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.

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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.

Mid-Ohio Raceday

August 8, 2009

4:45 - Checkered flag. No. 45 wins GT2 at Mid-Ohio. Five in a row for Joerg and Patrick! No. 44 is ninth. Congratulations to the entire team. The No. 3 Corvette is second, the No. 92 BMW is third.

** We'll be back with you next weekend for Road America on Sunday! See you then ** Jennifer

4:42 - The No. 92 passed the No. 4 Corvette on track for position. The No. 92 is now P3. Positions: P1 No. 45; P2 No. 3; P3 No. 92; P4 No. 4.

4:38 - Some switching of positions in the GT2 field - the No. 62 Risi Ferrari and the No. 87 Farnbacher Loles Porsche passed the No. 21 Panoz. The No. 62 is now P5, the No. 87 P6. Five more laps.The No. 44 P9.

4:37 pm - The No. 92 BMW, in fourth, is now chasing the No. 4 Corvette, which is in third. The gap is less than one second. The No. 45 now 22 seconds ahead of the No. 3 Corvette which is in P2. 8 minutes left.

5:33 - GT2 positions: P1 No. 45; P2 No. 3; P3 No. 4; P4 No. 92; P5 No. 21; P6 No. 62; P7 No. 87; P8 No. 90; P9 No. 44. 12 minutes left to go.

5:30 - The No. 62 Risi got by the No. 87 for position - the No. 62 is now P6. The No. 45 may be able to make it until the end without fuel, it will be close.

5:29 - Still green. They have decided to keep it to a local yellow only This is good news for us because a full course yellow could allow the No. 3 Corvette to catch back up - we now have a 15 second lead.

5:27 - The Dyson car spun again in Turn 2 and is stopped on course. he is continuing but slowly, no he is stopped. If he can't continue, we will probably go yellow - he is too close to the track.

5:25 - GT2 positions: P1 No. 45; P2 No. 3; P3 No. 4; P4 No. 92; P5 No. 21; P 6 No. 87; P 7 No. 62; P 8 No. 90; P 9 No. 44. The Dyson prototype got caught up in a pack of GT2 cars and prototypes and spun. He is continuing.

5:20 pm - In the No. 45, Patrick is the fastest GT2 car on track right now. He holds P1 and the gap to the No. 3 Corvette in p2 is now 10 seconds. In the No. 44, Darren Law is now in ninth position.

**30 minutes left to go.**
5:14 - The No. 37 prototype stopped on track but continued. Still green.

5:12 - GT2 Positions: P1 No. 45; P2 No. 3; P3 No. 4; P4 No. 92; P5 No. 21; P6 No. 87; P7 No. 62. Patrick is now 8 seconds ahead of the No. 3 Corvette.

5:07 - The No. 44 will be fine in fuel but I believe the No. 45 still has to stop for fuel. I will confirm that. The GT2 pack is all running together nose to tail but only the No. 3 Corvette and Patrick are on the lead lap. The No. 3 Corvette is stuck back farther in the GT2 pack and is held up in traffic. Gap between him and Patrick is now 6 seconds.

5:04 pm - Green flag. Positions: P1 No. 45; P2 No. 3; P3 No. 4; P4 No. 92; P5 No. 87. Patrick Long is in the No. 45; Darren Law in the No. 44. This yellow did not work in our favor - it allowed the No. 3 Corvette to close the gap from more than 10 seconds to 3 seconds.

5:03 - Much of the GT2 field has pitted for a fuel splash including both Corvettes and the No. 62 Risi Ferrai, which also took tires. The No. 45 has not yet pitted - he has finally reached the pack. it looks like the No. 62, the No. 4 and the No. 92, which had been split from the No. 45 and the No. 3 by the pace car, were able to both pit and also regain the lap that they lost under yellow.

4:56 - Now with the yellow, only Patrick and the No. 3 Corvette are on the lead lap. The No. 4 Corvette is now one lap down, I believe because the field was split when the pace car came out.

