Long Beach - Race - Lizards 2nd, 3rd and 7th

Checkered flag - Wolf did everything he could without risking the car to pass the No. 71 Tafel Racing Ferrari, but couldn't make it past, although it looked like an extremely close finish at the end. We'll wait for final results, but it looks like the No. 71 takes the win, the No. 45 settles for second, with the No. 46 in third. It was an exciting finish to the race, with the leading GT2 cars neck and neck for the last 10 minutes. With just a few minutes to go, the No. 87 Farnbacher Porsche, in fourth place, bumped the No. 46 in the hairpin turn, causing a chain reaction and pushing Patrick into Wolf in the No.45. Luckily neither of the Lizard cars were damaged, although the No. 87 may have damaged a radiator.

Happily, Long Beach did not see the rate of attrition that we saw at St. Pete a few weeks ago, and 12 of the 14 GT2 entries finished the race.

Congratulations to the entire Lizard team for their third podium in a row. We will see you all in a few weeks in Salt Lake City! ** Jennifer **

** Six minutes remain ** Wolf in P2, Patrick in P3.

5:50 - Wolf is putting tremendous pressure on the No. 71 Ferrai, looking for an opp to pass. Patrick is right behind Wolf.

5:45 - The No. 62 was assessed a stop and go penalty. They are now in P 9, following the penalty. Nine minutes left.

** 12 mintues lef tin the race **
5:38 pm - The No. 21 Panoz is stopped on the front straight - course is now yellow. No. 37 is still sideways in exit of Turn 11. This yellow could work to our advantage, allowing No. 45 to close the 5 second gap between him and the leader, the No. 71 Tafel RAcing Ferrari. However it will also allow the other GT2 cars on the lead lap (the No. 46, and No. 48) to close their gap.

Positions: P 1 No. 71; P2 No. 45; P 3 No. 46; P 4. No 48; P 5 No. 61.

5:37 pm - The No. 37 Intersport prototype sideways on course in exit of Turn 11.

** 25 minutes left in the race **

5:29 - The No. 71 Tafel Racing Ferrari did not change tires during its pit stop, taking that gamble to be able to get out of the pits ahead of the No. 45 and No. 46, who did take new tires. The No. 62 continued to have some issues in the pits and had a lengthy pit stop. So new positions: P1 No. 71; P 2. No 45; P 3. No 46; P 4 No. 48; P 5 No. 62; P 6 No. 61; P 7 No. 5; P 8 No. 62. Lonnie is in p 11.

5:27 - No. 46 is out with Patrick Pilet in the car. No. 45 is out with Wolf Henzler in the car. Both cars changed all four tires and fuel. Both cars exited the pits under green. The No. 62 is in the pits and is apparently having trouble starting.

5:24 - No. 46 and No. 45 are both called into the pits. 31 minutes left in the race

5:20 - The No. 46 and No. 45 crew are working to determine the optimal time to pit during the yellow. The field has now bunched up under yellow and positions are: P1 No. 45; P2 No. 46; P 3 No. 62; P 4. No 71; P 5 No. 48 Corsa Ferrari. The No. 87 Tafel Porsche had a long pit stop, and has falled down to 12th. No. 44 is in P 13.

5:17 - Yellow flag and pits are closed. Cause of yellow is to remove debris from Turn 11. Race control notifies that it should be a short yellow. Both the No. 46 and the No. 45 crew call their drivers in for driver change, tires and fuel.

5:15 - Debris reported in Turn 11. The crew gets ready for a possible yellow. Air temperatures are starting to drop off significantly now and we should see the track start to cool down quickly.

5:10 - The No. 87 was slow on course but I'm not sure of the reason. He continued and is now back on pace.

5:02- Joerg passes the No. 45 to take the lead. Johannes is in P2 in the No.46. Lonnie Pechnik in the No. 44 is in P 13, 1 lap down on the next closest car, the Aston Martin.

**Just under one hour left in the race. **

4:51 - Lonnie Pechnik is out in the No. 44. The No. 44 was the first of the GT2 cars to pit. Positions are: P1 No. 46; P 2 No. 45; P3 No. 62; P 4 No. 71; P 5 No. 87; P 6 No. 61. No. 44 is out in P 13 after a fast pit stop for fuel and tires, with no need for repairs. We should start to see the rest of the GT2 field begin to pit.

4:49 pm - The No. 44 gets ready to pit and driver change to Lonnie Pechnik. The car chief notifies the crew to inspect the car after fueling to determine if there is any damage. The cars are starting to enter the driver/fuel window.

4:43 - Seth in the No. 44 impacted the tire wall, but has continued. He asked the crew to have a look at the rear of the car as he goes by on the front straight to visually inspect it.

