Late Penalty Spoils Laguna

May 13, 2012

Patrick Long had to settle for 6th in GT at the American Le Mans Series race at Laguna Seca this weekend, despite challenging for a win throughout the duration of the six-hour event. Running as high as 2nd place after a 4th place qualifying effort, Long and teammate Jörg Bergmeister chased the eventual winners in the dual Corvettes, and swapped positions many times with both BMWs, the sister Falken Porsche and the pole-sitting Aston Martin.

On the penultimate pit stop, Long handed the car over to Bergmeister, but as Jörg exited the pits, the airjack hose caught on the wing of the car, which by rule drew the #45 Flying Lizard team a drive-through penalty, knocking the duo out of contention for a podium finish.

Next up for Long is the 24 Hours of Nürburgring in Germany this coming weekend, and he will be back in action for the Lizards at the test day for the 24 Hours of Le Mans on June 3.