Darren Law and Seth Neiman were two of the first drivers to have raced an E85-powered Porsche 911 GT3 RSR. (LAT)
Flying Lizard Tests E85
Flying Lizard Motorsports had a well-kept secret for much of the week at Road Atlanta. The GT2 championship leaders were evaluating the use of cellulosic ethanol in its No. 44 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR.
The Sonoma, Calif.-based squad first tested E85 in last weekend’s two-day test, but didn’t walk away with as much running time as they had expected to. So the evaluation continued into practice and qualifying, with team manager Eric Ingraham and crew chief Tommy Sadler green-lighting it for the race as well.
While Saturday’s Petit Le Mans was called short with just under five hours of running time, the No. 44 crew of Seth Neiman, Darren Law and Johannes van Overbeek had no fuel-related issues.
“We didn’t have any technical problems with it,” Ingraham said. “It seemed to provide some small performance advantage. I don’t think we got a handle on fuel mileage yet because we had so few clean, straightforward sessions. But it seems like it’s certainly got it’s advantages. I think we had a good first experience with it and will continue to run it depending on what presents itself.”
Ingraham told me earlier in the week that the reason for evaluating E85 was mainly performance-based. Porsche also showed some interest in the results, and could consider making E85 a compatible fuel for its 2010 model 911 GT3 RSR.
“It’s been something that Porsche has been thoughtful about for quite a long time,” Ingraham added. “This is the time in the season where, because of where we are in the championship, we can start considering other options. We’d rather do that testing [now], rather than roll it into next year when you begin with a new car.”
E85-powered GT2 cars are allowed 20 additional liters of fuel than standard E10 entrants because of its increased consumption rate. The No. 44 car ran close to the 110-liter fuel capacity in the race. And while no hardware changes were made to the engine, software mapping was adjusted to boost fuel delivery.
“We haven’t even discussed about running it at Laguna Seca yet.” Ingraham said. “We need to take the [fuel] cell apart and take a good look at everything to really understand it. It’s a first outing and it was a successful one certainly. Credit has to go to the team on the technical side, as it was really a seamless integration.”
Flying Lizard Motorsports tested cellulosic E85 this weekend, in what team manager Eric Ingraham called a success. (John Dagys)
The No. 44 car also took Michelin Green X Challenge honors for the GT class, despite its seventh place finish. Ingraham credits this achievement mainly to its fuel choice.
“Running E85 is a big boost in the Michelin Green X Challenge,” he said. “It made a difference in this race. Even though we finished seven laps down with equalization and all of the complex mathematical and technical components which go into the final Green X Challenge score, the different fuel made the difference. It was really positive.”
Flying Lizard was the first Porsche team to test E85, and given the results, we could be seeing more 911 GT3 RSRs running this alternative fuel in the future.
Patron Highcroft’s Remarkable Rebuild
If the American Le Mans Series gave an award each race for the hardest working team, it would certainly go to Patron Highcroft Racing after this weekend’s remarkable comeback.
Less than 48 hours before the start of Saturday’s Petit Le Mans, the LMP1 championship leaders had a destroyed prototype following Scott Sharp’s horrific accident in Thursday afternoon’s practice. Preparations began immediately to rebuild the Acura ARX-02a around a new tub.
The monocoque arrived by plane from HPD’s headquarters in California early Friday morning, and the Danbury, Conn.-based squad went to work. Twenty hours, and many energy drinks later, the rebuild was complete, and the car fired up for the first time at 5:45 a.m. on Saturday.
"My guys did a great job and I am very proud that their efforts have made Patron Highcroft Racing into a highly respected race team,” Dayton said. “Ever since we first became a part of the Acura program, we have worked night and day to provide value for them. We were the little team from Connecticut up against the big names. My guys share my extreme passion for the sport. We love what we do and we know we must do all we can to provide value for our partners and sponsors. They don't take no for an answer.”
Patron Highcroft Racing now heads into to the season-ending Monterey Sports Car Championships only needing to reach the 70 percent mark to claim the P1 championship. (John Dagys)
With effectively a brand-new car built overnight, Highcroft’s Sharp, David Brabham and Dario Franchitti drove to a sixth place finish overall in the rain-shortened race, extending their championship lead heading into next month’s season finale.
“We have worked incredibly hard to hold this championship lead throughout the year and were going to do whatever it took to ensure we came away with points today,” Dayton added. “To actually extend our lead in the championship is a bonus. But the job isn't done, we will be very focused in the final race at Laguna Seca to ensure we complete the task we set to do at the start of the year."
Enjoy a time-lapse video of Highcroft’s Herculean rebuild, thanks to the team and its PR director Paul Ryan.