4:39 - The strategist of the No.46 Porsche has asked Johannes to let Joerg pass if possible but it's a tough situation because all of the cars are so close together. Prorotype traffic is also starting to thread through the GT2 field. The prototype traffic has widened the gap between the GT2 cars - giving Joerg some breathing room in front of the No. 62 and also putting some distance between the No. 62 Ferrari and the No. 71 Tafel Ferrari in P4. Positions: P1 No. 46; P2 No. 45; P 3 No. 62; P 4 No. 71.


4:33 - The top seven GT2 cars are nose to tail. The No. 62 Ferrari is looking for opportunities to pass Joerg. Joerg in turn, is putting pressure on Johannes, but doesn't want to get too close and risk a problem that could take them both out. The top five cars are within three tenths of a second of one another on their lap times.

4:30 pm - Green flag. Looks like the No. 37 prototype went off line to avoid traffic in front of him. He was able to continue without incident. The GT2 field maintained positiosn on the restart. Johannes in the No. 46 in P1; Joerg in the No. 45 in P2; Seth in the No. 44 in P11.

4;22 pm - The course is yellow and the pits are closed. The No. 11 will need to be removed from the course.

4:21 pm - The race today is just 1 hour and 40 minutes - our shortest race of the season. The No. 11 Viperis slow on the front straight and appears to have pulled off course and stopped.

4:18 pm PT - Green Flag - a clean start for the field. Johannes retained top position at the start, and Joerg is P2. Jaime Melo in No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari is in P 3, with Dominik Farnbacher in the No. 71 Tafel Racing Ferrari in P4. The No. 87 Farnbacher Porsche is P5.

4:11 pm PT - Engine start for the 2 pace laps.

4:00 pm PT - The cars are on the grid. Lizards are starting first (No.46), second (No.45) and eighth (No.44) on the 14-car GT2 grid.

3:51 pm PT - The cars are out on their recon lap. Reminder that we are broadcasting our radio live during the race. See the follow the race tab on the home page for details. The race is tape delayed and will be broadcast on Sunday April 20 on ABC. Check your local listings for broadcast times as it may vary in your market.

3:43 pm PT - We are getting ready for the recon lap (the laps(s) which precede the lining up of the cars on the grid.) Starting drivers will be: Seth Neiman in the No.44 Porsche, Joerg Bergmeister in the No.45 and Johannes van Overbeek in the No.46. We have a short hold to clean some oil off the track.

Morning Warmup
7:30 - Checker is out and the warmup session is over. Joerg was P1 in the No.45, Johannes was P2 in the No.46, and Seth was P 7 in the No. 44. Once the cars are in the pits, the crew will practice driver changes, then head back to the paddock to finish prep for the race.

Race begins at 4:10 pm PT today. ABC will broadcast the race tape delayed starting on Sunday. So - live during the race, please join us on the radio - see the "Follow the Race" tab on the home page for details.


7:27 - 3 minutes left to go. Joerg is P1 in the No. 45. Johannes reports flowers, dirt and bushes on the track - someone evidently went through the planted beds on the side of the course.


7:19 am - Red flag just two minutes into the session after an Acura prototype collided with the Mazda prototype on course, sending the Mazda into the tire wall. Looks like some damage to both cars, although both were able to continue back to the pits.

7:10 am PT - Good morning from Long Beach. It's cool and cloudy this morning, with a chance of rain. We have a 15 minute warmup this morning, our last chance to do any setup changes prior to the race. Unfortunately, with the cool temperatures, it will take most of the session to get the tires up to temp, so we could definitely use a longer session. The cars are lining up at pit out, with Joerg in the No. 45, Seth in the No.44, and Johannes in the No. 45.

Reminder that we are broadasting our radio live during morning warmup and the race tonight- for details, see the follow the race tab on the home page, or directly here
http://powerlink.powerstream.net/002/00324/live2.asx.

The race starts at 4:10 pm PT today, and will be broadcast tape-delayed on Sunday, April 10 starting at 9:30 am PT.

Long Beach Qual - Pilet takes the Pole!

Patrick Pilet takes the pole! Patrick's first pole in the ALMS and the Lizard's second pole in a row, following Wolf's pole at St. Petersburg. Joerg is second in the No. 45 and Lonnie is eighth in the No. 44. 14 cars qualified today in GT2.

4:05 pm - Patrick Pilet in the No. 46 just took P1 with a 1:19.953, then bested that in the next lap with a 1.19.705. Joerg is in P 2 in the No. 45 and Lonnie in P 6 with the No. 44. No. 71 is P3. Other GT2 cars are just getting up to speed so we'll see what happens.

