Daytona 24: Flying Lizard Motorsports final report

Flying Lizards drive Shoreline-Brocade Porsche to 2nd at Daytona.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The Flying Lizard Motorsports Shoreline-Brocade Porsche GT3 from Sonoma, Calif., finished second in the GT class in the 42nd annual Rolex 24 At Daytona sports car road race.

Twenty-year old German driving star, Mike Rockenfeller, from the Porsche factory team of drivers, began lap 468 of 523 laps around the 3.56-mile combination infield road course one minute, 16 seconds behind the class leader.

By the race's end, more than two hours later, Rockenfeller had reduced the margin to :06.973 seconds.

"I did my best," Rockenfeller said, after driving in the first 24- hour auto race of his career, "but with the track slick from all the rain, you really had to be careful or you could throw it all away."

Johannes van Overbeek, one of the Flying Lizard Motorsports team's six principals, was proud of his teammates. "To finish second in a world- class race like the Daytona 24-hour is an honor," he said. "Of course we wanted to win, and every driver and crewman tried his best, but what this success does is motivate us to working for more successes as we progress through the racing season."

Over 21 of the race's 24 hours were run in rainy conditions, slowing the race's speed, and causing teams all up and down pit road to change their race strategy.

"To lose this race by under seven seconds can seem like the end of the world to some," noted Peter Cunningham, one of the team's five drivers, "but to finish third in such treacherous conditions was truly a miracle."

"I couldn't be prouder of our team," added Seth Neiman, another of the FLMS principals and drivers. "This was a great effort by the crew and drives, and we're proud to give Shoreline Communications and Brocade Communications, our two partners, such a fine result for their first presence in the Rolex 24."

"For a newly-formed team to show up here, finish second in our class and third overall in a 53-car, three-class field of world-class race cars, was a lot of fun. The team we beat are among the best in this business, and that pleases us."

Van Overbeek qualified the Shoreline-Brocade Porsche on the GT class pole position during Thursday's qualifying, then led the first hour of the race. He also set the fastest race lap for the class on the race's third lap.

The team's next race will be the 12 Hours of Sebring, in Sebring, Fla., March 15-20, the opening round of the 2004 American Le Mans racing series.

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