 87; P4 No. 45. No. 4 is P10.

2:51 - The incident was between the No. 88 Drayson prototype and the No. 5 Musclemilk Porsche Spyder. Both cars are i nthe gravel. No. 88 had a hard hit. Paul Drayson was driving - he is out of hte car and we can see him on camera talking to the officials. The No. 90 BMW appears to have a major problem and is smoking in the pits.

2:47 - Positions: P1 No. 3; P2 No 4; P3 No. 62; P4 No. 87; P5 No. 45. Johannes has moved back up to P13. The two Corvettes have built a bit of a gap to the rest of the GT2 field. The No. 87, in fourth, is putting a lot of pressure on the No. 62 in third. Major incident with tow cars at Turn 9 - double yellow.

2:45 - Green flag.

2:40 - Engine start - cars are rolling on their pace laps. The No. 44 spun on the pace lap and unfortunately, has to stay at the position he is at after the spin. The track and tires are very cold and it is extremely slippery. I don't know what position he is at right now - but I'll report in a minute. I expect he is at or near the back of the pack -this means that he'll have to fight his way through the Challenge car traffic to get back to the GT2 field.

2:38 pm - Reminder that we are broadcasting our team radio during the race. To listen, to to the "Follow the Race" Tab on the www.lizardms.com team page. Internet connection here is a bit dicey because of the fog, so if you can't connect, try again in a few minutes.

2:32 pm PT - Good afternoon from Laguna Seca. The cars are on the grid and we are just few minutes from the pace lap. Lizards will start fifth and thirteenth on the GT2 grid. Joerg Bergmeister is starting in the No. 45 and Johannes van Overbeek in the No. 44.

Morning Warmup
10:10 - Checkered flag on the morning warmup. Patrick Long was second fastest in the session,the No. 90 BMW was P1. The No. 44 was 7th. Both Lizard cars will head back into the garages for final prep before the race. Recon laps begin at 1:45, race starts at 2:45. The race will be broadcast tape-delayed tomorrow, Sunday, starting at 11:30 am PT.

9:58 - Both Lizard Porsches are back in the pits. The No. 44 is done for the session, Patrick will go out again briefly in the No. 45. The No. 44 crew will practice driver and tire changes in the pits for the next 10 minutes of the session.

The race begins at 2:45 pm PT. Joerg is currently fifth in the session and Johannes is seventh.

9:50 am PT - Good morning from Laguna Seca. Both Flying Lizard cars are out for morning warmup. It's quite cool here and foggy. Because it's so cold, there won't be much opportunity to do any setup work. The drivers will use the first part of the session to warmup the tires and do a shakedown on the cars. Johannes van Overbeek is in the No. 44 and Joerg Bermgmeister is in the No. 45.

We are broadcasting our team radio today - for this morning's wamup and for the race this afternoon. You can listen in at the website - click on the "Follow the race" page.

Laguna - Friday Practice and Qualifying

Friday October 9, 2009

Qualifying

3:30 - No. 45 fifth and No. 44 thirteenth in today's qualifying session. No. 3 Corvette on the pole. We'll see you back here tomorrow for morning warmup at 9:45 am PT!

3:21 - 9 minutes left. Engineer Stefan Pfeiffer calls Joerg into the pits - he is P5. The top 5 cars are within four-tenths of one another. No. 3 Corvette is P1; P 62 Ferrari is P2, No. 4 Corvette is P3; No. 87 Porsche is P4. The No. 44, which used the session to finish setup, is P13.

3:19 - The No. 3 Corvette is now P1. Joerg still P4. 10 minutes left.

3:17 - Pierre takes P1 again in the No. 62 with a 1:23.220. Joerg is now P4 with a 1:23.416.

3:14 - Pierre Kaffer dropped a wheel off and lost a lap. He was in P1 at the time. Now the Corvettes are P1 and P2. Joerg's fast lap is coming up.

3:10 pm PT - Green flag on qualifying. Joerg Bergmeister is in the No. 45 in pit lane, they are fueling, and he will be out shortly for qualifying. Seth Neiman is in the No. 44.

3:00 - Chckered flag on the last practice session. 10 mins until qual.

2:54 -Joerg pits again and they make the decision to reverse the last setup changes. They will revert back then he should have time to do one more lap before the session ends. Qualifying begins at 3:10.

2:50 - No. 87 now P1, No. 45 P2. 10 minutes left in the session.

2:43 - Joerg is in the pits for a bar change before qualifying.

2:38 - Joerg is now P1 in the No. 45. 22 minutes left in the session. Johannes van overveek is in the No. 44.

2:30 - Joerg is in the No. 45 for the second half of the session. Seth Neima is still in the No. 44.

2:23 - Patrick is in the pits for a setup change.

2:18 - Patrick is P2 - 1:24.582. The times are gradually dropping as the tires come in.

2:13 pm - The No. 4 Corvette is now P1. Patrick p3.

2:10 pm - Good afternoon from Laguna. We are ten minutes into the one hour practice session. Patrick Long is in the No. 45 and Seth Neiman is in the No. 44. Patrick is currently P2. Qualifying begins at 3:10. Joerg will qualify the No. 45 and Seth Neiman the No. 44.


******
10:45 am - Checkered is out on the session - No. 45 was P7 and No. 44 P9 in the session. We'll be back with you today at 2:00 for this afternoon's session. Reminder if you are at the track today we have an exclusive autograph session with Patrick and Joerg in front of the Lizard store in vendor village - today at noon.

10:37 am - Patrick is in the pits for a rear shock change. He will finish out the session. Seth Neiman is still out in the No. 44 and will finish out the session for that Porsche.

10:28 am - Patrick Pits for the crew to make a front shock change. He will finish out the session after the change.

10:15 - Green flag. Seth Neiman is now in the No. 44 and Patrick Long in the No. 45. 30 minutes left in the practice session. There will be one more practice session this afternoon at 2:00, just before GT2 qualifying which starts at 3:10.

10:12 - Red flag to assist the No. 88 prorotype which is stuck in Turn 8 and blocking the track. Looks like he is able to continue, so we'll go green shortly.

10:07 - Green flag - both Lizard Porsches are back on track. In the No. 45, Joerg is now P2. In the No. 44, Johannes is P4.

10:03 - Red flag with a Challenge Porsche in the gravel. There are 8 Challenge Porsches entered for tomorrow - it's a large field for his track - 33 cars, including 14 GT2.

9:57 am - Joerg now P1 and Johannes P3. Joerg pits for the crew to get tire temps and pressures and get the first feedback from Joerg on setup changes.

9:52 AM - Joerg is now P3 in the session. Times are several seconds slower than yesterday afternoon's session, due to the cool track. After five laps, the tires are just coming in.

9:45 am PT - Good morning from cool and foggy Laguna Seca. We are just a few minutes away from morning practice. Yesterday's practice sessions went well. Joerg had the fastest time of the second session in the No. 45 and the top 8 GT2 cars were within about five tenths of a second of one another.

With this morning's cool temperatures and a green track it will take some time for the cars to get up to speed. The track temperature is about 59 degrees.

In the No. 45, Joerg is out on track. He is bedding in brakes, and testing some setup and diff changes from yesterday. Today engineer Stefan Pfeifer will move through a series of additional aero/suspension setup changes in the one hour morning practice. Joerg will do half the session, then turn it over to Patrick Long.

In the No. 44, Johannes van Overbeek is out on track.

Petit Le Mans - Raceday

Race

8:05 pm ET - The officials have made the decision to call the race. Checkered flag. So... the No. 45 finishing position is fifth and the No. 44 7th. A very disappointing race for everyone. Because of the amount of water still on the track and the complexities of preparing the racecars to run again, it is an understandable decision. The Lizards will go into Laguna still in the lead in the championship - 19 points ahead of Risi Competizione No. 62 Ferrari. The No. 62 is the winner in GT2 in today's much shortened race.

8:03 pm ET - I've turned the radio back on, although we are still red flag.

7:31 pm - (Patrick says "Hi Lola" ...)

Still not much of an update. The weather appears to be lightening up and we just heard the track blower go by as they work to try and dry out the track. They want teams to be on stand by to restart. I have clarification on the "official race" status. The clock is still running, so the race has passed its 50% required running time and is an official race so points will count. If the race is restarted, the No. 45 will have a chance to improve from the P5 position. the No. 62 Risi Ferrari is currently in the lead in GT2. If they do not restart the race, we will finish in fifth. The No. 45 and the No. 62 are the two cars in contention for the GT2 championship. If the race is not restarted, the No. 45 will go into the season finale at Laguna still in the lead, but only 19 points ahead. There are 25 points possible at Laguna. In that scenario, at Laguna, the No. 45 would win the championship if they finished in tenth or better position, regardless of where the No. 62 finished. But the car would have to finish.



6:56 pm - Race control notified the teams to be ready at 7:30 pm ET and that their goal is to restart the race if the weather clears up enough to allow them to clean the track and get it dry enough to race. It is still raining heavily.

6:22 pm - An update from race control that there is a possibility that the race will restart. At this point, I'm unclear if the race is considered official or not. I'll update you as I know more.

5:33 - Still on rain hold and still raining. Race control will give us another update at 6:00 pm. We are pretty drenched at this point.

4:55 - We are still on a rain hold. The race clock is still running - it is at 4 hours and 25 minutes left to go. It's difficult to tell from the radar, but we estimate that it will be at least an hour of this rain.

4:20 - OK we are on on a red flag rain hold. The track is a skating rink and is undriveable. Cars are parked in pit lane and covered with tarps. Hopefully this weather cell will go through and things will dry out again in time to finish out the race. Positions: P1 No. 62; P2 No. 92; P3 No. 87; P4 No. 4; P5 No. 45; P6 No. 3; P7 No. 44; P8 No. 28; P9 No. 21; P 10 No. 40; P11 No. 17; P12 No. 90; P13 No. 11.

4:03 - The No. 62 is in the pits for a change of their rear decklid. They had a full lap lead on the rest of the GT2 pack, so they should still retain the GT2 lead.

3:56 - The No. 3 Corvette is off under yellow deep in gravel. Positions: P1 No. 62 (which is now 1 lap ahead); P2 No. 92; P3 No. 87; P4 No. 4; P5 No. 45; P6 No. 3; P7 No.44. No. 92, 87, 4, and 45 are all on the same lap. Still yellow.

3:49 - No. 44 pits for driver change to Darren Law, rain tires, and fuel. No. 45 pits at the same time for a windshield tear off, rain tires, and fuel. It is now pouring rain. Positions: P1 No. 62; P2 No. 92; P3 No. 87; P4 No. 4; P5 No. 45. Cars are off everywhere - the No. 1 Audi off in 10, the 88 Drayson off. Both have continued. Standing water on the track. Stil yellow.

3:47 - Patrick reports zero visibility with oil smeared on the windshield.

