24 Heures du Mans Plans

Flying Lizard Motorsports

Flying Lizard Announces 24 Heures du Mans Plans for PortalPlayer/Flying Lizard No. 80 Porsche Entry

May 23, 2006--Sonoma, Calif.--Flying Lizard announced today the team's plans for the upcoming 2006 24 Heures du Mans race in Le Mans, France, June 17-18, 2006. The Flying Lizard squad will field its No. 80 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR in the GT2 class for the historic 24-hour endurance race, sponsored by PortalPlayer, a San Jose, Calif-based technology company. The drivers for the race will be Johannes van Overbeek, Seth Neiman, and Patrick Long.

van Overbeek and Neiman are full-time drivers with the Lizards in the ALMS, and Long is a Porsche factory driver competing with both PENSKE Racing and Petersen/White Lightning in the ALMS. Long won Le Mans in GT2 in 2004 (with Bergmeister/Maassen) and was second in 2005 (with Bergmeister/Bernhard); both with the Petersen/White Lightning team. This will be Long's second race with the Lizards: he drove with the team for the 2005 Daytona 24 Hours, where he set the fastest GT2 race lap.

This will be the Lizards second consecutive Le Mans event. In 2005's grueling 24-hour battle in which half the field did not complete the race, the Lizards fought to a hard-earned third in GT2 finish with the trio of van Overbeek, Neiman and Lonnie Pechnik. "We are honored to be able to return to Le Mans again this year," said Neiman. "It was an incredible experience to be part of such an historic race last year."

Heading to France from their first season-win at Mid-Ohio on May 21, the Flying Lizard two-car GT2 squad is currently first in the ALMS GT2 team championship points chase. van Overbeek, who also leads in the ALMS drivers' championship points after three races so far this season, is looking forward to Le Mans, "Driving at Le Mans last year was a life-defining experience," he said. "The length of the straights, the speed, the beauty of the track, the whole atmosphere--it's something you just can't experience anywhere else in the world. Having Patrick with us will definitely be a plus--he pushes hard, all of the time, but still keeps things fun. The only problem will be that I'm almost a foot taller than both Seth and Patrick--good thing we have an adjustable seat in the Porsche."

For the 2006 24 Heures du Mans, the team is sponsored by PortalPlayer, based in San Jose, Calif., a leading supplier of semiconductor, firmware and software solutions for personal media players and secondary display-enabled notebook computers. PortalPlayer is also a primary sponsor of the team for the 2006 American Le Mans Series.

Lizard crew chief Tommy Sadler added, "In 2005, we showed we had what it took to compete successfully at Le Mans. This year, we have to build on that success and do even more. The durability and reliability that Porsche brings to the table are big assets in this type of a race. In 24 hours, nearly everything can (and often does) happen, and you have to be prepared for it all."

The 24 Heures du Mans starts at 5 pm local time on Saturday, June 18 and finishes at 5 pm on Sunday June 19. The race will be broadcast in Europe on MotorsTV. Coverage will begin the week of June 12. Race coverage will begin June 18 at 9 am and end Sunday at 6 pm local time. See www.lemans.org for details.

Live radio coverage will be available at www.radiolemans.com.

For more information on the team, visit www.lizardms.com.

About Flying Lizard Motorsports
Founded in 2003, the Sonoma, Calif-based Flying Lizard team is competing in its third season of sports car racing with the American Le Mans Series (ALMS). The team is running two Porsche 911 GT3 RSRs--the No. 44 and the No. 45--in the 10 race ALMS season in North America.

The Flying Lizard squad finished second in GT2 in the 2004 ALMS drivers' and team championships and third in 2005. In 2005, the team also enjoyed a hard-earned podium finish at their first competition in the historic 24 Heures du Mans race in Le Mans, France.

The team is managed by six principals: drivers Johannes van Overbeek, Lonnie Pechnik and Seth Neiman; chief engineer Craig Watkins; crew chief Tommy Sadler; and team manager Eric Ingraham. Visit the team website at www.lizardms.com.