NaroEscape

http://www.lizardms.com/news/releases/2014/dec-18.html

Wow...how quickly the defacto USA 'factory' Porsche team has changed...


Flying Lizard Motorsports to Compete with K-PAX Racing in Pirelli World Challenge

December 18, 2014 – Sonoma, California

Flying Lizard Motorsports has announced plans to join K-PAX Racing for the 2015 Pirelli World Challenge season. Already a prominent team in North American sports car racing, K-PAX Racing holds three championship titles in their seven years of competition in PWC. This extensive resume and experience will be combined with Flying Lizard's eleven years in the American Le Mans Series and TUDOR United SportsCar Championship for a commanding full season effort with the new 2015 McLaren 650S GT3.

"Pirelli World Challenge has enjoyed great success and expansion in the last few years and we're eager to be a part of it," said Flying Lizard Motorsports Team Manager Eric Ingraham. "Jim Haughey has built a great operation in K-PAX Racing and the combination of our two teams will no doubt bring an exciting season for our fans as we race for the GT Championship."

"Teaming up with Flying Lizard was a natural fit for us," said Jim Haughey, owner of K-PAX Racing. "Our race-proven McLarens and Flying Lizard's world-class race-team management will catapult us into contention for another championship."

"This is an exciting next step in the evolution of Flying Lizard," said Flying Lizard Motorsports Founder Seth Neiman. "Though I will be stepping back from driving, I look forward to the team's focus on building a great program with K-PAX. They've put together a consistently solid program, and have proven they have what it takes to win."

Since joining the Pirelli World Challenge in 2007, K-PAX Racing has celebrated a total 72 podiums, 25 wins and three driver championships, solidifying the team as a continuous championship contender under the leadership of Jim Haughey. In the last decade, Flying Lizard Motorsports amassed 68 podiums and 25 wins in the American Le Mans Series and TUDOR United Sports Car Championship, clinching three driver championships and three class championships.

"We've always put a strong emphasis on success at Flying Lizard Motorsports, and we're always looking at the next area of the sport in which we can challenge ourselves and grow as a team," said Team Manager Eric Ingraham. "Due to our full season commitment of Pirelli World Challenge, a full season in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship is no longer logistically possible. That said, we're proud of what we've accomplished in the American Le Mans Series over the past decade and during the 2014 season in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. The 2015 season will be a new challenge, and a new era for Flying Lizard Motorsports, and we're thrilled to be racing under the K-PAX Racing banner."

The McLaren 12C GT3 debuted in North American competition in 2014, celebrating one win and an additional two podiums with K-PAX Racing in Pirelli World Challenge. Continuing their relationship with the manufacturer as a customer team, the K-PAX Racing/Flying Lizard Motorsports team will compete the entirety of the season armed with two brand new 2015 McLaren 650S GT3s. The new machine features a McLaren carbon fiber MonoCell chassis with aluminum front and rear sub frames, creating a lightweight frame, armed with a 3.8L V8 twin turbo engine.

The team will be based in Sonoma, California, utilizing Flying Lizard's facility at Sonoma Raceway. At race events, the teams will operate out of the K-PAX Racing transporters. Livery design and driver line ups for the two K-PAX Racing/Flying Lizard Motorsports McLaren 650s GT3s will be announced at a later date.

About Flying Lizard Motorsports
Flying Lizard is based in Sonoma, California, and has competed in the American Le Mans Series for ten consecutive seasons, from 2004 to 2012 in the GT class and in 2013 in GTC, along with the inaugural season of the TUDOR United Sportscar Championship in the GT Daytona class in 2014. The Lizards have won two ALMS GT team championships (2008 and 2009), one ALMS GTC team championship (2013), and have secured three ALMS GT Drivers' championships (2008, 2009, and 2010). Flying Lizard has also competed in the 24 Heures du Mans from 2005 through 2012, finishing third in 2005, fourth in 2006, sixth in 2008, sixth in 2011, and fourth in 2012. Please visit the team website at www.lizardms.com and the team store at www.flyinglizardstore.com. Follow Flying Lizard Motorsports on twitter, and like us on Facebook for all team updates.