4:03 - No. 44 spun in turn 5 and made impact with the tire wall. Appears to be little or no damage.

4:00 pm PT - Qualifying has started and all three cars are out. All three cars are running together at the moment, hopefully they will be able to space out a bit.

3:45 pm PT, Friday April 18 - Greetings from Long Beach, California. The weather is spectacular this weekend - sunny skies, light breeze -perfect Southern California weather. So far, things have gone smoothly for the Lizards this week - all three cars had a successful test day on Thursday, and so far, everything today has gone well.

We are in the pits, waiting for the start of qualifying and for the cars to arrive from our paddock ,which is about 1 mile from the pits.

Qualifying drivers are:
Lonne Pechnik: No. 44
Joerg Bergmeister: No. 45
Patrick Pilet: No. 46

Qualifying session will start at 3:55 PT, although we've been notified by race control that there may be a delay to clean up some debris from the previous session.

St. Pete Race - No. 46 2nd, No. 44 7th

Final race finish: No. 46 P2, No. 44 P 7, No. 45 P 9. The No. 71 Tafel Ferrari won in GT2. Congrats to Johannes, Patrick, and the No. 46 team for their first podium this year!!!

5:21 pm - Checkered flag. No. 46 finishes second and No. 44 seventh. We'll know in a few minutes how the No. 45 will end up - the car did not cross the finish line.

5:14 pm - Joerg reports the car is starting to smoke and strategist Thomas Blam calls him into the pits. They are going to do a fast review of the car to determine if they can send him back out or if they need to do a radiator replacement. No - it's clear - the No.45 is done and will not be able to continue. It is in the pits, and Joerg is out of the car. The No. 46 has moved to P2 and the No. 44 in P 8.

5:08 pm - Positions: P1 No. 71; P 2 No 45; P 3 No. 46. No. 44 is P 8. Course is still yellow.

5:05 - The No. 20 Dyson prototype impacted the tire wall and the No. 45 hit him as he was going by (No. 20 was going counter race). Joerg reports that the left front radiator is is damaged and he is losing fluid. Double yellow. Crew tells Joerg to stay out until they are ready for the radiator replacement. AT the time, Joerg was in P2.

5:00 - P1. No 71; P 2 No. 45; P 3 No 46. No. 44 is now P 9.

4:57 - One of the Audis and one of the Acuras collided on course. Both cars have sustained damage.

4:55 - the No. 71 Tafel Ferrari has passed Joerg in the No. 45 to take the lead. Joerg is now P2. It appears that Johannes will retain P3. He is one lap back from the No. 45.

4:52 - No. 46 Porsche has collided on course with another car - the GT2 28 Corvette. Johannes is having trouble restarting he is sideways in 5. He has restarted and rejoined. At the time of the incident, he was in P3. Will report positions in a minute.

2:52 - Green flag. No. 62 is in the pits.

2:48 - Something may be going on with the No. 62 Ferrari (which was in the lead) - it's unclear, but from timing and scoring, it appears to be slow on course. Could be just a timing and scoring issue - we'll now more in a minute. Still yellow. TV shows him on course in front of the No. 45 but he is going slow, and appears to have a problem.

2:47 - the rain that had been predicted has not materialized - thankfully. Still clear skies. 33 minutes left.

2:40 - Still yellow. Positions: P1 No 62; P 2 No. 45; P 3 No. 71; P 4 No. 46. No. 44 is P 11. The 62, 45, 71, and 46 are on the same lap. The other GT2 cars are one or more lap back.

2:30 - the No. 11 Viper and the No. 008 Aston Martin collided on course - major damage and debris on track. Double yellow. We do not have any info on the drivers' status.

2:26 pm - Unfortunately, under the yellow, the No. 62 in a short pit stop, was able to get in and out of the pits ahead of the No. 45 to regain the lead. The yellow worked to their advantage, allowing them to pit again for fuel and regain the lead. Positions: P1 No. 62; P 2 No. 45; P 3 No. 71; P 4 No. 46; P 5 No. 61. No. 44 is P 11. The Lizard Porsches should be good on fuel through the end of the race, assuming that there are no lengthy yellows.

2:23 pm - No. 45 is out with Joerg Bergmeister; No. 44 has Darren Law and No. 46 has Johannes van Overbeek. Green flag. I will report positions in a minute when things sort out.

2:22 pm - No. 45 and No. 46 are called in and head into the pits. course still yellow. No. 71, 62, 61, 28 all pit.

2:21 - Just under one hour left to go. No. 44 is called into the pits for driver change, tires and fuel.

