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.