3:44 - Green flag. Positions: P1 No. 4; P2 No. 3; P3 No. 87; P4 No. 92; P5 No. 5; P6 No. 62; P7 No. 44. The top six GT2 cars are all on the same lap. It is raining, but still fairly lightly.

3:38 - The No. 45 pitted for fuel and to clean the windshield. Still yellow. The No. 92 and No. 62 pitted shortly after that and both of them are on rain tires. the No. 45 is still on slicks.

3:30 - The No. 2 Audi which is in the overall lead spun in Turn 5 under yellow - he is able to continue.

3:19 - The No. 45 pits for driver change to Patrick Long, tires and short fuel. We will stay on slicks. The rain has not yet materialized. The No. 62 is in the pits, as is at least one of the Corvettes. This will be a lengthy caution. The No. 62 beat us out of the pits for position. The No. 92 did not pit, and I don't think either Corvette pitted but am not sure about that. Positions: P1 No. 92; P2 No. 4; P3 No. 3; P4 No. 87; P5 No. 62; P6 No. 45. Still yellow.

3:17 - Big crash with the No. 12 prototype in the tires in Turn 1. No report on the driver. Yellow flag. No. 12 driver is shown on TV and appears OK.

3:13 - Marc has heavy pressure from the No. 92 BMW in P2, with both Corvettes (in P3 and P4 and both on new tires) closing rapidly. The No. 45 did not take tires on the last stop because they had expected they would have to stop shortly for rain tires.

3:10 - In the No. 45, Marc Lieb is in the lead. The No. 92 BMW is close behind him and the No. 4 Corvette is a few seconds back from them but closing the gap.

3:06 - Green flag.

3:05 - Positions: P1 No. 45; P2 No. 92; P3 No. 4; P4 No. 3; P5 No. 87; P6 No. 62; P7 No. 44. Still yellow. Both No. 87 and No. 62 are back on the same lap with the GT2 leaders.

3:02 - Still yellow. P1 No. 45; P2 No. 92; P3 No. 4; P4 No. 3; P5 No. 62; P6 No. 87. Heavy rain expected shortly - when the track is sufficiently wet, we expect that we will pit for rain tires. No. 44 pits for fuel. Johannes van Overbeek will stay in the car. No. 62 in the pits - they just made it out in time to get their lap back - so they are now on the same lap as the No. 45, 92, 4, 3, and 87.

2:59 - The No. 4 Corvette pitted, and the No. 3 Corvette pitted again for a second time.

2:57 - Positions: P1 No. 4; P2 No. 3; P3 No. 45; P4 No. 92; P5 No. 62; P6 No. 87. No. 44 is P7.

2:53 - Big crash with a loose tire in the middle of the track. Yellow flag. No. 11 Viper. No report on driver. Heavy impact direclty into the concrete wall, from the rear. The driver appears to be out of the car and walking. The No. 45 will pit under this yellow for fuel. Marc Lieb will stay in the car. No tires. They will stay on slicks for now. We expect heavy rain in the next 10 to 15 minutes. he is out again quickly. The No. 3 and No. 92 also pitted, I'm not sure about the 62 or 87. The No. 4 Corvette did not pit.

2:45 - Rain is 10 miles out and looks like it will hit us. Marc Lieb is P2. he is close behind the No. 3 Corvette, which is in the lead. The No. 4 Corvette, which is P3, has closed the gap and is catching up. Marc is now in a Corvette sandwich. The No. 3 Corvette has now caught up to the No. 87 Farnbacher Loles Porsche and the No. 62 Risi Ferrari - those cars are one lap down but are physically in front on track.

2:31 - The GT2 field is once again stacked nose to tail. The No. 21 Panoz, which is several laps down, is at the front of the train, with the No. 62 Risi Ferrari (1 lap down on the leader), followed by the No. 87 Farnbacher Porsche,, also one lap down, followed by the No. 3 Corvette (the GT2 leader), followed by Marc Lieb in the No. 45 (in P2).

2:26 - Big spin for the No. 92 BMW who was in P3. Marc Lieb moves to P3. Correction - Marc now P2. Positions: P1 No. 3; P2 No. 45; P3 No. 4; P4 No. 92; P5 No. 62; P6 No 87.

2:26 - Green flag. Marc Lieb is in the No. 45, in P4. Johannes van Overbeek is in the No. 44, in P 8

2:20 - At the 3 hour mark, the No. 45 is P4, the No. 44 is P8. Still yellow. The No. 44 is pitting for another splash of fuel. Some weather cells are developing Southwest of us - so far, we've been lucky and have had only light rain but I expect we'll see some heavier rain in the next few hours.

2:14 pm - Green flag. Marc Lieb is in the No. 45, Johannes van Overbeek in the No. 44. And once again, double yellow as the No. 20 car flies into the gravel at Turn 10.

2:11 pm - The order out of the pits was the No. 62 Risi Ferrari, followed by the No. 87, the No. 3 and the No. 4, then the No. 45. However, I believe that we gained a full lap on the No. 62 and No. 87.

Positions: P1 No. 3; P2 No.4; P3 No. 92; P4 No. 45; P5 No. 62; P6 No. 87.

Physically on the track, the No. 62 and the No. 87 are just ahead of the Corvettes, however they are one lap down.

2:09 pm - The No. 3, 4, 92, 62, 87 and 45 are all pitting at the same time. the NO. 44 will also pit shortly for driver chnage.

2:08 - The No. 88 is back underway but and slowly returning to the pits minus a wheel.

2:05 - The Drayson No. 88 prototype is in the wall after apparently losing a wheel. A very hard hit. Yellow flag. No report on the driver yet. The NO. 45 will pit under this yellow for tires, fuel and driver change to Marc Lieb.

1:50 - The No. 62 has overtaken the No. 87 for P5. The No. 87 is P6. Darren is now P8 in the No. 44. The Corvettes now have a hefty gap to the rest of the GT2 field - 16 seconds to Joerg. Positions: P1 No. 3; P2 No. 4; P3 No. 92; P4 No. 45; P5 No. 62; P 6 No. 87.

1:34 - Joerg is by the Viper, but the No. 92 BMW also got by Joerg. The No. 87 and No. 62 are close behind. Positions: P1 No. 3; P2 No. 4; P3 No. 92; P4 No. 45; P5 No. 87; P6 No. 62. The No. 44 is physically on track between the No. 45 and the No. 87, but he is several laps down.

1:30 - Positions: P1 No. 3; P2 No. 4; P3 No. 45; P4 No. 87; P5 No. 92; P6 No. 62. The Corvettes are being held up by the Viper and the No. 44. The Vettest are both by the No. 44, and now the No. 45 is also by. Positions remain unchanged. There's a bit of a gap now to the next closest GT2 car which is now the No. 92 BMW in P4. The No. 87 is P5 and the No. 62 is P6. Joerg is unfortunately now stuck behind the Viper, which is not on the same lap, and he's lost his gap.

1:26 pm - Green flag. We are two hours into the race. Joerg is P3 in the No. 45. Darren is P9 in the No. 44. The Falken Porsche, which is not on the GT2 lead lap, is between Joerg and the NO. 87 and the No. 62, which is giving Joerg a bit of space.

1:19 pm - The No. 62 Risi Ferrari, which was in P4, is in the pits. This will put the No. 87 into P4 and the No. 62 into P5.

1:16 pm - Still yellow. It is starting to drizzle again.

1:11 am ET - Joerg and the two Corvettes are now nose to tail. Joerg is on a faster pace and has caught the No. 3, which is P2. The No. 4 is P1. The No. 66 de Ferran prototype is in the wall at Turn 5- it should go yellow. This will not be good for the Lizards - it will allow the No. 62, which is now P4, to close the gap to the No. 45. the No. 87 is now P5. The No. 66 was able to continue but has front end damage and will return to the pits - it's been a tough race so far for that team.

1:05 pm - Green flag. Joerg is P3; Darren is P9. Heavy prototype traffic is threading through the lead GT2 pack.

1:00 pm ET - The No. 44 is in the pits. Positions: P1 No. 4; P2 No. 3; P3 No. 45; P4 No. 87; P5 No. 62; P6 No. 92; P7 No. 11; P8 No. 40; P9 No. 44.

12:56 - I believe the GT2 lead positions remain unchanged after they all pitted and returned to the track. Still yellow. No - correction - the No. 62 and No. 87 swapped positions - the NO. 87 is now P4 and the No. 62 now P5. Both cars changed drivers. The No. 92 BMW is now P6. Darren is pitting in the No. 44 - the crew will again change the left rear tire, which was damaged in the earlier incident with the Falken Porsche, and will do a careful inspection to see if they can figure out what is causing the handling problem with the No. 44.

12:53 - The No. 45 pits for a setup change, tires and short fuel. Joerg will stay in the car. Still yellow. He was in P3 at the time of the pit stop. The No. 4 (in P1) and No. 3 (in P2) Corvettes also both pitted, as did the No. 62 Risi Ferrari and the No. 87 Farnbacher Porsche.

12:52 - yellow flag to remove the debris. I expect both of the Lizard Porsches will put under this yellow. This will be both good and bad for the Lizards. It should allow the No. 45 to close the gap to the Corvettes, but it will aslso let the No. 62 Risi Ferrari catch back up to Joerg.

12:48 - The No. 45, in P3, is plus 26 seconds to the Ferrari, which is P4. Joerg is running a slightly faster pace than the Ferrari right now. Positions: P1 No. 4; P2 No. 3; P3 No. 45; P4 No. 62; P4 No. 87; P6 No. 92. Bodywork on the back straight - yellow flag. Looks like it is the decklid from the No. 40 Ford.

12:42 - The No. 90 BMW pitted with a mechanical problem, putting the No. 62 into P4 and the No. 87 P5. There is a 25 second gap between Joerg in the No. 45 and the No. 62. The BMW is going behind the wall. Jeorg reports that the car is not handling well - more and more oversteer. The engineers will make a change at the next pit stop, but Joerg will have to work with it until then.

12:39 - Darren did a bounce through the gravel in the No. 44 but was able to continue. He reports that the car is "a bit weird" when turning left.

12:35 - Lots of drama on track as cars are slip sliding everywhere. Positions: P1 No. 45; P2 No. 90; P3 No. 45; P4 No. 90; P4 No. 62. In the No. 44, Darren is P11. Penalty assessed to the No. 37 prototype for avoidable contact with the No. 66.

12:32 - Incident with two prototypes on course - the No. 37 and the No. 66 deFerran Acura. I believe both cars have been able to continue but the NO. 66 appears to have major suspension damage

12:30 - The No. 44 has another problem - there is smoke from the left wheel. Darren is pitting again - they crew believes it may be bodywork rubbing. Darren is in P11 right now.

12:27 - No. 44 was involved with an incident with the Falken Porsche - the No. 17 appears to have run into Darren. Both cars are in pit lane for the crew to check damage. the No. 44 left rear wheel is broken and is being replaced. Darren is back out again. Penalty assessed to the No. 17 for avoidable contact with the No. 44 - a stop and go penalty under green. Darren reports smoke on left rear.

