Petit Le Mans: Pre-Race Quotes from KBru Comm Drivers
Guy Cosmo (Post-Qualifying) // No. 45 Flying Lizard Motorsports Audi R8 LMS
Starting P4 in GTD
We had a pretty solid run for qualifying. We started the weekend a bit off on the set up, but we made great progress through each of the practice sessions. The conditions were definitely challenging and although I would’ve loved to have put in a better lap. It was a reasonable lap time but I figured discretion was the better part of valor, and to just bring the car home in one piece. Starting a 10 hour race in 4th position isn’t a bad place to start. We have a very challenging race ahead of us, but we have 10 hours to ensure that we are at the front when it counts. This team is outstanding and it’s an honor to be driving for them. Our Audi R8 LMS will be strong and is the right tool for the job.
Colin Thompson // No. 45 Flying Lizard Motorsports Audi R8 LMS
I feel at this point in the weekend, after essentially having the whole weekend in the wet, we really have a strong car in the rain. We proved to have a solid car in qualifying and in practice we were consistently up front. Throughout the duration of the race with our lineup, I think we’ll be in a good position all race. That being said, we need to watch how bad the rain gets not only for race strategy per lap but for the overall picture because there’s a chance that the race is cut early. So we want to be up front, fighting for the lead the entire race.
Robert Thorne // No. 45 Flying Lizard Motorsports Audi R8 LMS
I’m a bit nervous with the changing conditions today, going into this race. However, all three of us have had a lot of time in the car in the wet, and we’re feeling more confident. The Flying Lizard Motorsports Audi R8 LMS has been very consistent in the changing wet conditions. With some minor tweaks, we think that we’ll be able to have a front-running pace. We’ve got a lot of work to do to get to the halfway point and keep all the corners clean. But we’ve got the right lineup and the right crew. We should be able to pull it off.
Dion von Moltke // No. 48 Paul Miller Racing Audi R8 LMS
Co Drivers: Bryce Miller and Christopher Haase
Starting P9 in GTD
It’s a nice, wet day here in the rain at Road Atlanta. It’s probably going to rain all race. Qualifying wasn’t the best for us. We found a small issue in the car, and hopefully fixing it will make it a little better. Ultimately today is about survival. The start will be quite difficult from the back of the field. The spray has been pretty bad, making visibility really tough. It’s going to be an interesting start in difficult conditions. We’re focusing on keeping clean, and keeping the car together. If we’re able to do that for 10 hours, we’ll be in a good position at the end of the race because this is going to be tough for everyone out there.
John Edwards // No. 24 BMW Team RLL BMW Z4 GTE
Co drivers: Lucas Luhr and Jens Klingmann
Starting P2 in GTLM
It’s nice to see we could move up to P2 after post-qualifying tech. At the end of the day, it’s still a 10 hour race. Qualifying isn’t that crucial, especially with a split start, but it’ll be much nicer for Lucas to have a clearer road ahead, rather than a lot of cars kicking up spray. That’s positive. As far as the race goes, the rain isn’t challenging physically, but it is exhausting mentally. Now we have a 10 hour race that is going to end in the night, when the rain will be at its heaviest. That’ll be on me and I’ll have to survive the last two and a half hours in the rain in the darkness. The first part of the race, we’re just going to try to survive, and going to try to take it to Porsche at the end.
