2005 Porsche 911 (996) GT3 RSR Pilots: P. Long. S. Neiman, J. van Overbeek Team: Flying Lizard Motorsport Race: 18th overall (4th in GT2) at Le Mans in 2006 Minichamps - 400066480 (diecast)
Published 03/21/20
Based in Sonoma, California, Flying Lizard Motorsport started their activities in 2003. The following year they started to compete in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS), in the GT class. From the beginning the team had a very straight relation with Porsche USA, and only raced Porsche 911 models. In their first year at ALMS, racing a 911 GT3 RSR, they obtained consistent results, and even a win at Mid-Ohio. As a result, the duo Darren Law and Johannes van Overbeek managed a second place in the GT championship. Encouraged by the good results, the following year they were back at ALMS, now in the GT2 class. And, they also turned their sights to the biggest challenge of all: Le Mans.
So for the 2005 24 Heures du Mans, Flying Lizard Motorsport bought a brand new 911. The Porsche 911 GT3 RSR has a 3598 cm³ boxer-6 that delivers 445 hp out of the factory. The car comes ready-to-race, with an integrated roll cage and fuel cell type fuel tank. Since GT2 class demands three pilots, Flying Lizard had Seth Neiman, Patrick Long and Johannes Van Overbeek as drivers. Car #80 qualified in 35th, and finished in 13th overall, third in the GT2 class. Hence, a very good result for a rookie team. And with that, the next year they were back, with the same car (chassis #WP0ZZZ99Z5S693062) and the same team. But in 2006 however they qualified in 40th and finished in 18th, fourth place in GT2.
The last time that Flying Lizard raced at La Sarthe was in 2012. Even so, I have a soft spot for the reptilian racing team. In scale, to my surprise RSR #80 here is quite different from my 2005 car. Well, at first glance, the aerials makes it look like a different car. Also, the livery is somewhat orange, and the smileys further enhance the differences. But all in all it’s your average Minichamps porker – or in other words, a pretty honest model. If you’re interested in the team, there are 10 different cars available in 1:43, with some very nice ones. So yes, that means I’m still four short 😒.