BOWMANVILLE, Ont., (May 20, 2018) – Flying Lizard Motorsports wrapped up rounds three and four of the Pirelli World Challenge Sprint Championship this weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, securing a pole position and another time five finish with Mike Hedlund and the No. 45 Audi R8 LMS GT4.

Ontario gave the Pirelli World Challenge competitors a variety of weather conditions each day, ranging from rainy and mid forty degree temperatures to sunny skies and high sixties. Drivers Mike Hedlund and Adam Merzon took the challenges in stride, improving with each session. Under treacherous rain, Hedlund qualified the No. 45 Audi R8 LMS on pole position, and Adam Merzon opted to sit out the session.

Race one ran under dry conditions, and Hedlund fought hard on slick tires to keep a podium spot, giving the spectators at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park an exciting 50 minutes of racing. In the final moments of the race, he was passed for third place, earning a fourth place finish. He started race two in fourteenth place overall, and the field quickly spread out, eliminating the chance to produce competition in the middle of the field. He finished seventh in class, producing another top ten finish.

“The No. 45 was strong all weekend,” said Hedlund. “We started good on Friday in the wet qualifying with pole position, but during race number one, we lost some balance and the team spent all night trying to address it. Today was a little better, but we still struggled a little bit. It made for two tough races with a lot of battling. The team is awesome and will get us ready for Lime Rock Next week.”

Merzon started race one from the rear of the field, and used his 50 minutes to methodically work his way up from 23rd position, to finish 19th overall and 11th in class. His fastest lap in race one produced a starting position from 21st overall and 13th in class. A mid race full course caution allowed the field to bunch up and put in a final battle for position. Merzon raced to the checker flag in seventh with a top ten finish in sight, but contact from another competitor in the final turn dashed all hope, stopping the No. 23 Case-It Racing by Flying Lizard Motorsports Audi R8 LMS GT4 on track.

“I always enjoy racing at CTMP, and despite the weather, and getting taken out at the end of my second race, this weekend was no exception,” said Merzon. “I think we found a good setup that suits my driving style and the next race is my home track, so we’ll see how we get on in front of the home crowd.”

From Ontario, the team heads straight to Lakeville, Connecticut for next weekend’s rounds at Lime Rock Park. Flying Lizard Motorsports has a remarkable history at the Connecticut track, holding eight wins and an additional six podium finishes at the venue since 2004. The Memorial Day weekend will return to the SprintX format, where Ryan Eversley will join Merzon in the No. 23 Audi R8 LMS, splitting the drive time of the 60 minute race. Race one will take place on Saturday, May 26, and because Lime Rock Park does not allow racing on Sundays, race two will run Monday morning, May 28. For more information, visit world-challenge.com