- Transition:Le Mans to Lime Rock
- "Bullring" circuit: 25 entries
- Lizards focus: retaining GT2 points lead
- No. 44: new tub after Le Mans crash
- High downforce setup
Lime Rock is the fifth round of the ALMS 2009 season. Flying Lizard drivers Joerg Bergmeister and Patrick Long are in the GT2 championship lead, 21 points ahead of Jaime Melo and Pierre Kaffer of the No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari.
For the Lizards, Lime Rock preparations include a re-tub of the No. 44 Porsche, which was destroyed at the 24 Heures du Mans in early June. The transition from the longest road course of the year (more than 8 miles) to the shortest (1.51 miles) can be challenging.
Joerg Bergmeister has won at Lime Rock for the last three consecutive years, twice with Flying Lizard (in 2008 with Wolf Henzler and 2007 with Johannes van Overbeek.)
"Lime Rock is going to be a tough race, more than 25 cars are expected and on that narrow circuit, that's a lot. Risi had a very strong showing at Le Mans: a double podium with the No. 82 (No. 62 in ALMS) Ferrari taking the GT2 win and the No. 83 Krohn Racing Ferrari third. We expect they will have a lot of momentum going into Lime Rock. This is an important race for the Lizards -- we are 21 points ahead in the GT2 drivers' points chase but it is still very early in the season and we have to keep the pressure on."
Chief Engineer Craig Watkins
"Breaking in a new chassis presents some challenges. The car is the most
rigid that it will ever be in its lifetime so it will be extremely
responsive to setup changes, more so than a chassis with more time on it
which has less torsional rigidity."
"Lime Rock is almost like a street course in some ways: it is short and speed is not sustained the way it is in the straights at a road course like Miller or Road America. Lime Rock is a very high downforce track, and the tire compound choice and mix will be critical. Because we have so little setup time, we need to have some good luck with the weather and no red flags during the practice sessions so we are ready by qualifying. Qualifying is important at every race, but it can be crucial at a track like Lime Rock where there are so few safe passing opportunities."