Flying Lizards Twitter Q&A with Eric Ingraham
Note: Some of the original tweets with questions came from private accounts or have been deleted, making the tweets unavailable. We left the answers up anyway.
.@cwalsh40 This is the only racing team I’ve ever managed, but I can say it’s a huge amount of details and work. Super gratifying though!
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@jayarmistead We’re all very happy – Audi has been great, the car has been very competitive, and we’ve finished well at two tough races.
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@Twincheckers It was the right time, so much would change (w/ IMSA) anyway & we believed the Audi would be most immediately competitive.
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@Twincheckers You’ll have to ask @sneiman02 that one!
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@johndagys GT. More BoP, more politics, tougher competition.
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@Viclovesracing 1) Confirm new driver time (min/max) requirements 2) Decide to follow a strategy I had been considering, which worked well!
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@Viclovesracing As a strategist, that is probably the race I am most proud of in my career. A rules subtlety that we were able to use…
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@johndagys Side note: Absolutely everyone that has any interest in sportscar racing should follow @johndagys. One of the best!
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@bohicawarriors Massive. But the series was changing too and we approached all of it fully focused *on* change, so it was expected.
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@GDenoncourt .@jayarmistead Each manufacturer has focused differently on sportscar racing at different times. Each has been great to us.
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@md9647 .@johndagys Understanding what changed in the rules, what didn’t, but also what would be approached differently by the series.
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@Twincheckers Primarily the race length and what the requires of the team, drivers, and cars. The setup is unique to each track anyway.
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@Viclovesracing As a strategist, that is probably the race I am most proud of in my career. A rules subtlety that we were able to use…
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@JNans Yes and no. We share everything with Audi. Audi shares selectively. Any safety or mechanical issues are always shared.
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@BullManUGA Absolutely, although Long Beach is a bit of a rodeo for the teams. I will miss it as we have very often raced well there…
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@johndagys Whichever one participates the most in our Twitter chats.
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@jpsibray Lots, especially as we get to know the cars this year. Spring rates, shock settings, aero, gearing…
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@cwalsh40 1) Shark attacks. 2) Misreading the schedule and making us miss a session. 3) Each and every detail, all day, every day.
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@JNans The Glen – we won there in a different form in 2003, it was @sneiman02‘s first pro win, and the 6 hour is such an iconic race.
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@ClemsonZach We try to always understand the sportscar landscape regardless, but are fully committed to the @UnitedSportsCar championship.
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@FloppyEarRacing Very little… in car video for the drivers to learn the tracks, that’s about all that we can reasonably use.
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@FloppyEarRacing There are some track specific subtleties that carry over regardless though.
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@CKoske88 The same basic tenets of strategy are always there. The procedure has changed a bit though with when they start pit openings.
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@AstidySRT The 911 is legendary for its reliability although our R8s have been literally perfect for 72 hours of racing so far this year.
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@AstidySRT …and I’m sure that will continue. The GTD cars (911 and R8 LMS) are both more complex than last year’s modified Cup car.
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@LtDannyDk Three 1-2 finishes for our cars would be my perfect world on that.
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@jpsibray Changing the name might be tough, but come see us in the paddock and ask for me and I’ll see what I can do…
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@unrealbacon For learning tracks, plenty. But at this level the simulators are not sophisticated enough for true driver training.
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@cwalsh40 My mom says that I do a good job. By & large it’s a thankless job. I do this for what happens in each race – that’s the payoff.
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@Twincheckers Thomas Blam and I stayed awake from 6am Saturday until 10pm Sunday, so about 40 hours. Same for all 24 hour races…
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@bohicawarriors Yes and yes. If we were going to make a change, this would have been the time and we did explore other options.
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@bohicawarriors Transfer to the R8 was much tougher than you would guess and Troy Lee & Steve Pattee did great jobs in making it happen.
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@tomkentish911 Absolutely, the weekend of August 9th and 10th.
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@FloppyEarRacing Feel free to come see us at any race and we’ll answer what we can. In the meantime you’ve got 26 more minutes…
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@Twincheckers Unfortunately our R8 LMS aren’t eligible for any class there, but we will cheer on the factory R18s and hope to be back soon.
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@zjaredsiegel Finding value is very complex and is more about that company than your team. The paddock has some amazing salesmen though.
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@md9647 Yes! The secret is that high school math and science class isn’t actually about the subject matter, it’s about learning to learn.