12:24 - Power is out in the pits, unfortunately. Joerg, in P3, has a 10 second gap now to Bill Auberlen in the No. 90 BMW, which is in P4, and 16 seconds to the No. 62 Risi Ferrari which is P5.

12:20 - The first round of GT2 pit stops are now complete. I believe all GT2 cars are now on slicks. Positions: P1 No. 4; P2 No. 3; P3 No. 45; P4 No. 90; P5 No. 87; P6 No. 62. Some of the GT2 cars did driver changes (the Lizards did) but not all. 1 hour complete, 44 laps by the leader. The race will go to 1000 miles or 10 hours, whichever comes first.

12:17 - No. 45 is P3. The No. 90 BMW is just behind Joerg.

12:15 - The No. 44 is coming in now for slicks and driver change to DArren Law. Positions: P1 No. 4; P2 No. 90; P3 No. 17; P4 No. 17; P5 No. 45; P6 No. 40. No. 44 is P11.

12:11 am - the No. 3 Corvette came in for slicks. They were in the lead. The No. 45 is in for driver change to Joerg Bergmeister and a setup change and change to slicks. The No. 44 is also in the pits for slicks and driver change to Darren Law. The No. 3 had an incident heading out of the pits but was able to continue. The No. 6 Porsche spyder is spinning on track and in the grass. He as able to avoid impact with the wall, but appears to e having difficulty getting back onto the track. The No. 44 pit stop was aborted, so Seth Neiman is still out, but the No. 45 came in. Still green. The No. 62 Risi Ferari also pitted and made a decklid change.

12:08 - Patrick radios in that he may have a tire puncture and may pit. Joerg is hustling to get ready. Patrick is now P3 (as the No. 4 Corvette lost a few positions when it pitted for slicks.) All GT2 cars are on rains except the No. 4.

12:05- The No. 4 Corvette, which was in P2, is in the pits. Looks like he is moving to slicks - the first GT2 car to do so. The No. 62 has caught Patrick and is now right behind him. Both Lizard Porsches (and most of the field) are still on rain tires.

12:02 - In the No. 87, Wolf is now by Patrick, putting Patrick in P4. The No. 62 Risi Ferrari is in P5 - 3 seconds back. Positions: P1 No. 3; P2 No. 4; P3 No. 87; P4 No. 45; P5 No. 62. the Corvettes continue to pull away from the rest of the GT2 field.

11:57 am ET - Patrick and Wolf Henzler (in the No. 87 in fourth) are nose to tail.

11:51 - the No. 87 is right behind Patrick. Prototypes are continually threading between them, giving Patrick a bit of a gap, but the 87 is running at the same pace. Patrick is 16 seconds back from the GT2 leader, the No. 3 Corvette. The issue now is that the cars are on rain tires and as the track dries out, it will become more and more difficult to run on those tires. Patrick is looking for ways to cool the tires down but finding areas of water on the track. At some point, the engineers will need to make the decision to move to slicks. You can see on the TV all of the cars going off line to find areas of water to cool the tires down.

11:46 am - The No. 3 Corvette is in the lead, and has built a 15 second gap to Patrick, who is in P3. The No. 4 Corvette is P2. The No. 87 Farnbacher Loles Porsche is P4 and the No. 62 Risi Ferrari is P5. The No. 87 is close behind Patrick and he and the No. 62 are now on Patrick's pace.

11:38 - The No. 20 Dyson prototype, which started on the P2 pole, is in the pits for an unscheduled pit stop. The No. 28 LG Corvette is also in the pits for an early stop, as is the Oreca Matmut prototype.

11:35 - Positions: P1 No. 3; P2 No. 4; P3 No. 45; P4 No. 87;P5 No. 62; P6 No. 92; P7 No. 40; P8 No. 90; P9 No. 21; P10 No. 17; P11 No.11 P12 No. 28; P13 No. 44. Patrick is keeping pace with the two Corvettes and they are doing mid 1:32s.

11:30 - The No. 3 Corvette has built a nice gap to the rest of the GT2 pack. The No. 4 Corvette is 4 seconds behind the No. 3 and Patrick in the No. 45 is five seconds behind the No. 4.

11:26 - Patrick is by the No. 40 and is now P3. Positions: p1 No. 3; P2 No. 4; P3 No. 45; P4 No. 87; P5 No. 62. The GT2 cars are bunched up and all nose to tail.

11:25 am - The No. 4 Corvette is now by Patrick as both cars are stuck behind the No. 40. Patrick Now P4. The NO. 40 Ford has a lot of power and it is very difficult to pass him.

11:23 - The No. 4 Corvette went off and Patrick moved up to P3. Positions: P1 No. 40 ;P2 No. 3; P3 No. 45; P 4 No. 4; P 5 No. 92. The No. 3 Corvette just passed the No. 40 to take the lead. Patrick is just behind the NO. 40 trying to get by, with the No. 4 Corvette right on his tail.

11:22 am ET - The No. 45 is P5. Positions: P1 No. 40; P2 No. 4; P3 No. 92; P4 No. 3; P5 No. 45; P6 No. 90.

11:21 am ET - Clean start so far for the field. The cars in pit lane have been released and have entered the track. Very wet track and poor visibility.

11:20 am ET - Green flag.

11:15 am ET - Cars are rolling for 2 pace laps. The No. 45 is fifth on the grid and the No. 44 tenth.

11:13 am ET - Engine start.

11:05 am ET - Just a few minutes away from race start. We qualified sixth (in the No. 45) and 13th (in the No. 44) but because several cars will start from pit lane the No. 45 will move up at least one position, and the No. 44 probably several.
I don't have an actual starting grid list, but the first five will be: P1 No. 40; P2 No. 4; P3 No. 91; P4 No. 90; P5 No. 45. The No. 28 Corvette qualified second, but did not make it out before pit lane closed before the recon laps so they will start from pitlane.

Pre-Race
10:52 am - The cars are on the grid. Quite a few cars did not make it out before pit exit closed, so they will start from pit lane. For GT2, I see the Falken Porsche and the 28 Corvette lined up. The Highcroft Patron prototype also is in pit lane - a new chassis, completely repaired for the race after the huge accident during practice on Thursday.

Morning Warmup

10:10 am - Checkered flag on the very wet morning practice. The cars will head out for their recon lap in fifteen minutes, then to the grid. This will definitely be a rain race. Hopefully the heavy rain will hold off at least for the start. The track could dry out quickly if the rain lets up. Yes, we just heard from race control that this is declared a wet race. This means that teams may run different tires (rain tires) than they qualified on. We'll be back with you in about 45 minutes. We'll broadcast our team radio during the race. See you shortly.

10:00 - Driver change in the No. 45 to Joerg Bergmeister. the No. 87 took an off course excursion but Wolf Henzler bounced right over the gravel trap, mowed some grass, and then and was able to continue back to the pits.

9:57 - Darren is safely back in the pits in the No. 44. I think they are done for the session. It's still raining steadily and the conditions are very slick. The temperature is dropping and it's at least 10 degrees cooler than it was at 6 am this morning. We have some schedule changes today - recon laps will be 10:15 to 10:20. The race is still scheduled to start at 11:20 am ET. Heavy rain is forecast for later today, so I expect at least some of the race will be run under yellow, or possibly red flagged due to rain. If that happens, the cars will wait in pit lane (on the fast lane side) until the conditions are safe to continue. Crews will not be allowed to work on the cars in pit lane.

9:55 - Darren Law is out in the No. 44 and Patrick Long is in the No. 45.

9:50 am ET - Warmup is underway. It's lightly raining and still very wet but both Porsches will go out for at least one install/warmup lap to ensure we don't have any issues. We are broadcasting our team radio this morning and during the race. Click on the "Follow the Race Tab" on the home page to listen.

9:00 am - OK, here's the update. Warmup will run from 9:45 to 10:10. The No. 45 will go out, the No. 44 will probably go out. The race will start as scheduled at 11:20. Several periods of very heavy rain are forecast during the race. The race will be official at the halfway point - 197 laps or 5 hours, whichever comes first.

8:05 am ET - Good Morning from Road Atlanta. After 2 hours of torrential rain, we are pretty darned wet. Warmup is scheduled for 8:15 this mrning but it's on hold for the moment. The track is a river. But the rain has let up and hopefully the track will dry out in time for race start. There are several heavy weather cells on the way though so it is going to be a wet one either way!

I'll update you as I know more, but for now, most likely no morning warmup.

Petit Le Mans - Practice & Qualifying

Sept 25, 2009

**Qualifying **

2:35 pm -Patrick Long qualifies the No. 45 sixth in GT2 and Seth Neiman is 13th. David Murry put the No. 40 Robertson Racing Ford on the pole.

2:33 pm - Chief strategist Thomas Blam called Patrick in - he is P 4. They will refuel and may send him out again. They will sit tight and see if anything changes in the conditions that might give us an advantage.

2:31 pm - The No. 28 Corvette is P1 with a 1:21.024. the No. 40 Ford is P2 with a 1:21.592. The No. 45 is P3 with a 1:21.531.

2:29 pm ET -Patrick has moved to P1. The No. 62 Risi Ferrari has a puncture on its second lap and is limping along the track. That will be the end of their qualifying session because they cannot change tires.

2:25 pm ET - Good afternoon from Road Atlanta. Green flag on today's qualifying session. Patrick Long will qualify in the No. 45 and Seth Neiman in the No. 44. It's hot, hot, hot here and very humid. Skies are starting to cloud up but it looks like it will stay dry for qualifying. Rain is forecast for raceday.

Reminder that SpeedTV is broadcasting today's qualifying session live and SpeedTV.com is also.


****
10:00 - Checkered on our practice session for today. Qualifying starts at 2:25 pm ET today, and the race starts at 11:20 am on Saturday. See you then!

9:55 - Green flag. Patrick heads out in the No. 45 and Seth Neiman is back in the No. 44. 5 minutes left in the session.

9:51 - Red flag. The No. 90 BMW is deep in the gravel. Patrick just completed a stop and go penalty for a pit lane speeding violation. This may be the end of the session.

Reminder that qualifying is today at 2:25 ET - it will be broadcast live on SpeedTV.com.

9:38 am - Green flag. Just over 20 minutes left in the practice session.

9:30 - Red flag to pull the Falken Porsche out of the gravel. Johannes van Overbeek is now in the No. 44. Patrick is still in the No. 45.

9:21 - They are still working on some setup adjustments on the No. 45 - with a bar change. Driver change from Marc to Patrick Long. Neiman is still out in the No. 44. Just over 30 minutes left in practice.

9:11 - Chief strategist Thomas Blam calls Marc into the pits for a damper change. Neiman is still out on track in the No. 44. Marc is currently P4 in the seession. The No. 3 Corvette is P1.

9:05 am - Marc Lieb is currently P1 in the No. 45 with a 1:21.529. Reminder that the race will be broadcast live on SpeedTV starting at 11 am ET tomorrow (Saturday). SpeedTV.com will broadcast today's qualifying session online - starting at 2:25 for GT.

