By Tony DiZinno
IMSA Wire Service
The historical past of North American sports activities automobile racing can’t be written with out Flying Lizard Motorsports. Its IMSA legacy dates again 20 years to the American Le Mans Series period and its present program is unfold throughout IMSA and SRO America paddocks.
However, it hasn’t made an IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship begin of any form because the 2016 Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, in a joint effort with Krohn Racing, with an Audi R8 LMS Ultra.
That will change with subsequent week’s Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, when the Lizards will subject the No. 28 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo with drivers Elias Sabo and Andy Lee in GT Daytona (GTD).
It will mark each Sabo and Lee’s WeatherTech Championship debuts, but it surely is also a welcome return for the Lizards each at Long Beach and for its program supervisor Darren Law.
Sabo, who joined the Flying Lizard fold in 2022, has progressed by his sports activities automobile profession first in GT4 equipment after which this yr as much as GT3. The Southern California native had this race circled as a profession “bucket list” merchandise, and as Law defined, the celebs aligned for what, in the mean time, is a one-off WeatherTech Championship race.
“It’s close to home and something he’s always wanted to do,” Law mentioned. “One of his firms, 5.11, is positioned in Southern California. There are suites, company personnel, numerous visitors and a brand new GT3 automobile, so all of it labored out!
“It’s a fairly large undertaking for one race, however that’s the dedication we’ve proven for this effort. You should kind issues for IMSA like electronics, sequence monitoring and a unique tire.
“But it’s important for Elias as a home race,” continued Law. “And important for us where it’s a homecoming back from the American Le Mans Series days to be back in IMSA!”
Law joked that whereas he couldn’t keep in mind what he did earlier within the week, he may simply recall a runner-up end co-driving with Patrick Long at Long Beach in a Flying Lizard Porsche 911 GT3 RSR again in 2007.
Current Lizard actions are far busier. The Long Beach weekend comes on the tail finish of a whirlwind offseason the place the group prepped its 4 Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America automobiles for the season opener at Sebring final month the place they scored a win, two extra podiums and two pole positions, in addition to its 5 SRO automobiles for the beginning of that season at Sonoma Raceway earlier this month.
There’s one other main undertaking that’s encompassed the offseason. The group is within the technique of transitioning from its Sonoma store the place it operated for 20 years to Apex Motor Club in Phoenix, the place it ought to be operational by the tip of April. As Law associated, that’s as huge a activity – if not greater – than conventional season prep.
“You don’t realize how much comes with 20 years of loading and unloading a shop until you do it,” he mentioned. “You also don’t know how many boxes you need for trophies!”
In the group’s 11 full-season and two partial-season IMSA efforts, they earned six championship titles, 69 podiums, and 25 race wins.
Though it shifted from a factory-supported effort to a primarily buyer program within the final decade, its presence on the entrance of the sector is anticipated each time it competes.
That’s the legacy the Lizards established throughout its time within the WeatherTech Championship, by its prior guises. At Long Beach particularly, the group gained twice with Porsches and added different success in different sequence in later years since its most recent begin there in 2019.
For Law, Sabo and Lee at Long Beach although, the aim is barely completely different: make the laps first, acquire the expertise for later, and absorb the enjoyment that is among the highlights on the calendar.
“Elias has a simulator, so he’s spent time driving the track and learning it,” Law mentioned. “He has Andy as his coach and I’m so pleased to assist as nicely; I’ve performed Long Beach many instances prior to now.
“Our aim is that that is his first foray into IMSA so it’s to benefit from the race, get by it and full it. If now we have an important consequence, that’s an added bonus.
“Long Beach as an occasion is tremendous cool. I grew up in Southern California and have been going to this since I used to be a child. And I nonetheless meet up with associates in the course of the weekend.
“For a driver, it’s a bucket list and high-profile event to do. I loved racing there. It’s really neat for us to be able to do.”
The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach is a 100-minute dash race that options the GTD and Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) lessons. USA Network and Peacock will carry flag-to-flag reside protection from 4:30-6:30 p.m. ET Saturday, April 20.
