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Joerg Bergmeister (Germany) set a new DP record of 1:40.099 at the Daytona International Speedway today, putting the No. 45 Flying Lizard Porsche-Powered DP on the overall pole for Saturday’s Rolex 24 race. The No. 45 Daytona Protoype is powered by a Porsche Motorsport-prepared, 911-based flat-6 engine and the chassis, previously run by Brumos Racing, won the race overall in 2009. Joining Bergmeister for the 24 hour race (January 29-30) are drivers Patrick Long (USA), Seth Neiman (USA), and Johannes van Overbeek (USA).
Flying Lizard 45 at Daytona - Image © Bob Chapman, Autosport Image
Bergmeister commented on qualifying, “It was a great team effort. This is the Lizards’ first time running a DP; everyone put their heads down and we learned step by step, improving the setup incrementally as we understood more about the car.”
“Nearing the end of the session, I was in P3, and didn’t expect much more,” he continued. “But after our strategist Thomas Blam told me the gap to first was only nine one-hundredths of a second, I decided to go for it and I was able to pull it out. That was the first qualifying session in which I didn’t take a breath during the entire lap! In the end the pole is nice to have but is just the first step in what will be a very long and difficult race.”
For more on Rolex 24 results, visit www.grand-am.com. For race schedule and TV broadcast information, see www.lizardms.com.
Flying Lizard Driver History at Daytona
The four Lizard drivers also teamed up for the 2010 Rolex 24, finishing second in GT in the No. 67 Flying Lizard/TRG Porsche GT3 Cup car. Bergmeister and Long are Porsche factory drivers. Bergmeister has won three times at the Rolex 24: in GT in 2009 (with Patrick Long), in GT and overall in 2003, and in GT in 2002, all with TRG. He was also the Grand-Am DP champion in 2006 (with Krohn Racing). Bergmeister and Long have driven together in the Flying Lizard No. 45 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR in the ALMS for the last two seasons. Bergmeister is five-time ALMS GT drivers’ champion (2005-2006 and 2008-2010); three of those titles were driving with Flying Lizard (2008 through 2010). Bergmeister is the only driver in Grand-Am and ALMS history to win the championship in both series in the same year (2006). Long has won the ALMS GT drivers’ title three times, all with Bergmeister: 2005, and 2009- 2010.
van Overbeek, who drove with the Lizards from 2004-2009 in the ALMS, has competed eight times at the Rolex 24. Notably, in 2007 he finished third with JLowe Racing, in 2004 took the pole and second in GT (and third overall) with Seth Neiman and Mike Rockenfeller in the Flying Lizard No. 74 Porsche and finished third in GT and overall in 2003.
About Flying Lizard Motorsports
Flying Lizard Motorsports has competed in the American Le Mans Series GT class since 2004. The team has finished in the top three in the ALMS GT2 drivers’ and team championships every year since 2004. In 2010, Flying Lizard No. 45 drivers Joerg Bergmeister and Patrick Long won a hard-fought battle for the GT drivers’ championship. In 2009 and 2008, the team swept all ALMS GT2 titles: drivers’ championship (Bergmeister and Long in 09, Bergmeister and Wolf Henzler in 08); Flying Lizard won the team championship; and Porsche won the manufacturer championship. In 2009, the Flying Lizard No. 44 Porsche also won the Michelin Green X Challenge championship.
Flying Lizard has also competed in the 24 Heures du Mans from 2005 through 2010, finishing third in 2005, fourth in 2006, and sixth in 2008.
Visit the team website at www.lizardms.com. For the latest team racing apparel and Porsche gear visit the Flying Lizard stores online and in the paddock.
The privateer team is based in Sonoma, California.
© RIF | Flying Lizard Motorsports
