- Aerodynamic improvements, including enhanced front bumper
- New Porsche sequential gearbox (sixspeed): optimizes drive shaft angle and creates a lower center of gravity.
- For full Porsche spec sheet:
Track conditions. Sebring is one of the toughest endurance race tracks in the world - tough on drivers, tough on the cars.
- Bumpy, dirty circuit
- Race conditions change drastically over the day
- Need "compromised" setup to cover both day heat and evening cool
New drivers. Flying Lizard has three new drivers for this race.
- First time at Sebring for Patrick Pilet, Richard Lietz and Alex Davison.
- New pairings: Joerg & Wolf; Johannes & Patrick; Seth, Darren & Alex
GT2 field size and scope
- 15 cars, 7 manufacturers in GT2 alone
Lizard 3-car squad
- First time Lizards mount a 3-car effort
"There are a lot of factors that play into our strategy at Sebring. Top of the list are pit strategy; information (getting it and communicating it); and being able to deal with the unexpected. We'll have at least 11 scheduled pit stops for fuel. Saturday will be hot and humid and we expect that it will put very heavy physical demands on the drivers. It's unlikely that we would double stint drivers, so that means a driver change at each fuel stop - 11 or more changes in the 12 hour race. Having well-conditioned drivers can become a key advantage - especially as the heat starts to take its toll.
We go to great lengths to get the right amount of information to our drivers on the track at the right time. Many teams like the Lizards use observation platforms with multiple video screens that display each track corner, the network TV feed, race stats, and in-car camera feeds. We have multiple people scanning the screens constantly. That, together with our team radio and race control, gives us a fairly complete picture of what's going on nearly everywhere on the track. We can tell our drivers what's in front of and behind them; did someone spin, did someone drop some oil, is there a slow moving car, etc. Sebring is a fast track with lots of blind corners. Making sure that the drivers have information about debris or incidents can be critical - especially when it gets dark and very hard to see. Doing well at Sebring is often not about the fastest car - it's about getting through the race with the least amount of time spent in the pits and the fewest problems on the track."
No. 46 Porsche Driver Johannes van Overbeek
"Luck always plays a big role at Sebring: where you happen to be on the track at a certain time can mean the difference between a successful race and a problematic one. Also, with so many cars across four classes - think about the fact that every one of those cars wants to win their race and is driving accordingly - not just for a few hours - but 12! For the Lizards, there'a a lot new this year: new cars, new people. One of our challenges will be that it's the first race for us in this new situation. Everyone is very well trained, but you really never know how a group will operate as a team under pressure until you experience it. In the No. 46 Porsche our goal is to have a clean run: no mechanical issues, no accidents, no contact, smooth driver changes, smooth pit stops, everything that everyone else wants we will work hard to get. You can never let yourself forget that every second lost - whether in the pits or on the track - is opening the door just that much wider for your competition."
Team Manager/No. 46 Strategist Eric Ingraham
"Walking down the paddock is really an experience - there are so many teams here and so many different manufacturers. You can really see how far the series has come in 10 years. For GT2, we have seven manufacturers with some new folks - Corvette, Aston-Martin, Dodge, Ford. The new marques have been impressively fast this week, and I'm sure that as the season progresses they will deliver on their potential. But this week it will most likely be primarily a Porsche and Ferrari show - these are the cars that have proven that they have the reliability to endure a 12 hour race. For the Lizards, we'll be dealing with both new cars and a 3 car team. It has gone well so far this week, but moving from 2 to 3 cars is a big step - it's more than just 50% change. On the driver side, we have an interesting combination of drivers. It's great having Wolf Henzler back - he drove with us in 06 and he's both a great driver and a great teammate. Patrick is new to the team - we are getting to know him better and he's proving to be a positive influence and of course, a talented driver. Not only do Patrick, Richard and Alex not have experience at Sebring, none of them have raced in the ALMS before. So they have a steep learning curve - how the series works, the rules of the road, how to work with traffic and multiple classes - the list is long! But again, so far, they are learning fast and we are looking forward to a great contest on Saturday."