9:00 am ET - Good morning from Road Atlanta. Green flag on today's practice session. The No. 44 and No. 45 are both heading out. Seth Neiman is in the No. 44 and Marc Lieb is in the No. 45. So far, the weather is holding - rain is expected later today and unfortunately, throughout the day tomorrow. We've had less practice time than expected this week due to a large number of red flags. But otherwise, things are going well for the Lizards. We are in the lead in the GT2 championship - Joerg and Patrck are 31 points ahead of Melo and Kaffer in the No. 62 Risi Ferrari, and the team is 31 points ahead of Risi in the team championship. If Joerg and Patrick finish within one position of Risi on Saturday - whether ahead or behind - they will win the championship. There are 30 points at stake here (for first) and 25 points at Laguna.


*******
Sept 24, 2009

9:10 pm - The No. 45 is back out for another lap to test the headlight repair. Joerg is in the car. He is back again in the pits after 1 lap - the crew will take the car back to the garage to complete the work and our setdown. We'll be back with you tomorrow for our morning practice at 9 am ET, then qualifying at 2:25. See you then!

9:00 -Red flag for the safety officials to pick up some debris on track. The No. 44 is back in the garage. The No. 45 is still in the pits - Joerg will take the car back out one more time to test a minor repair.

8:52 pm ET - And Darren is in the pits in the No. 44, they are done for the night and are heading back to the garage. It looks like the No. 45 may go out one more time to confirm a repair to the headlights.

We'll be back with you for our final practice session tomorrow morning at 9:00, then qualifying at 2:25 pm ET. See you then!

8:40 - Joerg is in the pits. The No. 45 is done for the night - all three drivers have completed their required night laps and the car will head back to the garage. Darren Law is still out in the No. 44 but he should be back in shortly.

8:31 - In the No. 45, Marc is out of the car now and Joerg is in for his stint. In the No. 44, Darren is back in the pits. He will go back out for a few more laps for them to complete bedding the new rotors. The session lasts until 9:05 but I expect we will finish up in 15 minutes or so with both cars.

8:27 - Darren is now out for this 3 laps. In the No. 45, Marc is now P8. He will pit this lap.

8:19 pm - Marc Lieb is now behind the wheel of the No. 45. The No. 44 crew is making a few repairs to the car - Darren's still in the pits.

8:13 pm ET - Patrick Long is now on track in the No. 45. It has cooled down substantially - Patrick just radioed in that it's taking a long time for the tires to come in. In the No. 44, Johannes has done his three laps and now Darren Law is in the car and heading out for his stint.

8:00 pm ET - The final practice session of the day is underway. It's fully dark now. The NO. 44 is in pit lane after having done an install lap. Seth Neiman will finish out his three required laps and then hand the wheel over to Johannes van Overbeek. The No. 45 crew is just finishing up work on the car in the garage and that car will be in pit lane shortly. Both cars have their race engines in and the enigneers are using this session to ensure that there are no issues.

4:00 - Checkered flag. The session has ended. The track will continue the repairs on the fence after the accident. Thankfully, it appears that no one was injured in the major accident - we see the driver Scott Sharp on TV as he heads back to the paddock and he appears to be OK. We'll be back with you for evening practice at 7:20. See you then!

3:43 - Major accident on course with the Highcroft Patron prototype. Luckily the driver (appears to be Scott Sharp) is walking away from an incredible wreck. The Highcroft car is destroyed. Medical personnel are helping the driver into the medical car - he is walking and talking with them. The No. 87 Farnbacher Loles Porsche was involved in the wreck. That driver also appears OK. It will be a lengthy yellow as both cars are removed from the course and the course officials make some fence repairs.

3:40 - In the No. 45, Joerg went out to test the setup change, then back into the pits to give Engineer Stefan Pfeiffer feedback and another change. Stefan decides to make a swaybar change and send Joerg out. The challenge that the engineers face here at this track is to balance downforce and speed with getting the maximum tire wear they can. Because of the length of the race, and many pit stops may need to be done under green, they need to be able to run tires at 150 percent of a stint or more if needed.

3:31 - Joerg now P3. The BMWs are P1 and P2 with a 1:21.686 and a 1:21.710. Joerg is pitting for a setup change.

3:27 - Joerg is P1 in the session after 4 laps with a 1:21.956.

3:20 pm ET - Green flag on this afternoon's practice session. Seth Neiman is out in the No. 44 Porsche and Joerg is in the No. 45. It's hot, hot, hot here - hot and humid. Luckily there is some high cloudcover which is helping a bit.

This is our second of three practie sessions today - we have one hour now, and 1 hour and 45 minutes tonight.

**********
11:06 - Darren took a spin on course and contacted a prototype, I think the No. 2. He was able to continue and pitted for damage. There's some damage to the rear of the No. 44 but it appears superficial. That's it for the Lizards this morning. We'll be back with you for the second practice session of the day at 3:20 pm ET. See you then!

11:00 am - Joerg is currently P2 in the session with a 1:21.498. Dirk Mueller in the
No. 92 is P1 with a 1:21.035. Darren Law is now in the No. 44 for his first stint of the day.

10:51 - 15 minutes left in the session. The No. 45 is doing a tire test, so Joerg will finish out the session on this set of tires. Seth Neiman is still in the No. 44. All good so far.

10:42 - Joerg Bergmeister is now in the No. 45. Seth Neiman is still in the No. 44 and is in pit lane giving feedback to Chief Engineer Craig Watkins. Our practice yesterday was shortened by a red flag after a prototype lost a motor on track and spewed oil all over the track, so the engineers are hustling today to get their basic setup work done.

10:26 am - Looks like it was one of the Peugeots - it has been towed back to the garage on a flatbed. Green flag. It's cooler today but still extremely humid with overast skies. We are expecting some rain this afternoon and on race day. There are three practice sessions today - this morning, then 3:20-4:20, then night practice 7:20-9:05. Each driver must do 3 laps during night practice - even if it is raining. the Lizard driver lineup for this weekend is: No. 45 -Joerg Bergmeister, Patrick Long, and Marc Lieb. No. 44 is Seth Neiman, Darren Law and Johannes van Overbeek. The GT2 championship could be decided at this race, although we have one more race coming up - the season finale at Laguna Seca. Joerg and Patrick are 31 points ahead of Risi's Melo and Kaffer in the No. 62. There are 30 points at stake here, and 25 at Laguna. If the No. 45 finishes the race, and finishes within one position of the No. 62, either in front of behind, they will win the championship.

10:20 - Apparently a fire in one of the prototypes on course. I don't have any more details, although the fire is now out. This may be a lengthy yellow.

10:15 - Two cars are off in Turn, neither Lizards involved.

10:06 am ET - Good morning from Road Atlanta. Green flag on the first of three practice sessions today. Seth Neiman is in the No. 44 and Marc Lieb in the No. 45. Both cars are heading out on track now.


********
Sept 23, 2009

3:50 - Well, unfortunately the session is over after that last red flag. We'll be back with you tomorrow with three practice sessions, starting at 10:05 am ET. See you then!

3:33 - Red flag to do a track cleanup for oil and dirt on the track.

3:30 - Green flag. Patrick is in the No. 45 and is now P3.

3:16 pm - All is well so far. Patrick is in the No. 45 and Johannes is now in the No. 44. Red flag for a car is stopped in Turn 4.

2:57 - Green flag. Just over 1 hour left in the session.

2:45 pm ET - This is our first on track session of race week and the engineers are just starting their setup work getting feedback from the drivers. 15 minutes into the sesssion, Joerg is P3 and Darren is P 5. Red flag to remove debris in Turn 4 and Turn 10.

2:30 pm ET - Good afternoon from Road Atlanta. It's hot and humid here today but thankfully, dry, after the torrential rain of the last few days. Both cars are in pit lane ready to head out for today's only practice session. Darren Law is in the No. 44 and Joerg Bergmeister is in the No. 45. We have a one hour combined session with the prototypes, then 30 minutes GT only.

Mosport - Raceday!

Sunday, August 30, 2009

5:50 - Checkered flag. The No. 45 is fifth and the No. 44 7th in a tough race at Mosport for the Lizards. Although we didn't get a podium, the team still retains the GT2 team and drivers' championship (Bergmeister and Long) lead. The No. 3 Corvette won in GT2 and the No. 62 Risi Ferrari was second. We'll see you all at Petit Le Mans next month. *** Jennifer

5:39 - The No. 21 Panoz was able to get past Johannes to move into sixth. Johannes now 7th.
5:37 - The No. 62 Ferrari in P2 is putting a lot of pressure on the No. 3 Corvette, which is in the lead, but has been unable to pass. In the No. 45, Joerg is P5, in the No. 44, Johannes is P6. 10 minutes left.

5:30 -The No. 21 Panoz, in seventh, is three seconds behind the No. 44, in sixth and putting pressure on Johannes.

5:23 pm - A tussle between the No. 3 Corvette and the No. 62 Ferrari for the lead. the No. 62 and the No. 3 had both pitted, the No. 3 was now in the lead and the No. 62 Risi attempted to pass when they made contact. The No. 62 was unable to pass and is second. The No. 4 Corvette is in third. the No. 87 is fourth. No. 45 is fifth, No. 44 is sixth. 23 minutes left to go. The No. 62 is still running close behind the No. 3.

5:12 - No. 45 pits for tires and fuel. He is back out again still in P5.

5:10 - No. 44 pits for tires and fuel. He should hold his position and remain P6.

5:09 - Now the No. 62 and the No. 3 Corvette are racing each other as the No. 3 tries to pass to take the lead. In the No. 45, we'll be in a few minutes for tires and fuel. the No. 44 will also be in. This should be our last stop of the race, if all goes as planned. Just over 40 minutes left. The No. 45 is P5, the No. 44 P6. The No. 45 is one lap down on the leaders.

5:04 - One of the Corvettes (the No. 4) which was in p1, just went flying off track and lost the lead. the No. 62, now in the lead is fighting hard to hold off the No. 3 Corvette, which is now P2. he was able to rejoin, but is now P3, and is physically behind Joerg on the track, but the No. 45 is still one lap down from the No. 4.

5:00 - The No. 87, which was in P4, is in the pits.

4:56 - The No. 4 Corvette in the lead and the No. 62 Risi Ferrari in second are nose to tail - exciting racing at the front right now

4:48 - The No. 62 (in P2), the No. 3 (in P3),and the No. 87 (in P4) are now by the No. 45, and are now 2 laps ahead. Joerg is in P5, Johannes is P6. 1 hour left to go in the race.

4:45 - Speeding violation for the No. 92 on leaving the pits - stop and go under green. Positions are: P1 No. 4; P2 No. 62; P3 No. 3; P4 No. 87; P 5 No. 45; P6 No. 44. The No. 62 Risi Ferrari, the No. 3 Corvette, and the No. 87 Porsche are all physically behind the No. 45 on track, although 1 lap ahead. All four cars are running nose to tail.