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@cwalsh40 Well, the R18 e-tron quattro seems like a nice car…
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@Evilviscountess They’re about as together as together can be now, and growing and developing quickly.
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@ClemsonZach A 1976 BMW 2002, my first car. My dad took me to a track day at Thunderhill in 1994 or so. That started it all…
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@jpsibray Well there aren’t any actual keys so I think we’re safe.
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@Dionvmracing @Twincheckers The closest I get is closing my eyes and rubbing my temples when my drivers are talking.
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@JNans Probably not soon, but some day, we would love to. They have each been so well received.
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@lordpantsington I would have to look back through Outlook to answer that question, but my guess is our graphic designer Steve Pattee.
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@lordpantsington He’s been a part of cars, trucks, driver suits, crew clothes, paddock awnings, pit awnings, logos, fonts, everything.
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@K2theBru Kelly has done an amazing job with the team Twitter account this year, so if you enjoy it, you know whom to thank.
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@atflorio Audi was nice enough to give us the 2013 Daytona 24 Hour winning setup, for @continentaltire. And WE had a learning curve, yes!
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@ClemsonZach The conversion of the car is possible but the logistics of doing those races aren’t!
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@Evilviscountess They are both great actually, but our racing history at Laguna is a little more exciting.
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@jpsibray We’d love to do the Nurburgring 24 Hours one day. But I prefer to race for wins rather than podiums.
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@Viclovesracing @Dionvmracing After 11 seasons, my ability to tune out the sound of a driver’s voice has become finely honed.
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
So @K2theBru has very conscientiously reminded me that there are ten minutes left and you should please send in any last questions now…
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@admkbldwn We’re happy to race in such a diverse class as is, but if anything I would love a few more R8 LMS Ultra parts on our cars.
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@ljack68 We miss Larry Jackson, our tire guy from back in the day. He was way fun & we won a lot of races together. He’s moved on…
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@ljack68 But in all seriousness, Larry, having last year in GTC on Yokohamas helped get our minds right for frequent change.
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@LtDannyDk Apples and oranges and a huge decision. We’re a loyal bunch though, so we wouldn’t jump ship like that.
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@tomkentish911 I have although I spend more time playing golf when I’m away from cars, trying to escape them and my phone and e-mail.
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@Sandberg47 We’re missing a driver still. Know anyone that might be able to help?
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@Sandberg47 We’re missing a driver still. Know anyone that might be able to help?
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@K2theBru @lordpantsington We’re a big fan of high talent people. We first met Kelly last year at the Mexican restaurant near Lime Rock.
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@JNans We used to do Daytona as a one off, so I’m used to wearing a crew suit (ALMS). Two years ago I hopped into pit lane in my civvies.
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@JNans …to argue a call with an official, which got us a penalty.
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@atflorio We’re strongly considering it. Drive time rules and driver qualification complexities all play into the decision though.
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@DMoseleyBass We’ve reached a point as a team in which we tend to pull from either the factory pool or from the folks that we know that…
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@DMoseleyBass …are especially skilled and experienced, like @SpencerPumpelly and @Dionvmracing of late.
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@60MPHMedia We don’t typically do driver tests but we can certainly discuss offline.
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@j_presby We have sold every car we’ve ever raced except for one – the #80 art car from Le Mans.
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@ES2421 Start at the bottom, volunteer, do anything you can to be in the paddock, work hard, and have a good attitude.
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@atflorio No, I try to keep my opinions to myself, unless I am talking to race officials in which case it is my professional duty to share.
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@ljack68 Our engineers are some of the smartest, most talented, and nerdiest in the paddock. We take great pride in all three attributes.
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@1JamieHowe Oh, come on Jamie. You know all of our secrets. Jamie was actually at the same dinner at which we met @K2theBru.
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@1JamieHowe The secret is to say something other than what you mean in case someone is listening, but that the driver understands clearly.
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@Twincheckers follow up: our top speed at Daytona was just over 180mph
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
.@ClemsonZach follow up: The GTC Porsche weight distribution was 38% front, 62% rear. The Audi is 42% front, 58% rear.
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
Thank you all so much for joining us and for all the great questions. But it’s a school night, so you should all get ready for bed now.
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
The account is now back to the safe and able hands of @K2theBru. Let her know who you want to hear from next! Anyone on the team is game.
— Flying Lizard (@FlyingLizard_MS) April 9, 2014
