IMSA: Flying Lizards weighing options for 2015

The championship-winning sports car veterans at Flying Lizard Motorsport find themselves asking many of the familiar questions that arise with the off-season just days away. According to FLM team manager Eric Ingraham, the most pressing question doesn't involve cars or classes, they know which cars it will use next season, but can't say where those cars will compete.

"We're very happy with Audi, and we're planning on continuing with them," Ingraham told RACER. "As for where we'll race them, we're certainly considering all of our options next year."

After years of fielding works-supported Porsches in the American Le Mans Series, the Seth Neiman-owned outfit made the transition to the TUDOR Championship running a pair of Audi R8s in the GT Daytona class. Of the six brands that regularly compete in GTD, four have won races this season, while the other two, Aston Martin and Audi, are still seeking a trip to Victory Lane.

Both marques have been fast at times, but the R8, in particular, has been less competitive than many expected in a class where Balance of Performance tools are used to increase or decrease the performance of each model. With its GT3 roots, the R8 is capable of running in GTD and the Pirelli World Challenge series with a few notable changes required. In the hands of driver Mike Skeen, the V10-powered R8 coupe nearly won the 2014 PWC GT championship.

Based on FLM's current line of thinking, it wouldn't be a surprise to see the team's R8s running in GTD and GT next year. Sorting out a calendar of events is the next priority for Ingraham.

"In a manner of speaking, I do feel pressed because we need to do a lot of planning in a short amount of time," he added. "The [World Challenge] season doesn't start until March, and the reality is we probably want to do [IMSA's Rolex 24 at] Daytona, no matter what. Leaving Petit, my thought process is for us to go test and get ready for Daytona, and then that gives us time to continue to evaluate.

"I don't know the answer yet about what will come next, but we'll be racing, for sure. I want to hear more from IMSA about what they're going to do next year, and how they're going to bring the [GTD] cars closer together." ​