Flying Lizard Motorsports COTA Post-Race Report

Flying Lizard Motorsports completed its fourth race in the 2015 TUDOR Championship today at the Circuit of the Americas. The Audi R8 LMS team welcomed new drivers Mike Vess and Jason Hart last month to the No. 45 car, and after a successful test session, the team and drivers returned to Austin to compete in the penultimate round of the season.

The team worked with the new drivers through each practice session in the Audi R8 LMS, and were able to gain valuable track time and utilize track data from the sessions. The weekend started with a few minor issues but improved with each session, with Vess and Hart becoming more comfortable with the car and finding more speed.

A post-qualifying decision to run on a different set of tires moved the No. 45 Audi R8 LMS to the rear of the starting grid for the 2 hour, 45 minute Lone Star Le Mans. Mike Vess started the race, pushing hard in 97 degree Fahrenheit temperatures. He raced clean and consistent in the GTD class, until handing the car over to Jason Hart for the final run to the checker flag. The car improved with each lap, allowing Hart to continue to lay down solid lap times, competitive to those of the leaders. Ultimately, the car finished 11th, with drivers and the team proud of the progress made over the weekend.

Something else that's extremely important to me is my 7-month old daughter Adelaide. She got to come to the event and sit in the race car. It's the first race we've had as a family, with she, my wife, and I. It was very special. We also had the Children's Tumor Foundation on board and some CTF children that signed the car. One of them, T, always rides with me with his signature on my helmet. It was a treat to be brought in to the CTF family. The giving that Mike Vess and the Vess family have done with the CTF is incredible. I have to say thank you to Jill Beck and Ryan Eversley for staring and championing that program in motorsports and allowing Mike and I to be a part of it. It's special to be in these race cars and very special to have these children at the track.

Audi of America, Inc. and its U.S. dealers offer a full line of German-engineered luxury vehicles. AUDI AG is among the most successful luxury automotive brands globally. Audi was a top-performing luxury brand in Europe during 2012, and broke all-time company sales records in the U.S. Through 2016, AUDI AG will invest about $17 billion on new products and technologies.