4:42 - The No. 4 Corvette, the GT2 leader, is now by Joerg, and is now 2 laps ahead. The no. 62 Risi Ferarri is by the No. 3 Corvette- moving into second. the No. 62 Risi Ferrari is now physically just behind Joerg, but is one lap ahead. the No. 92 BMW, which was in fifth, and at the front of the GT2 train, is now in the pits for their driver change, which puts Joerg into fifth. They have the hood off and are looking at the engine.

4:30 - Both Corvettes have passed the No. 62 - to take the lead. Positions: P1 No. 4; P2 No.3; P3 No. 62; P4 No. 87; P5 No. 92; P6 No. 45; P7 No. 21; P8 No. 44. Cars 62 through 87 are on the same lap. Cars 92 through 21 are on the same lap, one lap down. the No. 44 is 2 laps down on the No. 4. 1 hour 20 minutes left in the race.
Physically, on track, they are still a freight train of GT2 cars - the No. 92 is first of the group, followed by the No.45, then the No. 4 and No. 3 Corvettes, then the No. 62 Risi Ferrari - all basically nose to tail. the No. 87, which is in fourth, has also caught the pack and is close to the No. 62, which is in third.

4:25 - Joerg, in sixth is coming up on the No. 92 BMW in fifth, which is for position. The No. 62 Risi Ferrari, one lap ahead, is right behind the No. 45. The No. 92 BMW and the No. 40 made contact on course as the No. 92 passed, but they continued wihthout incident. the No. 87 has loose bodywork. Positions: P1 No. 62; P2 No. 4; P3 No. 3; P4 No. 87; P5 No. 92; P6 No. 45. Physically on track, the No. 92 is at the lead of the pack, the No. 45 is second, the No. 62 is third, and both corvettes are right behind the Ferrari - all five cars are nose to tail, although the No. 92 and the No. 45 are one lap down.

4:19 - Green flag. Joerg is P6, Johannes is P8. Positions: P1 No. 62; P2 No. 4; P3 No. 3; P 4 No. 87; P 4 No. 92; P6 No. 45. the No 62 Risi Ferrari, which is one lap ahead of the No. 45, is physically just behind us on track.

4:18 - Lights out on the safety car - green this time by.

4:17 - Still yellow - Johannes pits in the No. 44 for another fuel top up. He is in P8 right now.

4:14 - Joerg radios in that it's raining on track.

4:12 - The No. 40 Ford is slow on course. Still yellow.

4:08 pm - The No. 44 is pitting for a fuel top up. A second group of GT2 cars is now pitting for their driver changes (the No. 11 Viper, etc.) Still yellow. Positions: P1 No. 62; P2 No. 4; P3 No. 3; P4 No. 87; P5 No. 92; P6 No. 45. Johannes in the No. 44 is now P10. the No. 45 is one lap down on the top 4 GT2 leaders (No. 62 through No. 87).

4:03- The GT2 leaders are starting to pit - the No. 62, No. 87, No. 4, No. 3 - all four of those GT2 cars are on the lead lap. The No. 11; No. 40; No. 92 and No. 45 are on the same lap , one lap down. Still yellow.

3:58 - The No. 45 is now P8 and the No. 44 P10. Full course caution. Pits are closed. I expect both Lizard cars will pit again under yellow for a fuel top up. The No. 45 is 1 lap down on the GT2 leaders, and the No. 44 is 2 laps down. The waveby has not yet started, but it doesn't appear that the No. 45 will get a waveby, so they will not be able to get their lap back.

3:57 - Big accident on track - looks like the No. 16 Mazda - double yellow. Bad luck, bad timing for the Lizards since both of our cars just pitted under green and were the first of the GT2 cars to pit. The driver appears ok.

3:56 - The No. 44 is in the pits. Johannes is in the car and is out quickly with new tires and fuel. So far, no cautions yet in the race.

3:52 - Early pit stop for the No. 45 for a driver change to Joerg, tires and fuel. They had to bring him him becuase Patrick could no longer see out the windshield because of the amount of oil on it. They are doing a windscreen tearoff to give Joerg a clean window. Darren is also reporting oil on his windshield. They will pit him shortly for tires, fuel and windscreen tear off and driver change to Johannes. They are the first of the GT2 cars to pit for driver change. Darren was hit at some point by a prototype so the crew will also look to make sure no damage.

3:50- The No. 87 has passed the No. 3 Corvette and moved into third.

3:46 - The No.62 Risi Ferrari, in second, has now caught the No. 4 Corvette in the lead and they are nearly nose to tail. Patrick radios in that he has oil on the windshield and cannot see. Darren is in 8th again and is stuck behind the No. 11 Viper,which has a lot more straight line speed.

3:43 - The No. 87 has passed the No. 45 and is in P4. Patrick is now P5. Positions: P1 No. 4 Corvette; P2 No. 62 Risi Ferari; P3 No. 3 Corvette; P4 No. 87 Farnbacher Loles Racing Porsche; P5 No. 45; P6 No. 40; P7 No. 44.

3:38 - Positions: P1 No. 4 Corvette; P2 No. 62 Risi Ferrari; P3 No. 3 Corvette; P4 No. 45; P5 No. 87. The No. 3 Corvette is slowing and Patrick is getting closer to him. the No. 87 is right behind Patrick. Darren is now P7 in the No. 44.

3:34- Patrick is again stuck on track behind one of the BMWs, which is not on the same lap.

3:28 - The No. 62 Risi Ferrari just passed the No. 3 Corvette to take second. The No. 4 Corvette now has a substantial lead and has built a good gap to the rest of the GT2 field. The No. 62 Risi Ferrari in second appears to be determined to reel him in though. Patrick, in second, is back on the pace and is focused on catching the No. 3 Corvette, which is in third. In the No. 44, Darren is in eighth.

3:25 - We now see the TV replay - looks like both the BMW and the No. 45 were in the wrong place at the wrong time, and had no place to go to avoid a collision when the Autocon prototype slowed on course and turned in. Patrick is still out and is slowing slightly but appears to be OK. Positions: P1 No. 4; P2 No. 3; P3 No. 52; P4 No. 45.

3:22 - We aren't sure yet what happened, but the No. 90 has significant damage on the rear, and No. 45 has damage on the front. Patrick radios in that the Autocon prototype stopped in the road. the No 90 was ahead of Patrick on the track and came up on the stopped car first and hit the brakes, Patrick went into the back of the No. 90. The No. 90 has pitted. Patrick is still out. So far, no evidence of radiator damage. Patrick is now P4. Positions: P1 No. 4; P2 No. 3; P3 No. 62; P4 No. 45. Darren is P9.


3:20 - Positions: P1 No. 4; P2 No. 3; P3 No. 90; P4 No. 62; P5 No. 45. Darren is now P9. Patrick radioedin that he may have radiator damage. Not sure what caused it.

3:19 - The No. 62 has passed the No. 45 to move into fifth. Now both the No. 62 and the No. 45 have passed the No. 92 BMW. Patrick is now P5. Risi is P4. The No. 92 has pitted, apparently for tires.

3:17 - The No. 3 Corvette has passed the No. 92 BMW to take second. The Corvettesare now running 1 and 2. The No. 62 Risi Ferrari has passed the No. 40 to move into sixth and is right behind Patrick in the No. 45. In the No. 44, Darren has passed the Viper to move into tenth.

3:13 - The No. 4 Corvette has taken the lead, with the NO. 92 BMW in second. The No.3 Corvette is P4 and the No. 90 BMW is P5. Patrick is being held up by the No. 90 but is unable to pass. The No. 40 Ford is right behind Patrick, and the NO. 62 Risi Ferraris is right behind the No. 40.

3:11 - Patrick is now right on the tail of the No. 90 BMW, which is just behnd the No. 3 Corvette. There's a bit of gap between the two Corvettes.

3:07 pm - A clean start for the entire field. The No. 87, which started last, has moved up several positions. The No. 92 is holding P1, No. 4 Corvette Now P2; No. 3 Corvette now P3, No. 90 BMW is P4. Patrick is P4 in the No. 45 and Darren is P11 in the No. 44. The No. 62 has moved up to P7 and the No. 87 has moved up to P8.

3:05 pm ET - Green flag. Darren is starting from ninth, Patrick from fifth. It is a double file start.

3:02 - The cars are rolling down the front straight for one pace lap. Darren Law is in the No. 44, Patrick Long in the No. 45.

2:55 pm - 10 minutes to race start, pace laps will start shortly. Some heavy sprinkles - it's going to make for a slick track. Hopefully the rain will hold off.

2:20 - The cars are all on the grid. Starting GT2 positions: P1 No. 92 BMW; P2 No. 90BMW; P3 No. 4 Corvette; P4 No. 3 Corvette; P5 No. 45; P6 No. 21; P 7 No. 40; P8 No. 11; P9 No. 62 Risi Ferrari; P 10 No. 44; P 11 No. 87 Farnbacher Loles Racing Porsche. It's cool and breezy with heavy cloudcover and a few sprinkles - hopefully the rain will hold off through the race.

2:13 - Both the No. 44 and No. 45 are back out on track before pit lane closed. They are heading to the grid now. Light rain is falling. Both cars are on slicks (their qualifying tires), but can start on rain tires if needed - the crew will have them at the grid in case they need them.

2:10 pm - Green flag - pit exit is open. The No. 44 and No. 45 are out on track for their recon laps. They will both pit for fuel and their race tires, then do another recon lap and heading to the grid.

2:05 pm - We are five minutes from the start of recon laps. Both Lizard Porsches are in their pit stalls waiting for pit exit to open. Once the exit is open, they will do two recon laps, and assuming all is well, will proceed to the grid. Patrick Long will start fifth on the grid in the No. 45 and Darren Law will start tenth on the grid, just behind the No. 62 Risi Ferrari (which crashed during practice yesterday and was not able to make qualifying.) The No. 44 will start at the back because Darren was not able to make either practice session on Saturday.

Reminder that we are broadcasting our team radio - go to "Follow the Race" tab on the home page for details. In the U.S., the race is broadcast live on SpeedTV.

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9:40 am ET - Checkered flag on the morning warmup session. Joerg is now P1 in the session, a 1:19.659. Both Lizard Porsches are safely back in their pit stalls. The crew will work on pit stops, then head back to the garage for final prep before the race.

We'll be back with you around 2:45 for this afternoon's race, which starts at 3:05 pm ET. We'll be broadcasting our team radio live during the race - you can listen in at www.lizardms.com.

The race will be broadcast live on SpeedTV.


9:35 - Green flag - the No. 87 has been removed - just under five minutes left in the session. Joerg is now in the No. 45, Darren still in the No. 44.

9:26 - The No. 87 Farnbacher Loles Racing Porsche is in the wall at Turn 1. Heavy hit. On TV, we can see the driver (Dirk Werner) who appears to be OK, but he is unable to continue. Red flag. This may be the end of the session as they'll need to get the No. 87 on the rollback.