4:50 - Patrick in the No. 45 now plus 12 to the No. 3. No. 19 is deep in the gravel. Course will go double yellow.

4:45 - One hour left to go. Patrick Long in the No. 45 holds P1. Johnny O'Connell in the No. 3 Corvette is P2 and Olivier Beretta in the No. 4 is P3. The No. 62 Risi Ferrari is P4.

4:36 - The No. 92 BMW pitted. They are currently in eighth. I believe the whole GT2 field has now done their driver changes.

4:35 - Battle in GT2 right now for third - Jaime Melo in the No. 62 is right behind the No. 4 Corvette and putting a lot of pressure on him.

4:31 - Close call for the No. 45 which managed to scoot through a multi-car incident on track without any damage. He is again P1 - both Corvettes have pitted and positions are: P1 No. 45; P2 No. 3; P3 No. 4; P4 No. 62; P5 No. 92. Patrick is not able to use the clutch and reports that the rear is locking. He is 12 seconds ahead of the No. 3 Corvette.

4:28 - The No. 3 Corvette is now in the pits. Patrick reports a possible problem. The clutch is losing pressure.

4:27 - The No. 4 Corvette is in the pits. In the No. 44, Darren reported that he is in the grass but continued. The No. 3 Corvette has taken the lead. No. 45 P2.

4:26 - The No. 45 is in the pits for tires, fuel and driver change from Joerg Bergmeister to Patrick Long. He is in P1. The Corvettes have not yet pitted.

4:24 - GT2 positions: P1 No. 45; P2 no. 3; P3 No. 4; P4 No. 62; P5 No. 92. No. 44 is P10. The No. 91 BMW went far off track but is back on track - spewing dirt and gravel around the track.

4:23 - The No. 92 and the No. 62 both pitted nearly simultaneously. The No. 62 beat the No. 92 out of the pits and they swap positions - the No. 62 moving into fourth with Jaime Melo behind the wheel and the No. 92 moving to fifth with Drik Mueller behind the wheel. Joerg radios in that he got the bobble - he is switching to reserve and will pit the next lap.

4:20 - Joerg still P1. he is now 14 seconds ahead of the No. 3 Corvette, with the No. 4 Corvette just one second behind the No. 3. The No. 45 will pit shortly for driver change to Patrick Long. Neither of the Corvettes have pitted yet -so they should also do their driver changes shortly.

4:18 - One of the challenge cars went into the tire wall, but managed to drive over the entire gravel trap (!) and rejoined. No yellow.

4:16 - The GT2 cars are starting their scheduled pit stops for driver change, tires and fuel. The No. 87 was one of the first of the group to pit. The No. 44 has already done their driver change. The No. 45 will pit in the next 10 minutes.

4:10 pm - Darren Law is in the No. 44 and is heading out of the pits. Joerg is still P1, he is 14.5 seconds ahead of the next closest GT2 car, the No. 3 Corvette. Positions: P1 No. 45; P2 No. 3; P3 No. 4; P 4 No. 92; P5 No. 62; No. 44 is P10. the two Corvettes are running nose to tail in second and third position. Three's a good battle going on between the No. 40 Robertson Ford and the No. 87 Farnbacher Loles Porsche. Martin Ragginger in the No. 87 has been working to pass the No. 40 Ford for the last 30 minutes and they are nose to tail.

4:08 pm - Seth just got hit on the right rear but he is continuing. He will pit for a driver change, tires and fuel.

4:02- In the No. 45, Joerg now plus 8.7 seconds ahead of the No. 3 Corvette in P2. He is still the fastest GT2 car on track. The No. 21 Panoz jsut had a lengthy off track excursion but was able to get back on track and continue.

3:54 - Joerg is the fastest GT2 car on track right now. In the No. 44, Seth is P10.

3:50 - Joerg reports that he got hit. Doesn't appear to be damage. Positions: P1 No. 45; P2 No. 3; P3 No. 4; P4 No. 92; P5 No. 62; P6 No. 21. Joerg lost a few seconds on that, he is now just under six seconds ahead of the No. 3 Corvette.