2:14 - Course still yellow to remove debris. Lizard cars will all pit at some point during this yellow. Because they have not yet pitted, they are hoping for the yellow to last as long as possible. At the one-hour mark, a one-stop race could still a possibility for the Lizard Porsches. If the cars have to pit before the 1-hour mark, it may not be possible. as the cars will need to refuel and have new tires. 1 hour and 6 minutes left.

2:08 - It appears that the early Risi pit stop was to get Salo out of the car - it appears to be a heat-related issue.

2:05 pm - No. 6 Penske spun on course and the No. 37 impacted the tire wall - they appear to be unrelated but happened at the same time on course so there may hav ea been a problem. Both cars are continuing, the No. 37 has damage. Course is double yellow. Drivers are readying for an earlier than planned change.

2:04 - GT2 positions: P1 No. 45; P 2 No. 71; P 3 No 46; P 4 No 48; P 5 No. 21. After the early pit stop, No. 62 is now in P7. No. 44 in P 11.

2:02 - No. 62 pitted early, ceding the lead back to Wolf, and moving Patrick to P3 in the No. 46. It was a short stop - fuel and tires and driver change to Melo.

1:58 - The race so far has been happily fairly uneventful for the field. No. 45 is P2; No. 46 P 4, and No. 44 P 11. We are entering our windows for driver changes and fuel/tires. With no incidents, the cars will most likely stop around 2:30 to 2:45. If there are no additional yellows, this could still be a one stop race for the Lizard Porsches,even with the yellow on the restart.

1:53 - Race control radios to display the sporstmanship flag (to the No. 62 for his earlier pass/contact with Wolf.

1:51 GT2 Positions: P1 No. 62; P 2 No. 45; P 3. No 71; P 4. No 46; P 5 No. 48; P 6 No. 21; P 7 No. 87; P 8 No. 61; P 9 No. 28; P 10 No. 40; P 11 No. 44.

1:49 - The No. 62 passed Wolf on the outside, it appears that they made contact and Wolf was forced to left and brake to avoid colliding with the inside wall.

1:44 - Wolf is still P1, with the No. 62 just behind him. Both GT2 cars have had to navigate signicant traffic as the faster cars move past them. In the No. 46, Patrick is just behind the No. 71 Tafel Ferrari but has been unable to pass.
Wolf has been able to hold off the Ferrari so far, but they are nose to tail now.


1:35 pm - GT2 positions: P 1 No. 45; P 2. No 62; P 3 No. 71; P 4 No. 46; P 5 No. 21; P 6 No. 48; P 7 No. 61; P 8 No. 28. P 9. No 40. P 10 No. 87. P 11 No. 44.

1:33 - No. 26 Acura has continued.

1:30 - All cars have made it successfully through the restart, although there was some tussling among the prototypes in the first few turns. No. 46 is now in P4 and No. 44 in P8. Wolf held the lead on the start, although Salo in the No. 62 is just a 3 tenths behind him. The No. 26 Acura spun on course, but appears to be continuing. He is stuck again, on track on the outside of turn 8. They have not yet called a yellow.

1:29 - Green flag.

1:27 - It's a bit confusing right now - the race was actually started at the planned time, although it started under yellow. So the start will be a single car start not a double car start - a standard race restart.

1:24 pm - The 007 Aston Martin (a GT2 entry) is stopped on course so the course is double yellow - there will be at least one more pace lap while they sort it out. If they cannot continue, it will be a 12-car GT2 field.

1:20 - We are just getting started on the two pace laps. This is a rolling start, 2 cars side by side. Race will start at 1:25. Lizard Porsches are first (No. 45), fifth (No. 46) and sixth (No. 44) on the grid. There are 13 GT2 cars in the field. The No. 5 Porsche was damaged in yesterday's practice session and has withdrawn.

12:53 - Recon laps have started. Cars are heading out for one lap.

12:50 pm ET - Good afternoon from St. Pete. Recon laps are just about to start - teams will do one lap, then return to pit lane. The grid at St. Pete will be on pit lane (normally ALMS races grid on the front straight).

Starting drivers are: Seth Neiman in No. 44; Wolf Henzler in No. 45; and Patrick Pilet in No. 46. Race will begin at 1:25 pm ET.

Lizards are broadcasting team radio. You can access it through the home page or here

http://powerlink.powerstream.net/002/00324/live2.asx

St. Pete - Raceday! Morning Warmup

9:50 am - We have the checker on the session and are heading back to the paddock for our final race prep. We'll be back on the blog and the radio before race start - around 1:00 pm ET.


9:43 am - Johannes reports a flat spot and may need to pit. Seth pits in No. 44 for driver change to Darren.

