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.

Mike Vess
The car was really solid on the start. I came into a little bit of oil in the very beginning and was sliding around a bit. I got settled in and the car got going. The team was fantastic. I got a big flat spot going into turn one early in the race and got a big vibration. They kept giving me tire pressures and telling me it was okay and giving me the confidence to still push on the tire. I did, and the tire held up and made it until our pit stop. I came in and got a new front left tire. Once we got that tire scrubbed in, the car was so solid. It was a joy to drive it. The professionalism and quality of the Lizards is really impressive.

Jason Hart
This is the most meaningful race of my career. Mike and I have been around all of the pro races I’ve done and he’s done. We’ve always been at the same races together. To do this one as our first run together was just unbelievable. The car was extremely good. The guys changed the car from morning warm up to the race and turned it around. It was a fantastic car to drive. I’m blown away with the Flying Lizards from top to bottom: The pit stops, the crew, the organization of the management structure and how they do business. They’re just a fantastic organization. I can’t thank the crew enough for being so great in the pits. Most importantly I have to thank Mike Vess, his family and Vess Energy for allowing me to drive with them. It’s a real special treat. They’re the most wonderful people, and the nicest in the paddock.

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.

Thomas Blam // Team Manager
It was a great opening run with Mike Vess and Jason Hart this weekend. We had a troubled start to the week with some issues before the opening session, but the team worked together and got them fixed in time to finish out the session. We kept improving from there and finished the race with some extremely competitive times from Jason. At the end of the race, he was quick enough to run with the GTD leaders. Both Mike and Jason were a pleasure to work with and hopefully we can work together again in the future. We always love coming to Circuit of the Americas, and look forward to next year’s race.