Flying Lizard Motorsports Baltimore qualifying report

Patrick Long 3rd Fastest in GT in the No. 45, Darren Law 8th in the No. 44; Both Porsches to Start from the Back of the Grid

#45 Flying Lizard Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 RSR: Jörg Bergmeister, Patrick Long

Photo by: Darren Pierson

September 2, 2011 – Baltimore, Maryland – It's been a rough start to the Baltimore Grand Prix race weekend. The practice sessions were delayed by several hours today for the promoter to complete track preparations, however IMSA was able minimize the effect on the teams and ran two practice sessions in the afternoon. Luckily there were few red flags in practice, giving the drivers some time to learn the new circuit and meet basic setup goals.

In the 15-minute qualifying session, Patrick Long clocked the third fastest time in the No. 45 and Darren Law was eighth in the No. 44. Towards the end of the session, Long made contact with the No. 62 Risi Ferrari. As a result of the incident, IMSA officials excluded both the No. 45 and the No. 62 from qualifying; both cars will start from the back of the grid. The No. 44 is also required to start from the back of the grid because the car failed to meet the minimum lap time requirement for both drivers.

Law commented, "We went in a direction just before qualifying that didn't work out, but we know what we need to do tomorrow to get to the right setup. I'm actually really enjoying the circuit. It's fun to drive but very bumpy - more than some of the other street courses we have run. The track is very tight and working traffic is going to keep us on our toes, especially starting from the back. It should really be an exciting show tomorrow."

Long added, "The 45 made steady progress over the day: we started out at 2 pm with a car that we weren't happy with but by qualifying we had a solid racecar. We didn't have the car for the pole today, but I thought we might have something for P2; unfortunately I got tangled up with the No. 62 and we'll be starting from the back tomorrow."

The two-mile, 12-turn temporary street circuit weaves through the heart of downtown Baltimore, circling the scenic Inner Harbor and Camden Yards. It's the first race on this circuit and the first Baltimore-based event for the American Le Mans Series. The Lizard driver lineup this weekend is Joerg Bergmeister and Patrick Long in the No. 45 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR and Seth Neiman and Darren Law in the No. 44.

Heading into the seventh race of the 9-event ALMS season, Bergmeister and Long are sixth in the GT drivers' championship with 51 points; Joey Hand and Dirk Mueller of the No. 56 BMW lead with 108 points. Flying Lizard is fourth in the GT team championships, tied with Team Falken Tire. 75 possible points remain: 20 at Baltimore, 25 at Laguna Seca and 30 at Petit Le Mans.