3:47 - Hi to the Big Lizard from the team. Seth says congratulations on your Lizard Acura! Reminder that we are broadcasting our team radio. To listen, click on the follow the race tab on the home page www.lizardms.com.

Also the team wishes a safe journey for Vanessa.

3:43 pm - GT2 Positions: P1 No. 45; P2 No. 3; P3 No. 4; P4 No. 92; P5 No. 62; P 6 No. 21.

3:40 pm - Rain is increasing. Joerg is now 6 seconds ahead of the second place GT2 car, the No. 3 Corvette.

3:34 pm - In the GT2 lead, Joerg is extending the gap between him and the No. 3 Crovette - he is now 5 seconds ahead. The No. 19 prototype spun on course but continued - no impact.

3:32 pm - The No. 92 BMW got past the No. 62 Risi Ferrari to take third. the No. 62 moves to fourth.

3:30 pm - Joerg is four seconds ahead of the No. 3 Corvette in P2. The No. 3 Corvette has a slight gap ahead of the No. 62 Risi Ferrari in third. the No. 62 is the head of a GT2 train, starting with the No. 92 BMW - putting pressure on him. Joerg reports light rain. Joerg is running the fastest pace in GT2 right now.

3:26 - Joerg is starting to build a gap now - he is still P1 the No. 3 Corvette is P2, the No. 62 Risi Ferrari is P3. The No. 92 BMW is P4. The No. 44 is P 10, having started from the rear of the pack.

3:24 pm - Green flag.

3:22 pm - Seth pits in the No. 44 for a fuel top up.

3:19 pm - Still yellow. Looks like light rain may be starting.

3:05 - On the second start, the No. 3 Corvette, which had started third, passed the No. 62 Risi Ferrari, which had been second. Joerg was able to retain the lead. We are still yellow. It is the 08 Challenge Porsche. I do not know the driver's status - the driver is still in the car and medical personnel are assisting him.

3:03 pm - One of the challenge cars is off far into the gravel. Full yellow. We will come in for a splash of fuel.

3:01 - Yellow - no start. Not sure what is going on. They will form everyone back up and call green again.

3:00 - Green flag. Joerg is in the No. 45, he is on the pole.

2:57 - Engine start. We will have one pace lap.

2:43 pm ET - Good afternoon from Mid-Ohio. We are just a few minutes away from race start. The No. 45 Flying Lizard Porsche is on the pole. Joerg Bergmeister will start the race. the No. 44 will start from the rear of the grid (because Darren Law just arrived last night from Watkins Glen and was not at an official practice session). Seth Neiman will start the race in the No. 44. The big concern at the moment is the weather - we had a wet practice this morning and it's threatening rain right now. Weather reports say it will be a brief shower if it rains at all, but even a short rain will cause us some issues.

the race is being broadcast tape delayed tomorrow on NBC sports. Details at www.lizardms.com. Also, we are broadcasting our team radio live during the race. Click on the "follow the race" tab on the home page.


11:15 - Well - this morning's practice was a bust - too wet to do much. We'll be back with you just before the race this afternoon, which starts at 3:00 pm ET.

10:45 am - Good morning from Mid-Ohio. It's raceday! Unfortunately we have some light rain this morning and a wet track. Hopefully the rain will let up before the race this afternoon. Darren Law arrived from Watkins Glen and is out in the No. 44 and Joerg in the No. 45. Darren took a qiuck trip into the gravel on his outlap so red flag. Doeesn't appear to be any damage. They will have to flat tow him out.

Mid-Ohio Practice Sessions & Qual

Auugst 7, 2009

2:30 pm - Joerg Bergmeister on the pole in the No. 45! Congrats to Joerg and Patrick and the Lizards. Second pole this year.

2:28 - 2 minutes left. Joerg still holding provisional pole.

