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July 22, 2012 - Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada - Joerg Bergmeister (Germany) and Patrick Long (USA)fought a long battle with Corvette, Ferrari and BMW today to bring home the second GT win in a row for their #45 Flying Lizard Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 RSR at today?s American Le Mans Series Grand Prix of Mosport. At the standard post-race inspection, however, the No. 45 did not pass the engine stall test. As a result, the car may not be scored in the race or receive any championship points for this race. The Lizards have filed an official protest of the decision, which will be reviewed by the stewards in the coming days. No further statement was issued by either the team or the IMSA stewards as the matter is still pending.
Patrick Long, who started in the car, said that it was innovative pit strategy, great pit stops, and preservation of tires that made a lot of the difference early in the race.
"We were getting great wear from our Michelin tires, with together with continued set-up tweaks of our new aero package from Laguna, gave us an advantage over our competitors. The Corvettes and BMWs started off on a faster pace, but our tires keep their performance better and we were able to compete as the others had more wear. This track really eats up tires, and our great down force also puts great pressure on the rear tires," said Long.
"I was able to get past the Scott Sharp Ferrari for second place, and then we beat the Corvette out of the pits from the driver change to take the lead. We knew we could be in position at the end of the race. Great job by Joerg; he was able to hold to keep them at bay like Lime Rock," said Long.
Bergmeister was thankful for the late yellow, even though it closed the gap between him and the Corvette.
"At the end we did not have the fastest car, but it is difficult to pass here. I did not want to make a mistake, but I had to stay aggressive as Magnussen (Corvette) was charging. The late-race caution helped, as it was great to cool down the tires. Now we have won two in a row - maybe we can catch the others for the championship," he said.
Other Porsche 911 GT3 RSR finishers (if the disqualification is upheld and
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