9:25 - Patrick pits for fuel. He reports that the tires are just starting to come in now.

9:20 - Patrick is back in the pits and will go out on slicks this time. The No. 44 is also back in the pits for another set of tires. Both drivers are working on warming up the tires on the green track. The No. 62 has reappeared on track - the car had a heavy impact with the wall in afternoon practice and did not make yesterday's qualifying session.

9:17 am - Both Lizard Porsches are in the pits for tire changes. the No. 45 is out on wets, the No. 44 on slicks, I believe.

9:15 am - Green flag on the morning 25 minute warmup, a combined GT/prototype session. Patrick and Darren are both heading out on wets.

9:10 am ET - Good morning from Mosport. It's cool and damp this morning at the track. It's not raining at the moment, but some dark cloudcover might mean some rain in the next hour or so. Morning practice begins at 9:15 am. Darren has arrived from Montreal so he'll run the warmup in the No. 44 to get acclimated. Patrick is in the No. 45 ready to head out. Both cars are on rain tires. If the rain holds off, I expect they will both switch to slicks once the field has done a few laps and dried out the track.

Mosport - Practice Sessions & Qual

Saturday August 29, 2009

4:14 pm ET - Checkered flag on qualifying. The No. 92 BMW is on the GT2 pole for Mosport with a 1:17.528. The No. 90 BMW is P2. The No. 87 is P3. The No. 4 Corvette is P4, the No. 3 Corvette is P5 and the No. 45 is sixth. In the No. 44, Johannes had the ninth fastest time - they used the session for setup because the car will start from the rear of the grid. We'll be back with you tomorrow for morning warmup at 9:15 am ET. See you then!

4:08 - Chief Strategist Thomas Blam calls Patrick back to the pits - he is still P6. Just a few minutes left...

4:05 - Patrick is back out for one more attempt at a fast lap.

4:00 pm - The No. 92 BMW is now P1 with a 1:17.528. Patrick is P6 right now. They will pit him for tire pressures. The No. 44 is using the session for setup since they will automatically start from the rear of the grid because the car's second driver, Darren Law, will not arrive until late tonight and wasn't able to participate in the official practice sessions today. The No. 62, which crashed late in the practice session, has not yet made it back from the garage. If they do not participate in qualifying, they will also start from the rear of the grid.

3:58 - On his second lap, Patrick is P3. The No. 4 Corvette is P1; The No. 3 Corvette is P3.

3:53 - Green flag on GT2 qualifying. The No. 45 just went out on track. The No. 44 is in the pits as they make one more setup change. The track is dry and the cloudcover has startd to disperse.

3:46 - Checkered flag on the final practice session. GT2 qualifying will start shortly. The No. 45 was P6 in the session, the No. 44 8th. The No. 92 BMW was P1, the No. 90 BMW P2, the No. 62 Risi Ferrari P3 (it crashed late in the session), and the No. 4 Corvette P4, the No. 87 Farnacher Loles Racing Porsche P5.

3:35 - Green flag - 11 minutes left in the session.

3:33 - We are seeing the No. 62 on a rollback - quite a bit of damage to the left rear. The car is heading back to the paddock. 20 minutes until qualifying session begins.

3:26 - Red flag. Looks like the No. 62 has stopped just off course after impacting the wall - can't tell how much damage. Driver appears OK.

3:22 - Patrick pits for new tires. Just over 20 minutes left in the session.

3:20 - Patrick Long is now in the No. 45 - he's P5. Johannes is still P8. 26 minutes left.

3:10 - Joerg is now P3. Johannes is P8. 35 minutes left in the session.

3:00 - Johannes is in the pits for a setup change. Joerg heads back out.

2:54 - Joerg is in the pits for the crew to get a read on the car and some more detailed feedback from Joerg. Because of the rain this morning, we didn't get much done on setup so this is our last chance before qualifying to make setup adjustments. It's hard to tell what the weather will hold for tomorrow, but right now it looks like it will be a dry race.

2:50 - Joerg is P4 after 4 laps. The No. 4 Corvette is P1, No. 92 BMW P2; No. 3 Corvette P3. Johannes is P 7.

2:46 - Green flag. The session will run for the full hour.

2:43 - We are on a hold while they do repair to the tire wall (from an incident in the previous session).

2:35 pm ET - Five minutes from start of the second practice session for today. We had some luck on the weather and the track is dry and it looks like it may hold for the sesssion. Joerg will start in the No. 45 and Johannes in the No. 44. Johannes' co-driver Darren Law will arrive here late tonight after his race at Montreal today. Because Darren won't make an official practice session, the No. 44 will start from the back. There are a few other cars in the same situation (the No. 87 Farnbacher Loles is one) so the starting position will be determined by the times set during the two practice sessions today and qualifying (also today).

11:15 - Checkered flag on a damp, foggy morning practice. Joerg finished the session in P3 with a 1:32.525. The No. 4 Corvette was P1 with a 1:31.906. We'll be back with you for this afternoon's practice session at 2:40 pm ET, then qualifying at 3:50. ** Jennifer

11:10 - 5 minutes left in the session. It's now raining solidly. Joerg now has the fourth fastest time of the session with a 1:33.510. Johannes is 10th.

11:00 - 15 Minutes left in the morning practice. Joerg Bergmeister is now in the No. 45, which has the 8th fastest time of hte session. Johannes is in the No. 44 which is 10th. The track has been wet the entire session, although it is only raining lightly the fog has not lifted.

** Reminder - 20% off everything at our online store through August 31. Just 2 days left! Enter 3TOGO at checkout - details at our online store. ***

10:45 am ET - We are back to the in-between conditions again - not really wet, but not yet dry. The No. 3 Corvette, which I believe is still on rain tires, is fastest in the session with a 1:32.864.

10:30 am ET - Patrick is now P4. Johannes is P9 in the No. 44. The No. 4 Corvette is P1 and the No. 3 Corvette P2. The No. 62 Risi Ferrari is P3. Johannes is back in the pits for the engineers to work on rain setup, since there's not much we can do for dry setup at the moment.

10:27 am ET - Patrick is fifth fastest in the session right now - with a 1:38.621.

10:23 am ET - It's definitely raining now. Both cars are still out, now on rain tires. Everyone is being very cautious - visibility is very low.

10:15 am ET - Green flag. Patrick Long is in the No. 45 and Johannes is in the No. 44. On his outlap Patrick radios in that it is very slick. It looks like both tires went out on slicks. The fog is not lifting and it is starting to rain again. They are calling Johannes into the pits. It's now starting to rain so they will move to wets now that the track is wet enough for rain tires (if you run on rain tires while the track is too dry the tires get too hot and chunk up and then they become ineffective)

10:00 am ET - Good morning from Mosport. It's cool, foggy and wet here this morning after a heavy rain last night. The track is starting to dry out - not quite there. The session starts at 10:15 am. The engineers are still deciding what tires to start on - there is almost a dry line, but not quite - too dry for wets but possibly still too wet for slicks.

Friday, August 28, 2009

6:00 pm ET - Checkered flag on today's test session. We'll be back with you for the first official practice session tomorrow at 10:15 am. GT2 qualifying is tomorrow (Saturday) at 3:50 pm ET. See you then! *** Jennifer

5:53 - Johannes is in the pits in the No. 44 and Patrick is out again in the No. 45. The No. 45 is P6 in the session. The No. 62 is P1, the No. 4 is P2, the No. 90 is P3, the No. 87 is P4 and the No. 40 is P5.

5:50 - Patrick reports a weird vibration. He will pit this lap to have the crew check it out.

5:45 - Patrick pits for an aero adjustment. 15 minutes left. The No. 45 is still P5.

5:38 - The No. 45 is in the pits for a setup change. The rain has held off and it looks like we may luck out for the session. 20 minutes left.

5:30 - Johannes heads back on track after the setup change. It's now GT2 only. Patrick Long is still in the No. 45. The No. 45 is P4 in the session. The No. 62 is P1; the No. 4 is P2; the No. 90 is P3.

5:25 - The No. 90 BMW is now P1 with a 1:18.313. Patrick Long is now in the No. 45. Johannes is back in the pits in the No. 44 for a change. His co-driver Darren Law is doing double driving duty this weekend and will not be at the track until Sunday morning warmup. As a result, the No. 44 will start from the back of the grid on Sunday.

5:12 - Joerg pits for driver change and fuel.

5:05 - Joerg is in the pits and is reporting turn by turn feedback to the engineers. He is now P1 in the session with a 1:18.572. Craig Watkins calls the No. 44 into the pits for a read on the car and then make a setup change.

5:00 - Joerg heads back out. He is now in P3. 1 hour left in the session. In the No. 44, Johannes has moved up to P7.

4:55 - Joerg reports more rain. He is called back into the pits for a setup change.

4:52 - Joeg is now P2 with a 1:19.166. The track is dry again but tV shows it is still sprinkling.

4:45 - The No. 45 is back on track and the No. 44 should be out shortly. Wolf Henzler in the No. 87 is in P1. Dirk Mueller in the No. 92 BMW is P2. Joey Hand in the No. 90 is P3. Joerg is P7.

4:41 - Johannes and Joerg both radio in that it is starting to get slippery as it is now raining lightly. Chief engineer Craig Watkins (working on the No. 44 Porsche) and No. 45 engineer Stefan Pfeiffer make the decision to pit each cars.

4:38 - Some sprinkles on the front straight.

4:36 pm - The No. 45 is in the pits after its fuel check. Joerg reports that the pads are not yet in, but they'll add fuel, and send him out again to get the pads bedded and the tires up to temp. Joerg's initial report after just 3 laps is that the car is stiff and bouncy and harsh over the bumps. Joerg is P4 right now in the session, which lasts until 6 pm ET.

4:35 - After an install lap, the No. 44 is in the pits, and back out again.

4:30 - Green flag on the combined GT2/prototype test session.

4:25 pm - Good afternoon from Mosport. It's a breezy cool day here and we have a weather front coming in with rain scheduled for later tonight. It's been dry so far and hopefully we'll have a dry test session - starting at 4:30 pm.

Joerg Bergmeister is in the No. 45 and Johannes van Overbeek is in the No. 44 - ready to head out on track for their first track session of the race week. Stefan Pfeiffer just nofified the crew of the schedule for the session - they'll start with an install lap, bedding in the brake pads and make sure everything is sorted out before starting their setup work. In the No. 44 Johannes will do an install lap and also work on bedding in brake pads and shaking down the newly installed motor.

Road America - Raceday

Sunday August 16, 2009

4:50- Checkered flag. The No. 45 is fourth and the No. 44 is eighth. Although we did not finish in the podium, the No. 45 finished ahead of the No. 62, which is fifth, so we will extend our championship lead.

Congratulations to BMW for their first win of the season, and a 1/2 podium finish. We'll be back with you guys in two weeks at Mosport. *** Jen


4:48 - The No. 3 Corvette is now by - that was a shovel move - going on the inside and pushing Patrick off course. Luckily Patrick was able to keep control and continued. Patrick is now P4. In the No. 44 Darren is now P8. The Ferrari is P5.

