ALMS (LE MANS) - LIZARDS READY TO GO WITH NEW PORSCHE ENGINE

Flying Lizard changed out the engine in its Porsche on Friday due to concerns over its rising temperatures. Photo: Andrew Hall

Flying Lizard Motorsports is on its third engine of the weekend after switching out a race motor Friday at Le Mans. It was a case of being safe rather than sorry for the 75th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

"We had some concerns about the temperature," said driver and team principal Seth Neiman. "We did six laps and didn't like what we saw."

The Flying Lizard Porsche will start fourth on the GT2 grid this afternoon, next to fellow American Le Mans Series entrant Risi Competizione and one of its Ferrari F430 GTs. The two teams literally went door-to-door at the finish in Sebring earlier this year with Risi taking a 0.202-second victory.

PIRRO PART ONE: Audi's Emanuele Pirro had some words of advice to the "rookie" R10 TDI team of Lucas Luhr, Mike Rockenfeller and Alexander Premat.

"As you get older and older, you realize how gifted you've been to be a part of this race," said Pirro, a five-time winner at Le Mans with Audi who made his first start here in 1981. "Enjoy what you are doing now. I know that you'll have the opportunity to do this for the next 25 or 30 years."

Emanuele Pirro will try for his ninth consecutive overall Le Mans podium finish with Audi. Photo: Regis Lefebure

PIRRO PART TWO: Pirro is aiming to set a record at Le Mans with his ninth consecutive overall podium finish in world's greatest auto race. Since his first race at la Sarthe with Audi in 1999, the Italian has five wins and three third-place finishes.

Tom Kristensen has seven consecutive overall podiums. Other American Le Mans Series drivers of note include Oliver Gavin with six GT1 podiums in as many appearances, Marco Werner with five overall podiums in five starts and four straight GT1 podiums for Olivier Beretta.

LE MANS, WE HAVE GO FOR GREEN: For next year's Le Mans, the ACO has announced that it will honor the 100th anniversary of the first flight in Europe by Wilbur Wright by having the 1908 Aero Retro Wright Flyer III A on hand for 2008. The historic aircraft will be towed along the pit straight with three astronauts - American Mark Brown, Frenchman Jean-Loup Chretien and Russian Vladimir Titov - on board.

The trio and the residents of the International Space Station will give the start for the 76th running of Le Mans.