With their names comfortably resting on the entire points leaders' charts, the drivers of Level 5 Motorsports brought their cutting edge ultra-fast LMP2 car out of the box in Elkhart Lake, Wisc., extremely near to their Madison, Wisc., home base after a streak of achievement in Intercontinental Le Mans Cup races in Europe. Scott Tucker and co-drivers Christophe Bouchut and Luis Diaz obtained podium finishes in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France and Six Hours of Imola in Italy.
If there's a word to explain the Level 5 Motorsports 2011 period, it's momentum-but not the kind that builds, slowly gaining speed. The Level 5 momentum has been amazing, from the very beginning. Which, incidentally, was an identical kind of momentum the team's new LMP2 car had at the four-hour Road America enduro. At the race, the sixth round of the ALMS season, Tucker, Bouchut and Diaz spent no time setting the cost-capped prototype up with a fifth-place overall position after practice and qualifying. Tucker later moved the automobile into fourth place after commanding the wheel for his opening double shift.
Tucker then handed the wheel to Bouchut, who delivered a striking performance inspite of a late stop-and-go penalty from a pit lane speed limiter problem. Bouchut, who is among the finest endurance drivers in the world, recovered from the penalty and handed the car to Diaz in good standing. Diaz set a late record for the team's fastest lap time and ultimately crossed the finish line in fifth place overall with maximum points in the LMP2 category. However the team had entered the raceway seeking first place, the championship points were valuable, and the completely new car had a great performance.
"It was really important for us to do well being based so close to Elkhart," Bouchut said. "We lost an overall podium position with the pit speed limiter, but in racing, you never know what will happen. The car didn't have any problems the entire weekend."
Winning the LMP2 class meant Tucker, Bouchut and Diaz's undefeated streak in the ALMS season stayed in tact. Along with the Road America enduro that weekend, Tucker competed in the IMSA Prototype Lites, IMSA GT3 Challenge by Yokohama and SCCA Pro Racing Trans-Am races on Saturday, winning in the Trans-Am T2 class and making the podium in all four races. The juggling act has become commonplace for the reigning ALMS LMPC champion, with every race meaning another an opportunity to win.
The Road America podium finish in the LMP2 class was Tucker's 56th win. With the championship all but official, the group prepared to continue their unbelievable streak for the remaining quarter of the year, with the ModSpace American Le Mans Monterey presented by Patron at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, when the team would finally release the new HPD ARX-01g car by Wirth Research and Honda Performance Development.
If there's a word to explain the Level 5 Motorsports 2011 period, it's momentum-but not the kind that builds, slowly gaining speed. The Level 5 momentum has been amazing, from the very beginning. Which, incidentally, was an identical kind of momentum the team's new LMP2 car had at the four-hour Road America enduro. At the race, the sixth round of the ALMS season, Tucker, Bouchut and Diaz spent no time setting the cost-capped prototype up with a fifth-place overall position after practice and qualifying. Tucker later moved the automobile into fourth place after commanding the wheel for his opening double shift.
Tucker then handed the wheel to Bouchut, who delivered a striking performance inspite of a late stop-and-go penalty from a pit lane speed limiter problem. Bouchut, who is among the finest endurance drivers in the world, recovered from the penalty and handed the car to Diaz in good standing. Diaz set a late record for the team's fastest lap time and ultimately crossed the finish line in fifth place overall with maximum points in the LMP2 category. However the team had entered the raceway seeking first place, the championship points were valuable, and the completely new car had a great performance.
"It was really important for us to do well being based so close to Elkhart," Bouchut said. "We lost an overall podium position with the pit speed limiter, but in racing, you never know what will happen. The car didn't have any problems the entire weekend."
Winning the LMP2 class meant Tucker, Bouchut and Diaz's undefeated streak in the ALMS season stayed in tact. Along with the Road America enduro that weekend, Tucker competed in the IMSA Prototype Lites, IMSA GT3 Challenge by Yokohama and SCCA Pro Racing Trans-Am races on Saturday, winning in the Trans-Am T2 class and making the podium in all four races. The juggling act has become commonplace for the reigning ALMS LMPC champion, with every race meaning another an opportunity to win.
The Road America podium finish in the LMP2 class was Tucker's 56th win. With the championship all but official, the group prepared to continue their unbelievable streak for the remaining quarter of the year, with the ModSpace American Le Mans Monterey presented by Patron at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, when the team would finally release the new HPD ARX-01g car by Wirth Research and Honda Performance Development.
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