ABOUT K-PAX RACING
Sonoma, California-based K-PAX Racing was founded in 2007 by Jim Haughey. K-PAX, named after the 2001 sci-fi/mystery movie starring Kevin Spacey, has captured three GT Class championships in the Pirelli World Challenge sports car series (2007 and 2008 in a Porsche GT3, and 2010 in a Volvo S60). K-PAX is the only team racing McLaren sports cars in North America, campaigning two 650S GT3 sports cars in the 2015 season. To follow the K-PAX Racing team during the 2015 season, go to http://www.kpaxracing.com/, or follow the team's social media feeds on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About McLaren GT
McLaren GT is the GT race car manufacturing arm of McLaren Group established to develop, build and support the GT racing and track derivatives of the 12C sports car, and the 650S GT3. Based in Woking, Surrey at the former home of McLaren Racing, the company is responsible for the design, development and production of the GT3 variants of the 12C and 650S, the 12C GT Can-Am Edition and the 12C GT Sprint.

stuttgart46

This will be an interesting relationship.
WC is the place to be IMHO. Looking forward to COTA in March.

kristap

They didn't stick with the Audi for long. I wonder if this direction is a way to cut costs by "merging" with another team or if there were unhappy with the Audio customer racing program/car.

NaroEscape

I don't think they were very happy with the Audi.
Move does leave Spencer without a top level ride at the moment...

GTgears

And Dion too.

All the teams I know that have dealt with Audi Sport have had complaints.

Charles A. Toupin

I thought they had established some kind of NA base and wanted to promote and sell they R8 just like Porsche is doing with the GT3 Cup and variants...

Isn't it strange?

c.

Matt Romanowski

Isn't GMG still an R8 team?

I'm sure there is more to the FL story, but we'll probably never hear the whole thing.

analogmike

I feel bad for Dion. In case you haven't seen it, here's an awesome TEDx talk he gave recently about the difficulties faced in trying to earn a living as a race car driver.



He drove his *** off at Lime Rock!

Charles A. Toupin

Wow that's cool Mike!

c.

stuttgart46

Yeah, Mills won the GTA Championship last year and is currently without a ride for 2015. It's a tough business.

mklaskin

Interesting development. I know of one other Audi team that was felt they were overlooked in favor of Flying Lizards. I also feel for the 3R guys who ran the Porsches, built & ran the Volvo's and finally, the 12/C's.

Tough racket, this racing.

NaroEscape

Unfortunately, today racing only really takes one thing.... and lots of it.

Mike/A.W.E.

They didn't drop Audi. They are still running the R8 at the 2015 Daytona 24 and Sebring 12. Already confirmed.

mobonic

This makes perfect sense for me if this is a one off for FL.

2015 is a weird year for Tudor since in 2016 they will be moving to FIA GT3 cars like WC, its just makes sense.

My .02 is that FL is teaming up with a team to learn and run a FIA GT3 car before the run the same car in TUDOR 2016, so basically throw 2015 as a development year for 2016 TUDOR.

TUDOR is a endurance series and WC is a sprint series, 2 different beasts.

It makes no sense for TUDOR teams to run 2015 and spend tons of $$$ developing a car that will be obsolete and worth nothing after the season. Makes better sense to run in WC in 2015 and learn the cars and development of speed in cars you plan to run in TUDOR 2016.

If it was my team I would have ditched TUDOR for 2014 and 2015 and ran WC in a FIA GT3 car that i was planning to run in TUDOR 2016, this will give you 2 years on development and learning so you could hit the ground running in 2016.

This only makes sense for FL if they are planning to run the Mclaren 650GT3 in Tudor 2016, especially since Seth is not driving in 2015 WC and he's the $$ behind FLMS.

Plavan

Is Flying Lizards still accepting "Commie" dollars? They lost alot of fans once they were plastering Venezuela stickers all over their cars.