4:46 - Patrick is by the No. 4 Corvette, but so is the No. 3 Corvette which is now right on his tail. just under 3 minutes.

4:45 - The No. 62 was passed by the No. 4 Corvette. Patrick in the No. 45 is in third and is now in a Corvette sandwhich - between the 4 (which is one lap down) and the 3 which is in fourth.

4:42 pm - Green flag.

4:40 pm - Less than 10 minutes left. Still yellow.

4:39 - Correction - looks like the 3 passed the No. 62 under yellow because they've now reversed positions - the No. 62 is back in fourth and the No. 3 in fifth. We are still yellow. Physically on track, the No. 45, in third, is followed by one of the BMWs (the 90, the leader) who is one lap ahead. The No. 62 is right behind the BMW. In front of the No. 45 is the No. 92, which is in second.

4:32 pm - Another full course caution, 17 seconds to go. The issue here may be fuel - many cars would have taken short fuel on their last pit stop - a lengthy yellow could cause problems. If the race finishes under yellow, we will finish third. The No 3. Corvette passed the No. 62 Risi Ferrari right before the yellow to move into fourth. Positions: P1 No. 90; P2 No. 92; P3 No. 45; P 4 No. 3; P 5 No. 62; P 6 No. 4; P 7 No. 40; P8 No. 44.

4:30 - The No. 45 in third is now 3 seconds ahead of the No. 62, which is in fourth. We need to finish ahead of them or we will reduce our lead spread in the championship (currently 37 points ahead of them). The No. 3 Corvette is close behind the No. 62 Ferrari - putting a lot of pressure on him. The NO. 11 Viper is once again in the gravel - double yellow (again!)

4:27 - The No. 87, which was in eighth, evidently is having som eproblems, Darren is now P8 in the No. 44.

4:25 - Positions: P1 No. 90; P2 No. 92; P3 No. 45; P4 No. 62; P4 No. 3; P 6 No. 4. The No. 44 is P9. The No. 90 is on the lead lap. The No. 92, 45, 62, and 3 are on the same lap, one lap down from the No. 90. The No. 4 is one lap down on them, 2 laps down on the leader.

4:22 - 25 minutes left. The No. 45 is P4. We are right behind the No. 62 and Patrick is past him to take third. The No. 62 is P4. On their last pit stop, Risi did not take new tires but the No. 45 did.

4:20 - Green flag.

4:19 - Patrick is now P4. The No. 90 is P1. The No. 62 is P2. The No. 92 is P3. The No. 45 is P4. The No. 3 is P5 and the No. 4 is P 6. The No. 62, 92, 45, and 3 are all on the same lap. I believe that the No. 4 is one lap down from them (2 from the leader).

4:18 pm - Still yellow. Risi did not take tires on their pit stop. I'll report positions in a minute once things sort out.

4:17 pm - Patrick is out of the pits ahead of the No. 90 and the No. 3 corvette. We have lost all pit cameras so I can't tell what's happening. I'll update in a minute if we get things back.

4:14 - The No. 62 Risi Ferrari crew is getting ready for their pit stop. The No. 92 (in second) is also pitting - they are P2. The No. 44 is in pit lane for short fuel and tires. The No. 45 will also pit for short fuel and tires.

4:12 - The waveby has started. It looks like the No. 15 P2 car, which beat out the No. 9 and the No. 66 out of the pits, is now the overall leader.

4:08 - The No. 1 and the No. 2 overall cars pitted and are back on track quickly in the same order (No. 9 is P1, No. 66 P2). Once the waveby starts (at the end of the yellow), the pace car will wave the field by until the No. 9 reaches the pace car. Both the No. 44 and the No. 45 will pit during this yellow - I expect much of the GT2 field will also pit.

4:02 - One of the dyson prototypes was slow on course. he was working his way around slowly when the Panoz hit him on track, spinning off into the grass. We were able to avoid the incident. Full course yellow. Hopefully we will have some luck on this yellow and the restart.


4:00 - 50 minutes left to go. We are P5.

3:57 - The No. 90 BMW passed the No. 45 on the front straight, but he is a lap ahead and it was not for position. The BMWs have more power than the Porsches (they are running a larger restrictor) and at a track like Road America this is a significant advantage.

3:52 - Here are the positions in GT2. No. 90 BMW is in the lead. He is on the lead lap. No. 92 BMW is in second. He is on the same lap as the No. 90.

The No. 62 is in third. He is one lap down on the BMWs.

The No. 3 Corvette is in fourth. The No. 45 is in fifth and the No. 40 Ford GT is in sixth. All four of those cars (the No. 62, No. 3, No. 45, and the No. 40 are on the same lap). The No. 4 Corvette is in sixth ( I believe that the No. 4 is 2 laps down on the overall leader).

The BMWs gained a lap during the first yellow when they received a waveby but the rest of the GT2 field did not. This is an advantage of starting at the front - you are more likely to receive a waveby during an early yellow because you are physically in front of the overall leader on track. (The pace car waves the cars by on track under yellow until the pace car is physically in front of the overall leader. That is the starting position for when the course goes green.)

3:50 - No. 87 is in the pits for fuel and tires. They should be good for the rest of the race. They are now in 8th. No. 44 is in 9th.

3:47 -Patrick has been trying to get by the No. 3 Corvette (whic is in fourth) , but has been unable to get safely by - Patrick is on a faster pace.

3:43 pm - The No. 4 Corvette is in the pits unexpectedly. They are fueling and it looks like replacing the door becuase they lost a mirror during the incident with the Dyson car earlire. The No. 4 had been in fifth. The lengthy pit stop has pushed him back in the field and Patrick in the No. 45 moves to fifth.

3:33 - Patrick has passed the No. 90 BMW on track that puts him back on the same lap, but is not for position. Still P6. He now needs to reel in the No. 4 Corvette in fifth and the No. 3 Corvette in fourth. Replay shows one of the Corvettes making contact with a Dyson prototype and the two Corvettes touching on track as a result. No apparent damage, but it did slow them down a bit and Patrick is now right behind them.

3:26 - Chaos in the GT2 lead pack - looks like we got caught up in the tussle - the Ferrari took advantage of the traffic to pass the pack, with both Corvettes following him through. This puts the Ferrari into third. Patrick went wide and was able to avoid contact or damage to the car, but is now in sixth (from third). Positions: p1 No. 90; P2 No. 92; P3 No. 62; P4 No. 4; P45 No. 3; P6 No. 45. Both BMWs are still one lap up, gained during the first yellow, when they got the waveby, but the rest of the GT2 field did not.

3:24 - Green flag. Positions: P1 No. 90; P2 No. 92; P3 No. 45; P 4 No. 62; P 5 No. 4; P 6 No. 3. No. 44 is now P 9.

3:21 - Fantastic pit stop by the No. 45 crew - the No. 45 beat the GT2 leaders (who were on their outlap after their pit stops) out on track. That puts him into third - ahead of Risi, now in fourth, and the Corvettes in fifth and sixth. Patrick Long is in the car.

92 was assessed a penalty - stop and go plus 60 seconds- for a problem in their pit stop. Still yellow.

3:21 - No 45, currently in third, is now in the pits for driver change, tires and fuel. I'll report positions in a few minutes once the field settles out.

3:19 pm - Risi beat the pitting GT2 cars out of the pits. This means that he has passed the Corvettes, and has held off the BMWS, which are in the lead, from gaining another lap on him.

3:17 pm - The wave by has started - the pace car waves the field by until the overall leader (the No. 9 Patron prototype) reaches the pace car. Then the waveby stops. Joerg was second in the line behind the pacecar when the waveby started - he and the rest of the GT2 field all got the waveby and are now circling back around.
He did not gain a lap back on the BMWs (they are still in the position that they were when the yellow started) but at least he didn't lose a lap.

Most of the GT2 field is now pitting - both Corvettes, both BMWs, the Viper, the Ford GT, and Risi. The No. 45 will pit on the next lap.


3:14 - The No. 44 has pitted under yellow for tires, fuel, and driver change to Darren Law

3:09 pm - The pace car is out - we'll see in a minute how things sort out, once the pace car catches the overall leader. The pace car is physically in front of the No. 3 Corvette, with the NO. 45 next, the No. 4 next, and the No. 62 behind him.

3:05 pm Double yellow - car off in six. We were starting to get ready for our driver changes - this will mean we'll stop earlier than planned. Looks like the No. 11 Viper in the gravel. This yellow could help us - depending on where we are on track to the overall leader, we may be able to close some of the distance to the BMWs, and close up the gap to the No. 3 Corvette which is P3.

3:04 pm - The overall leaders are threading their way through the GT2 field, spreading them out a bit. Joerg reports that the car is squirrely and wiggly, and that there might be a problem.

3:02- The No. 87 Farnbacher Loles Porsche is in the pits. Joerg is now 2 seconds back from the No. 3 Corvette. Joerg is still P4.

2:58 - The No. 45was able to use some Challenge car traffic to get a bit of breathing room from the No. 62 Risi Ferrari and the No. 4 Corvette. In the traffic - the the No. 4 Corvette was able to get by Risi. This helped us - giving us a bit of a gap. Positions: P1 No 92; P2 No. 90; P3 No. 3; P4 No. 45; P 5 No. 4; P 6 No. 62.


2:53 - The No. 3 Corvette is by Joerg and has taken P3. Joerg now P4. the No. 62 is now just behind Joerg.

2:51 - GT2 Positions remain unchanged. P1 No. 92; P2 No. 90; P3 No. 45; P4 No. 3; P 5 No. 62; P 6 No. 62; P 7 No. 87. No. 44 P10.

2:43 - Joerg is under pressure from the No. 3 Corvette which is in P4 and behind him, the No. 62 Risi Ferrari which is P5.

2:40 pm - Joerg is running at the same pace as the BMWs, but they are one lap ahead. Positions: P1 No. 92; P2 No. 90; P3 No. 45; P4 No. 3; P5 No. 62; P6 No. 4. The No. 44 is P 10. Just over 2 hours left.

2:35 - Green flag. Very congested out there as the prototypes that are physically behind the GT2 cars work their way up. Joerg still holds P3, with the No. 3 Corvette right behind him and the No. 62 Risi Ferrari right behind the Corvette. Luckily it was a clean restart.

2:34 - yes, that's confirmed - Joerg is at the head of the line behind the pace car, just behind the Patron prototype. This means that the GT2 leaders, the No. 90 and 92 were able to gain nearly an entire lap on the field during the yellow.

2:32 - The No. 92 BMW pitted for fuel - still a yellow flag. Unfortunately, it looks like Joerg and all of the GT2 cars behind him got split by the pace car - this puts the No. 90 and No. 92, who were in front of the pace car, one lap ahead of the rest of the field. I'll confirm that in a minute. Still yellow. The No. 90 MBW also pitted for fuel, and came out just behind the No. 92.