Heavy rain and thunderstorms are forecast for midday today - which would put the heaviest of the rain right during the race. We are planning for a wet race, but hope that things will hold off until post race.

9:37 - Wolf pits in the No. 45 for driver change to Joerg Bergmeister.

9:35 - Patrick pits in the No. 46 for driver change to Johannes van Overbeek.

9:31 - Wolf Henzler in the No. 45 has the fastest time of the session so far in the first few minutes, Patrick Pilet in No. 46 is second. 20 minutes to go in the session.

9:25 am - Green flag on the morning warmup. Seth is in the No. 44, Wolf Henzler is in the No. 45; and Patrick is in the No. 46. All three Lizard cars are heading out.

9:14 am ET - Good morning from St. Pete. It's a beautiful day here in St. Petersburg, Florida. Although there is a chance of rain later today, it is clear this morning, warm and humid. We have a short warmup this morning (9:25-9:50) before the race which starts at 1:25 this afternoon (Eastern Time).

We are broadcasting our team radio this morning and during the race - you can listen in here
http://powerlink.powerstream.net/002/00324/live2.asx

St. Pete Qualifying: No. 45 on the Pole!!

2:35 pm - No. 45 Wolf Henzler on the pole!!! Lizards qualify 1st, 5th, and sixth in GT2. Wolf had the fastest session time of 1:11:745. Johannes in the No. 46 is fifth, and Darren in the No. 44 is sixth.

2:27 - Wolf is still in P1, and is heading out again for a cool down lap. Melo in No. 62 is just 1/10th of a second behind Wolf now in P2.

2:24 pm - 10 minutes into qualifying, Wolf Henzler in the No. 45 is in P1, with a 1:11.745. Melo is in P2 in No. 62 Risi Ferrari. No. 46 with Johannes van Overbeek behind the wheel is in P 6. Darren Law in the No. 44 is P 6.

St. Pete - Friday April 5 Afternoon Practice

2:00 pm - Race control has notified us that the session will not restart and so we are done until qualifying. The cars remain in pit lane, and the drivers are getting out in search of some shade to stay cool before qualifying.

** Reminder - radio broadcast on Race Day. Lizards will be broadcasting our team radio live on raceday during on track sessions. For details, click on the "Follow the Race" tab on the home page.

1:52 pm - Red flag. Looks like the Penske No. 7 and a GT2 Porsche (not a Lizard Porsche) collided on course with significant damage to both cars. Unclear exactly what happened, but appears that the Porsche impacted the tire wall, and the Penske was unable to avoid him on course. Both cars will need to be removed from the course so this will most likely be the end of the practice session.

Up next is qualifying - which, assuming that it is not delayed due to this incident, will be at 2:15 pm

1:48 - Based on weather reports it looks like rain may be possible for tomorrow's race. In the rain, teams will switch from slick tires to grooved rain tires as soon as the track becomes too wet to hold traction on slicks.

1:42 - 20 minutes left - Lizards are 1, 2, and 9 in the session out of 14 GT2 cars.

1:39 - No. 46 pits for driver change from Patrick to Johannes.

1:38 - Darren Law takes over for Seth in the No. 44 and Wolf for Joerg in the No. 45

1:28 - No. 45 is currently P1, No. 46 P 2; and No. 44 13th in the session.

1:15 - Green flag - Stefan Pfeiffer, No. 45 Engineer, has identified the shifting issue (broken shift sensor) - they will run out the practice with it, and repair it prior to qualifying.

1:11 - Red flag. A Dyson prototype has spun on course, managing to avoid impacting the tire barrier wall. Patrick reports a traction issue. All three cars are in the pits.

1:04 - Joerg reports a shifting problem

1:05 pm - Green flag on the session and Seth Neiman (no. 44), Joerg Bergmeister (No. 45) ,and Patrick Pilet (No. 46) are heading out for the session. It's hot and humid here at St. Pete and cloudy skies are threatening rain.

1:00 pm ET - Good afternoon from St. Petersburg, Florida. We are installed in our pits here at the temporary race circuit, readying for our second (and final) practice session of the race weekend. It's a compressed schedule here, and unlike most of our standard races, we have only 2 hours of practice time and a short race day warmup before Saturday's race.

The drivers have been focused this morning on refreshing on the track circuit, and for Seth and Patrick, learning it for the first time. All three cars were out for this morning's session.

This afternoon's practice begins at 1:05 pm and lasts one hour. GT qualifying begins at 2:15 and lasts 30 minutes.

Qualifying is important at every race, and even more so here because the race is very short (1 hour, 55 minutes) compared to our other events. Starting position is key because there are so few passing opportunities on this track.