We have seen no shortage of publicity in regards to the Scott Tucker-owned Level 5 Motorsports racing team's mid-season decision to change cars. In spite of the risks the modification brought of interrupting the explosive momentum the group has maintained since the season's open, plus the potential points lost by withdrawing from races while the car was being finished, the modification has been outright positive. The marriage Level 5's skillful and talented drivers; the integrity, innovation and reputation of Honda Performance Development; and the precision and manner of Wirth Research has benefited all three groups.
When the wait for Level 5's new LMP2 Lola Honda Spyder was over, it was obvious the car was well worth the while. Not really that Level 5 had too much to worry about, with wins at the 12 Hours of Sebring and the Grand Prix of Long Beach, along with podium finishes at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Six Hours of Imola, all during the team's debut LMP2 season. Once the team ignited the engine on the raceway the first time at ModSpace American Le Mans Monterey presented by Patron, they bettered their season in the sole method to better an already winning season: They made history. Tucker and co-drivers Christophe Bouchut and Luis Diaz earned their highest overall finish of the season at the Laguna Seca race. The car didn't need to have a single unscheduled pit stop or encounter any unexpected issues, which easily secured the team's fourth LMP2 victory of the season and Tucker and Bouchut's drivers' championships.
Bouchut nailed a best time of 1: 16.867 in the new HPD ARX-01g, which is a little second behind the LMP1 winning car's fastest lap. With this being the initial iteration of the HPD ARX-01g, with development still in early stages for cost-capped configurations, the pace was impressive, especially with the model had a lot less than three hours of run time before the endurance test.
The lofty expectations for the new Honda prior to being finished were valid enough that Tucker had reserved the 1st two chassis which were produced, and the team waited patiently for its new and improved car, even withdrawing from competitions in order to have it in time for Petit Le Mans. The hype surrounding the car, both before it was proven and following its tenacious debut, solidified the partnership between Wirth Research and Honda Performance Development (HPD), as Wirth announced Sept. 9 the beginning of a totally new long-term technical partnership with Honda.
Wirth and HPD happen to be working together since 2003, but the new relationship extends the companies' sports prototype programs and includes a new IndyCar project. In an official Wirth press release, the company notes that the unyielding success of its LMP1 and LMP2 cars during the past year have opened the chance build on the achievements and commence to examine several new projects for high-profile clients.
"We looked through the numbers, inside and out, and from our perspective, there's no doubt the Honda package in the new cost-capped configuration will be a front-runner in LMP2," Tucker said, after making the mid-season decision to switch cars. "We've seen gains with the engine all year, and the exciting thing is that there's still room for improvement." Members of the Level 5 team even visited the Wirth Research center to check out their new set of wheels in production.
It's not necessarily any car which could evoke a lot anticipation out of an already dominant racing team. It can be expected that as long as there's improvement in the prototypes, teams like Level 5-which constantly strategizes and evaluates situations to optimize the possibility of a victory-will keep HPD and Wirth high on their radars. The new long-term partnership between the companies is the exciting beginning of an era of innovation and ultimate performance ability in motorsports.
When the wait for Level 5's new LMP2 Lola Honda Spyder was over, it was obvious the car was well worth the while. Not really that Level 5 had too much to worry about, with wins at the 12 Hours of Sebring and the Grand Prix of Long Beach, along with podium finishes at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Six Hours of Imola, all during the team's debut LMP2 season. Once the team ignited the engine on the raceway the first time at ModSpace American Le Mans Monterey presented by Patron, they bettered their season in the sole method to better an already winning season: They made history. Tucker and co-drivers Christophe Bouchut and Luis Diaz earned their highest overall finish of the season at the Laguna Seca race. The car didn't need to have a single unscheduled pit stop or encounter any unexpected issues, which easily secured the team's fourth LMP2 victory of the season and Tucker and Bouchut's drivers' championships.
Bouchut nailed a best time of 1: 16.867 in the new HPD ARX-01g, which is a little second behind the LMP1 winning car's fastest lap. With this being the initial iteration of the HPD ARX-01g, with development still in early stages for cost-capped configurations, the pace was impressive, especially with the model had a lot less than three hours of run time before the endurance test.
The lofty expectations for the new Honda prior to being finished were valid enough that Tucker had reserved the 1st two chassis which were produced, and the team waited patiently for its new and improved car, even withdrawing from competitions in order to have it in time for Petit Le Mans. The hype surrounding the car, both before it was proven and following its tenacious debut, solidified the partnership between Wirth Research and Honda Performance Development (HPD), as Wirth announced Sept. 9 the beginning of a totally new long-term technical partnership with Honda.
Wirth and HPD happen to be working together since 2003, but the new relationship extends the companies' sports prototype programs and includes a new IndyCar project. In an official Wirth press release, the company notes that the unyielding success of its LMP1 and LMP2 cars during the past year have opened the chance build on the achievements and commence to examine several new projects for high-profile clients.
"We looked through the numbers, inside and out, and from our perspective, there's no doubt the Honda package in the new cost-capped configuration will be a front-runner in LMP2," Tucker said, after making the mid-season decision to switch cars. "We've seen gains with the engine all year, and the exciting thing is that there's still room for improvement." Members of the Level 5 team even visited the Wirth Research center to check out their new set of wheels in production.
It's not necessarily any car which could evoke a lot anticipation out of an already dominant racing team. It can be expected that as long as there's improvement in the prototypes, teams like Level 5-which constantly strategizes and evaluates situations to optimize the possibility of a victory-will keep HPD and Wirth high on their radars. The new long-term partnership between the companies is the exciting beginning of an era of innovation and ultimate performance ability in motorsports.
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