2:20 - Joerg radios in that he was hit but he is continuing. Not sure yet what happened. Still double yellow. Joerg said it was a pretty big hit but the crew who went to the pit wall said the car looked ok.

2:18 pm - The No. 62 Risi Ferrari has passed the No. 4 Corvette. Positions: P1 No. 90; P2 No. 92; P3 No. 45; P4 No. 3; P5 No. 62; P 6 No. 4. Local yellow as a challenge car is deep in the gravel in Turn 12. Now full course caution for race control to remove the car.

2:22 - The top 5 GT2 cars are running close together - the 2 BMWs, followed by the No.45, followed by the 2 corvettes. And Risi has caught up and is in P5. Joerg is battling a bit of understeer and a the BMWs are building a bit of a gap to him.

2:06 pm - It was a fairly clean start for the field except for the Panoz, which sustatined damage after colliding with the No. 40 after it apparently spun at the start. In the No. 45, Joerg was able to retain his starting position. Positions: P1 No. 90; P2 No. 92; P3 No. 45; P4 No. 3; P5 No. 4; P6 No. 62; P7 No. 87. This will be a 2 hour and 45 minute race.

2:05 pm - Green flag.

2:00 pm - Engine start. The cars are on track for one pace car lap.

1:55 - Five minutes to engine start.

1:44 - On the recon lap, we found a problem with Joerg's radio. They are hustling to get it fixed before Joerg has to get in the car.

1:30 pm CT - The cars are on the grid and pit lane is closed. The cars have completed their recon laps and lined up according to their starting position. Joerg Bergmeister will start in the No. 45, third on the GT2 rid. Seth Neiman will start in the No. 44 - 11th on the grid. The race begins at 2:05 pm CT - engine start and 1 pace lap start at 2:00 pm.

The race will be broadcast live on SpeedTV. We are also broadcasting our team radio live - to listen, click on the "Follow the Race" tab at www.lizardms.com.


8:55 am - Good morning from Road America. We are just minutes away from the start of morning warmup. This will be our last run on track before this afternoon's race. Patrick Long is in the No. 45 and Seth Neiman in the No. 44.

Road America - Raceday

Sunday August 16, 2009

9:20 am - Checkered flag on the morning warmup and thankfully, no red flags. the No. 45 was fifth fastest in the session with a 2:09.533. P1 No. 92 BMW (2:08.22), P2 No. 90 BMW, P3 No. 87, P4 No. 4; P5 No. 45. We'll be back with you for recon laps, about 1:15 CT. ** Thanks Jen

9:10 am - The No. 44 pits for driver change to Darren Law. The No. 45 pits for driver change to Joerg Bergmeister.

9:07 am - Patrick Long is currently P4 in the session. The BMWs, as expected, are P1 and P2. The No. 62 Risi Ferrari is P3. The BMWs are running larger restrictors and should show significant speed advantage in this type of circuit with its long straights which require power and speed. The Corvettes are running P5 and 6, although I expect they are not showing all they have right now.

8:55 am - Green flag. Cars are on course. Reminder that we are broadcasting our team radio this morning and during the race. To listen, click on the "Follow the Race" tab on our home page. The race will be broadcast live on SpeedTV.

8:53 am - Good morning from Road America. We are just minutes away from the start of morning warmup. This will be our last run on track before this afternoon's race. Patrick Long is in the No. 45 and Seth Neiman in the No. 44. It's a bit cooler today, with low cloudcover, a strong breeze and the possible thunderstorms predicted for this afternoon.

Road America - Practice Sessions

Saturday, August 15, 2009

3:30 - Checkered flag on GT2 qualifying. No. 45 Qualifies 3rd and No. 44 11th for Road America. That's it for today- we'll be back with you for morning warmup, tomorrow, Sunday at 8:55 CT. See you then! ** Jen

3:20 - The No. 90 is now P1 with a 2:06.950. The No. 92 is P2, and the No. 45 is now P3. The No. 45 is in pit lane - this is probably it for us for the session - we will save the tires.

3:18 - Joerg is now P 10 on his second lap, with a time of 2:10.781. Compare to the 2:07.943 that Joerg did just 15 minutes ago in practice. No. 87 is still P1. No. 92 BMW is P2. No. 92 BMW moves to P1 with a 2:07.073 (a new GT2 qualifying track record) and No. 92 is P2 with a 2:07.487. On lap 3, Joerg is now P2 with a 2:07.362. He radios in that he doesn't think he has more so he is pitting. The No. 92 is P1 with a 2:07.362. The No. 44 is P 11.

3:14 - The No. 45 is out at the front of the field and we are just hearing the cars go by the front straight now. The No. 87 is P1, No. 21 P2. Joerg did a slower outlap, we should see his next lap significantly faster. Joerg let the No. 87 by but now has the Panoz close behind. It's important to get a clear lap as early as possible in qualifying.

3:10 - Green flag on the 20 minute qualifying session. Joerg Bergmeister will qualify in the No. 45 and Seth Neiman in the No. 44.

3:00 Checkered flag on the session. Qualifying will begin in 10 minutes.

2:46 - Joerg is now fastest with a 2:07.943. 14 minutes left in practice, then we have qualifying immediately following.

2:43 - The No. 92 BMW is now quickest with a 2:08.052.

2:41 - No. 62 Risi Ferrari is now fastest in GT2 with a 2:08.157. Joerg is now second with a 2:08.900.

2:37 - Green flag. 23 minutes left in the session. Joerg is still in the No. 45 and Seth in the No. 44.

2:30 - Looks like the left rear suspension is broken in the No. 16 Dyson prototype after hitting the wall, so we'll be red a bit longer as they flat tow him in. 30 minutes left in the practice session.

2:25 - One of the Dyson prototypes is off in Turn 8 - looks like he may have impacted the wall. driver appears fine although not clear if he will get going again. Red Flag. Just over 30 minutes left in the session.


2:20 - Joerg Bergmeister heads out in the No. 45 for his first run in this session.

2:16 - Patrick pits for tire pressure check and driver change to Joerg Bergmeister and make a few more aero adjustments.

2:10 - The tires are starting to come in and the times are falling. The No. 90 BMW just did the fastest time so far in the session with a 2:09.311. Patrick is currently P6 with a 2:10.425.

2:00- Green flag. Seth and Patrick are on track. We have a one hour combined practice session, then qualifying immediately after that.

1:55 pm CT - Five minutes from green flag on the afternoon practice session. Seth Neiman is in pit lane in the No. 44 and Patrick Long is in the No. 45.

11:30 - Checkered flag on the session. The No. 45 had the fourth fastest time of the session. We'll be back with you later today at 2:00 pm CT for the second practice session of the day. Thanks! *** Jen

11:24 - Green flag. 6 minutes left in the session. Darren is in the No. 44 and Patrick in the No. 45.

11:16 - Red flag. The No. 02 Challenge car appears to have a tire puncture or an engine/transmission problem and a second challenge car (the No. 47) is deep in the travel. 12 minutes left in the session.

11:11 - Seth pits for driver change to Darren Law in the No. 44. Joerg is also back in the pits for a driver change to Patrick Long and fuel. 19 minutes left in the session.

11:05 - Both cars are back on track.

11:03 - the No. 45 pits for a setup change - ride height.

11:00 - Green flag. The No. 45 is back on track. The No. 44 is getting fuel and will head out in a minute.

10:56 - Another Challenge car is in the gravel. Red flag.

10:54 - No. 45 is back out again. Wolf now has the fastest time of the session so far, a 2:09.202.

10:52 - The No. 45 mechanics are making a clutch repair in pit lane.

10:47 - Joerg is P1 with a 2:09.880. P2 is Wofl henzler in the No. 87 Farnbacher Loles Porsche with a 2:09.986.

10:45 - Joerg radios in that his clutch is gone. They will pit him shortly to check it out.

10:40 - Green flag. We are rolling again.

10:37 am - A challenge car is embedded in the gravel at Turn 12. Red flag.

10:30 am - Green flag on morning practice. Seth Neiman is in the No. 44 and Joerg Bergmeister in the No. 45.

10:20 am CT - Good morning from Road America. Another nice day here - some cloud cover today which should help keep the heat down a bit. There's a chance of some thunderstorms throughout the weekend but hopefully we'll have dry track for our two practice sessions and qualifying today.

Our first practice session starts at 10:30 am CT today. Seth Neiman is in the No. 44 in pit lane. The No. 45 has not yet shown up in pit lane but I expect it shortly.

Friday, August 14, 2009

3:46 - Checkered flag on the GT2 session. We'll be back with you tomorrow, Saturday, at 10:30 am CT. See you then! Jen ***

3:44 - Green flag.

3:43 pm - They will go green shortly and we will be able to do 1 or 2 more laps before the end of our session.

3:39 - Red flag on Joerg's outlap. One of the BMWs is stopped on track.Looks like he might be out of fuel. This may be the end of our session. The No. 45 was second fastest of the session, with a 2:09.402, two-tenths of a second behind the No. 90 BMW.

3:38 pm - Joerg is back out on track. 7 minutes left in the session.

3:35 pm - 10 minutes left in the session. The No. 45 is almost done with their brake pad change. Joerg will need to bed these new pads in. Seth Neiman is now in the No. 44.

3:31 - Joerg is pitting for a brake pad change.

3:20 pm - Joerg is now in the No. 45. Darren is pitting for a setup change.

3:07 pm - Green flag. Just under 40 minutes left in the session. Darren is in the No. 44 and Patrick is in the No. 45. We will change to Joerg Bergemeister in the No. 45 shortly.

2:55 -Red flag. One of the Challenge cars, I think the No. 57 Snow Porsche - is off deep into the gravel after getting bumped by the Panoz.

2:52 pm - Darren is now in the No. 44. Just under an hour left in the session. This is our only practice session today. We have two practice sessions on Saturday, then warmup on Sunday before the race.

2:45 pm - Start of combined practice - the prototypes are now on the track. Patrick is currently P2 in the session with a 2:09.402. the No. 90 BMW is P1. We've spent the last 30 minutes making our basic setup adjustments, bedding in brakes and getting the tires up to temp. Now the engineers will start fine tuning. AT Road America, the engineers have to make sure the cars have enough speed for the straights, but also keep a good aero balance for the fast corners. To do that, they try to minimize downforce, yet leave enough so that the car is predictable in the fast turns.

2:20 pm - Officials told us there was a possible fire in the right rear of the No. 45 - Patrick has pitted so we can check it out. We could not see anything on the TV feed. All is fine, so Patrick is heading out again.

2:15 pm ET - Good afternoon from Road America. The cars are on course for the first official test session today. Seth Neiman is in the No. 44 and Patrick Long is in the No. 45. It's a beautiful day here but hot! We are definitely baking in the Wisconsin later summer sun.

This is a long circuit - more than 4 miles and one of the drivers' favorite tracks. It combines long, fast straights with fast and tight corners and elevation changes.