SONOMA, Calif. – Flying Lizard Motorsports founder Seth Neiman will return to the driver seat this weekend at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for his first event back under the team banner since 2014.
Neiman will race in Round 8 of the Porsche Pirelli GT3 Cup Trophy USA, Oct. 12-14.
“I’m really looking forward to running the GT4 Cayman under my old colors with the Lizards, back here where it all started at Laguna,” said Neiman. “I’ve been testing this car for fun at Sonoma, and running a race just seemed like a great idea. I’m hoping to run competitive times, and see how it all shakes out, and it is really wonderful to be back at the track with the guys.”
As a venture capitalist in California, Neiman founded Flying Lizard Motorsports in 2003, and the team quickly established itself as a race winning and championship contending team. With Neiman at the helm, the team joined the American Le Mans Series in 2004, earning a second place finish at its first race, the Rolex 24 at Daytona.
Flying Lizard earned one win and eight podiums in its debut year, finishing second in the championship standings. The team was selected to be a Porsche Motorsport factory-supported team, going on to win three team championships (2008, 2009, 2013) and three driver championships (2008, 2009, 2010).
While the team’s success on track led to a rapidly growing fan base, it was Neiman’s philosophy of giving back to the sports car fan base that truly won over their loyalty. Whenever outside the team transporter, Neiman could always be found talking to race fans, shaking hands, signing autographs, and taking photos. This attitude towards the fans flowed down from leadership to the rest of the team, solidifying the California team as a fan favorite and a staple brand in American sports car racing.
In the winter of 2014, Neiman quietly passed on the reigns, selling the team to Crew Chief Tommy Sadler, Chief Strategist Thomas Blam and former Lizard driver Darren Law. The trio stepped up to their new positions, expertly guiding the team from a privateer effort to a customer racing ream.
As the team expanded as a business and widened its footprint in various race series, Neiman returned to the race car from time to time, testing various cars with the team at their home track, Sonoma Raceway. This weekend’s Porsche Pirelli GT3 Cup Trophy USA event will be Neiman’s first event back in competition. To further restore balance to the racing universe, Neiman’s Porsche GT4 Cayman will be wrapped in the iconic Flying Lizard livery.
“It is great to see Seth get back in the car for a race event,” said program manager Darren Law. “This was a big part of his life for many years and he has such a passion for racing. Seth worked hard to develop his race craft and was a very good driver. Once racing is in your system you just can’t shut it off, it was only a matter of time before we convinced him to come back for an event. He built an amazing team and he is someone we consult and ask advice of on a regular basis. I am glad to see him get out to have some fun.”
Source : speedsport.com
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