2:25 - Five minutes left. We are waiting to see if anyone will beat Joerg's time. In the No. 44, Seth Neiman is curently in P10.

2:21 - The No. 62 just did a 1:21.287 and... Yes, Joerg did it, a 1:21.022. The No. 45 will pit. We expect that Risi will try one more. 9 minutes left in qual.

2:10 - Joerg now P2. He is minus one-tenth from Jaime in the No. 62. Both cars appear to be on clean laps- we'll see if either hits traffic.

2:19 - Joerg now P4. No. 62 still P1. No 90 BMW P2. No 3 Corvette P3. Joerg P4.the top four cars are five tenths of a second apart.

2:18 - Jaime Melo in the No. 62 is currently P1 with a 1:21.376. Joerg is P2.

2:16 - Joerg was assessed a stop and go penalty for exceeding the pit lane speed limit. He's back on track again. Looks like there was a close call between one of the BMWs and the Risi Ferrari after the BMW spun on track. No contact though. Traffic is the big issue here - there are 16 cars on track right now - six of them are challenge cars.

2:14 - The No. 45 heads out for his outlap.

2:10 pm ET - Green flag on qualifying. Seth is in the No. 44, Joerg in the No. 45.

1:59 pm- Joerg again P1 with a 1:21.527. The top 7 GT2 cars are within four-tenths of a second of one another. Checkered flag. Qualifying begins at 2:10 pm ET - 10 minutes from now. Joerg Bergmeister will qualify the no. 45, Seth Neiman will qualify the No. 44

1:56 pm - The No. 90 BMW is now P2. The No. 62 P1; No. 45 P3.

1:53 - The No. 45 is in the pits. 7 minutes left in the session. Jamie Melo is now P1 in the No. 62 Risi Ferrari with a 1:21.633. The No. 45 is P2 with a 1:21.840.

1:41 - Joerg pits for fuel and shock setup change. The No. 45 still has the fastest time of the session. The No. 87 is P2, the No. 3 Corvette is P3 and the No. 4 Corvette is P4.

1:34 - Green flag. 26 minutes left in the session.

1:32 - Red flag at the moment. We'll do a driver change in the No. 45 -Joerg will go out. Seth will stay in the No. 44. Darren Law (who is co-driving with Seth this weekend) will arrive late tonight from Watkins Glen.

1:15 - Patrick heads back out after the change. He is still P1. The Corvettes have moved up to P2 and P3.

1:11 pm - Chief Strategist Thomas Blam calls Patrick into the pits for a change and to check tire pressures. Patrick reports that he's pretty happy with the car balance but still some understeer in some turns.

1:07 pm - Afternoon practice is underway. It's a one hour session prior to qualifying which starts at 2:10. Patrick Long is out in the No. 45 - he's currenly P1 in the session. Seth Neiman is in the No. 44.

10:56 - The No. 87 Farnbacher Loles Porsche has stopped on course - possibly out of fuel? Red flag. So looks like we are done for this session. The No. 45 Porsche was second in the session with a 1:22.064. The No. 90 BMW was P1; the No. 62 Risi Ferrari P3.

We'll be back with you for the second practice session at 1:00 pm ET. See you then *** Jen

10:52 - Joerg now P3 - 1:22.250. No. 90 is P1; No. 62 is P2. The No. 19 van der Steuer prototype is off course far into the grass. With a push he is able to continue and the course is staying green. Joerg is reporting back that he's happy with the last setup changes.

10:47 - Green flag. 13 minutes left. Patrick Long is suited up here and ready to get in the No. 45 but not sure if there will be enough time for him to get in. Seth is in the No 44. Darren Law will not arrive until late tonight so his first run in the No. 44 will be raceday morning warmup.

10:43 - Red flag - Patron prototype spun and is off track - high sided on the grass berm. No apparent damage but he'll need a tow out. Practice ends at 11:00.

10:31 - The No. 90 BMW is now P1 with a 1:22.044. The No. 62 Risi Ferrari now P2 with a 1:22.082. Joerg is P3 with a 1:22.518.

