PHOENIX — With the start of the race season four months away, Flying Lizard Motorsports is running full steam ahead to prepare for a new year of sports car racing.
This year’s GT4 America and GT America team champions will advance to the Fanatec GT World Challenge with Elias Sabo and Andy Lee, while Jason Bell is set to continue another season in the GT America Powered by AWS, advancing from the GT4 class to the GT3 class.
Todd Parriott and Tom Dyer, who joined the team for the season finale at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, will return to continue their quest in the Pirelli GT4 America championship while Parriott also competes in the GT4 class of GT America.
“Having our drivers Elias Sabo and Andy Lee move up to GT3 racing in the GT World Challenge as Jason Bell also moves into GT3 class racing is a great step forward,” said Program Manager Darren Law. “Flying Lizard has a long history and a lot of success in GT3 racing and we look forward to sharing our experience and continuing this success to build this program. They have put in the time, hard work and effort to refine their skills in GT4 and this is a natural progression for them. We also are looking forward to continuing the relationship with Aston Martin. Based on the previous success the current model has had and from what we see from the upgrades in the new EVO GT3 it should be a very competitive car. It is also exciting to have Todd Parriott and Tom Dyer joining us for a full season next year.
“They showed great potential in the season finale at Indianapolis, and we look forward to seeing their growth and success as well in such a competitive series. We have several test days scheduled over the winter at our new facility at Apex Motor Club and plan to hit the ground running for the season opener at Sonoma.”
Sabo and Lee first joined Flying Lizard Motorsports in 2022, competing together in the GT4 America series while Sabo contested a solo pursuit in the GT4 class of GT America.
Together, the pair finished third in the GT4 America championship with one win and eight podiums. They retuned in 2023 with a determined effort to again fight for the title. With one win and four podiums in the competitive series, they again finished third in the driver standings, but still played a critical role in Flying Lizard earning the team championship title.
Following two years of racing an Aston Martin Vantage GT4, they will upgrade to an Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo, competing in SRO’s main series, the Fanatec GT World Challenge America Powered by AWS. The pair’s race time will now move up from 60 minutes to 90 minutes, with a mandatory driver change still required in each race. The move up from GT4 to GT3 machinery will be a welcome challenge for the duo, who will kickoff the 13-race season in April at California’s Sonoma Raceway.
Bell, the reigning GT America champion will also return for next season in GT America, selling his pair of Aston Martin Vantage GT4s to upgrade to the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo. With Michael Cooper as his coach, and possibly the occasional co-driver, Bell will again compete in GT America, a bronze-only sprint series comprised of GT2, GT3 and GT4 machines.
He clinched the GT4 driver title last season with two wins and an additional 13 podium finishes in the 18-round championship. The 2024 championship will host its first two of 16 rounds in April at Sonoma.
After first racing with the Lizards at the GT4 America season finale at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the fall, Parriott will now complete in two full-season efforts with the reigning champions. Competing in the bronze-only GT America series, Parriott will run an Aston Martin GT4 in the GT4 class, while also racing an Aston in the GT4 America series alongside co-driver Dyer in the 14-round season.