The Level 5 Motorsports team's 2011 season has proven it a versatile, dominant team stocked with talent, skill and determination. Commanding the podium at the majority of the races it entered-including winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and podium at Imola and Sebring, among others-is proof that the Scott Tucker-owned, Microsoft Office-sponsored team has found a winning formula in its schedule, race strategy and drivers, including Tucker, Luis Diaz and Christophe Bouchut. As they began the final quarter of an already unbelievable season with the ModSpace American Le Mans Monterey presented by Patron mid-September, all their ducks seemed to be in a row: their equation had been proven again and again as reliable for an effective winning effort. But this race contained one wild card, or wild car, as the case might be-the team would finally debut the HPD ARX-01g they had announced they were switching to mid-season.
The Level 5 team anticipated the vehicle to be a good multiplier for their already winning equation, but as is the situation in racing, they also knew always to anticipate the unforeseen. For an additional team, the chance and risk of getting into a new vehicle so near to the season's largest races could screw up drivers and the team's flow, but Level 5 is comprised of drivers that have expertise not just adapting to vehicle adjustments but also in motor racing alone.
"Experience counts," said Christophe Bouchut prior to the ModSpace race. "We've worked hard to prepare for this race, but it's still brand new and there are still things to check." The team opened the gearbox for evaluation, sitting out of a final practice time to familiarise themselves with the completely new vehicle as much as possible before its 1st run. Still, Bouchut was right: A car can be checked out repeatedly, and the race strategy can be cemented into the drivers' heads, but there comes a time for drivers when lessons from earlier race knowledge gets control with a sort of gut instinct and sensibility that can't be taught.
Tucker is the least experienced driver on the Level 5 team, but what he lacks in years behind the wheel he makes up for with a brilliant learning curve that barely existed in the first place. A rookie in 2006 at age 44, Tucker displayed natural talent and surprising skill in the Ferrari Challenge Series before he created Level 5 Motorsports and began building a dream team of drivers. As the seasons progressed, Tucker began seeing his first major success. In 2009, he won the Sports Car Club of America National Championship. Later, he was the first American to drive one of Audi's V-12 turbodiesels in a competition, during the 24 Hours of Le Mans. His passion for motorsports coupled with an unrelenting pursuit of excellence-which has caused him to maintain an ultra-disciplined fitness regimen as well as a grueling, three-series race schedule-have catapulted his short career into the territory of his counterparts, whose first races weren't too long after their first birthdays.
Christophe Bouchut, part of the Level 5 dream team, is among the best endurance drivers on the planet. His wins have included the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. He has also won 3 Porsche Carrera Cup France championships, three FIA GT titles and a FFSA GT championship. He is the only triple FIA GT champion ever. Bouchut has been driving with Tucker's Level 5 team since 2008, adding his experience to Tucker's burgeoning motorsports empire and becoming a fundamental piece of the team's success.
Luis Diaz drove in the Toyota Atlantic and Indy Lights Series from 1999 to 2003 before moving to the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car series in 2004 when he co-drove the No. 01 car with former Champ Car competitor Scott Pruett for Chip Ganassi Racing. Three years later, Diaz moved again, this time into the American Le Mans Series, driving an LMP2 Lola B06/43-Acura for Fernandez Racing, and won the class championship in 2009. Diaz was also named Most Popular Driver that season. Diaz's experience with Level 5 Motorsports is limited to only the 2011 season, but his familiarity with the LMP2 cars has undoubtedly been invaluable to the ever-changing team.
Level 5 Motorsports continues to operate on a near-perfect mixture of skills, enthusiasm, skill and experience. The cohesive combination of the drivers' experience has established the team as dominant frontrunners in multiple series and allowed the 2011 momentum to carry on with the brand-new HPD ARX-01g automobile.
The Level 5 team anticipated the vehicle to be a good multiplier for their already winning equation, but as is the situation in racing, they also knew always to anticipate the unforeseen. For an additional team, the chance and risk of getting into a new vehicle so near to the season's largest races could screw up drivers and the team's flow, but Level 5 is comprised of drivers that have expertise not just adapting to vehicle adjustments but also in motor racing alone.
"Experience counts," said Christophe Bouchut prior to the ModSpace race. "We've worked hard to prepare for this race, but it's still brand new and there are still things to check." The team opened the gearbox for evaluation, sitting out of a final practice time to familiarise themselves with the completely new vehicle as much as possible before its 1st run. Still, Bouchut was right: A car can be checked out repeatedly, and the race strategy can be cemented into the drivers' heads, but there comes a time for drivers when lessons from earlier race knowledge gets control with a sort of gut instinct and sensibility that can't be taught.
Tucker is the least experienced driver on the Level 5 team, but what he lacks in years behind the wheel he makes up for with a brilliant learning curve that barely existed in the first place. A rookie in 2006 at age 44, Tucker displayed natural talent and surprising skill in the Ferrari Challenge Series before he created Level 5 Motorsports and began building a dream team of drivers. As the seasons progressed, Tucker began seeing his first major success. In 2009, he won the Sports Car Club of America National Championship. Later, he was the first American to drive one of Audi's V-12 turbodiesels in a competition, during the 24 Hours of Le Mans. His passion for motorsports coupled with an unrelenting pursuit of excellence-which has caused him to maintain an ultra-disciplined fitness regimen as well as a grueling, three-series race schedule-have catapulted his short career into the territory of his counterparts, whose first races weren't too long after their first birthdays.
Christophe Bouchut, part of the Level 5 dream team, is among the best endurance drivers on the planet. His wins have included the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. He has also won 3 Porsche Carrera Cup France championships, three FIA GT titles and a FFSA GT championship. He is the only triple FIA GT champion ever. Bouchut has been driving with Tucker's Level 5 team since 2008, adding his experience to Tucker's burgeoning motorsports empire and becoming a fundamental piece of the team's success.
Luis Diaz drove in the Toyota Atlantic and Indy Lights Series from 1999 to 2003 before moving to the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car series in 2004 when he co-drove the No. 01 car with former Champ Car competitor Scott Pruett for Chip Ganassi Racing. Three years later, Diaz moved again, this time into the American Le Mans Series, driving an LMP2 Lola B06/43-Acura for Fernandez Racing, and won the class championship in 2009. Diaz was also named Most Popular Driver that season. Diaz's experience with Level 5 Motorsports is limited to only the 2011 season, but his familiarity with the LMP2 cars has undoubtedly been invaluable to the ever-changing team.
Level 5 Motorsports continues to operate on a near-perfect mixture of skills, enthusiasm, skill and experience. The cohesive combination of the drivers' experience has established the team as dominant frontrunners in multiple series and allowed the 2011 momentum to carry on with the brand-new HPD ARX-01g automobile.
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