10:26 - The No. 45 pits for an additional spring change and also a swaybar adjustment. The No. 44 is also pitting for a change. Joerg feels that there is still not enough grip.

10:18 - Both the No. 45 and No. 44 are back on track after setup adjustments. Joerg in the No. 45, Seth in the No. 44. Joerg still holds P1 in the session. No. 90 BMW is P2; No. 4 Corvette is P3; No. 92 BMW is P4; No. 87 Farnbacher Porsche is P5.

10:12 - Joerg pits for a change. He reports very low grip - mid-corner push still the biggest problem. The engineers will make some additional changes, starting with some spring changes. TV shows the Ford has a flat, and also that one of the challenge cars spun just in front of the No. 45, luckily that driver kept the car off course and out of the way. Mid-Ohio is a high transition track - the car needs to be setup to handle the turn transitions quickly.

10:10 am - In the No. 45, Joerg is now P1 in GT2. Johnny O'Connell in the No. 3 Corvette is in P2, Dirk Mueller is third in the No. 92 BMW.

10:04 - Green flag.

10:02 - Red flag already - the No. 12 Autocon prototype off course. He is continuing so should go green quickly.

10:00 am ET - Green flag on morning practice - a combined prototype/GT session.

9:55 am ET - Good morning from Mid-Ohio. We are five minutes from practice start. Joerg Bergmeister is in the No. 45 and Seth Neiman in the No. 44. Darren Law, Seth's co-driver for this race, will arrive in Ohio late tonight after his race today at Watkins Glen. All went well in practice yesterday. The No. 45 was bumped during practice yesterday but the damage was minor. We have two practice sessions today, then qualifying 10 to 11 ET, then 1 to 2 ET. GT qualifying begins at 2:10 pm.

August 6, 2009

5:27 - Well, that's it -checkered on the session. We were second and third in GT2 in the session. We'll be back with you tomorrow, Friday, at 10:00 am ET. See you then! *** Jen

5:23 pm - Still Red.

5:16 pm - Patrick is now P2 in the No. 44. Red flag, one of the challenge cars is off, way, off into the gravel. This is a shame because it will take some time to get him out - this may be the end of the session.

5:10 pm - Green flag. Joerg is still in the No. 45 and Patrick in the No. 44. Dirk Mueller in the No. 92 BMW is now P1 in the session. The No. 45 is P3 (time set by Patrick), the No. 62 is P2.

5:05 - Red flag, debris in turn 11. 25 minutes left in the session.

5:00 - Joerg is giving the engineers a lot of feedback. He's not happy with the car right now. He's in the pits for some engineering changes. Patrick is in the No. 44 right now to give his feedback on that car's setup so far. Darren Law, who is Seth Neiman's co-driver for the weekend, is doing double duty - he's at Watkins Glen right now and will not arrive at Mid-Ohio until late Friday night.

4:51 - Joerg radios in that he was hit by a prototype on track. He is pitting. Looks like it was the new Spyder. There's some bodywork damage but it appears to be superficial.

4:35 pm - We are now in combined session with the prototypes. The No. 62 is the fastest of the session so far with a 1:22.347. Patrick is second with a 1:22.953. Oli Gavin is third with a 1:23.129 in the No. 3 corvette with a 1:23.129 and Jan Magnussen is P4 in the No. 4 Corvette. The session will run one more hour until 5:30.

4:10 pm ET - Good afternoon from beautiful Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. It's the first track session of the race week. Patrick Long is out in the No. 45 right now - he's in P2, three-tenths of a second behind the No. 62 Risi Ferrari in P1. Seth Neiman is out in the No. 44. The track is very green. Weather is perfect - warm and sunny with some light clouds and a light breeze - not too humid yet.

The Corvettes have made their first appearance in GT2 - both the No. 3 and No. 4 Corvettes are on track. They are in P 6 and P 7 right now but of course it's still really early in the week. Patrick has now moved into P1.