Laguna Seca: Porsche qualifying report

FLYING LIZARDS PORSCHE POSITIONED TO CLINCH GT2 TITLE TOMORROW AT LAGUNA

MONTEREY, Calif. - October 9 - Joerg Bergmeister (Germany) has qualified the #45 Flying Lizard Porsche 911 GT3 RSR fifth on the GT2 grid, just behind fellow Porsche factory driver and countryman Wolf Henzler, and has placed his team in perfect position to clinch their second straight American Le Mans Series GT2 championship at the Monterey Sports Car Championships at Mazda Laguna Seca Raceway tomorrow.

Bergmeister, who will co-drive with the only American Porsche factory driver Patrick Long in tomorrow's race, will start on the outside of the third row for the four-hour American Le Mans Series race. A tenth-place finish - no matter where the rival Ferrari 430 finishes - assures Bergmeister-Long the ALMS GT2 drivers title and Flying Lizard Motorsports the team crown. Porsche already clinched the GT2 manufacturers championship two weeks ago at Petit Le Mans.

Henzler, who will drive the #87 Farnbacher Loles Racing Porsche 911 GT3 RSR with Pierre Ehret (Germany), was the fastest-qualifying Porsche in fourth position, just three-tenths of a second behind the two Corvettes and the Ferrari. Farnbacher Loles Racing has a similar scenario as the Lizards do at Homestead Miami Speedway in Miami tomorrow as their Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car, driven by Leh Keen and Dirk Werner, just needs to complete 30 minutes with each driver to clinch the Rolex Grand-Am GT championship.

Other Porsche 911 GT3 Qualifying results included the VICI Racing Porsche driven by Richard Westbrook/Johannes Stuck/Lance David Arnold (11th); the Team Falken Tire Porsche with

Bryan Sellers/Dominic Cicero (12th); and the Flying Lizard Porsche of Seth Neiman/Johannes van Overbeek (13th).

In the American Le Mans Series Challenge class, Guy Cosmo captured his third straight pole in the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car he will share with car owner John Baker. Martin Snow, with wife and co-driver Melanie, who are closing in on the season class championship, qualified sixth in their Snow Racing Porsche.

In the LMP2 class, Klaus Graf put the Cystosport Porsche RS Spyder third on the LMP2 grid in the car he will share with team owner Greg Pickett.

-credit: porsche