The Level 5 Motorsports team's 2011 season has shown it a versatile, prominent team stocked with experience, skill and determination. Commanding the podium within the majority of the competitions it entered-including winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and podium at Imola and Sebring, among others-is evidence that the Scott Tucker-owned, Microsoft Office-sponsored team has found a winning method in its schedule, race strategy and drivers, including Tucker, Luis Diaz and Christophe Bouchut. While they began a final quarter of an already marvelous year with the ModSpace American Le Mans Monterey presented by Patron mid-September, all their ducks appeared to be in a row: their formula had been proven over and over again as reputable for an effective winning effort. But this race included 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 estimated the automobile to be a positive multiplier for their already winning equation, but as is the situation in racing, they also knew always to anticipate the unexpected. For another team, the possibility and risk of getting into a brand new vehicle so close to the season's major races could mess up drivers and the team's flow, but Level 5 is comprised of drivers that have knowledge not only adapting to vehicle changes but also in motor racing alone.
"Experience counts," said Christophe Bouchut before 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 up the gearbox for examination, sitting out of a final practice time to familiarize themselves with the brand new automobile as much as possible before its very first run. Still, Bouchut was right: A car can be examined time after time, and the race strategy can be cemented into the drivers' heads, but there comes a point for drivers when lessons from recent race experience takes over with a sort of gut instinct and feeling that can't be taught.
Tucker is the least skilled driver on the Level 5 team, but what he lacks in years driving he makes up for with a exceptional learning curve that barely existed to start with. A beginner in 2006 when he was 44, Tucker displayed natural talent and unforeseen skill in the Ferrari Challenge Series before he created Level 5 Motorsports and began establishing a dream team of individuals. As the seasons progressed, Tucker began seeing his first major success. In 2009, he won the Sports Car Club of America National Championship. Later on, he was the first American to drive one of Audi's V-12 turbodiesels in a competition, during the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The love for motorsports along with an unrelenting search for excellence-which has caused him to maintain an ultra-disciplined physical fitness program along with a intense, three-series race schedule-have catapulted his brief 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 just about the most successful endurance drivers across the world. His victories have included the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. He has also won three 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 an important part 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. 3 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 branded Most Popular Driver that year. Diaz's experience with Level 5 Motorsports is limited only to the 2011 season, but his knowledge of the LMP2 cars has undoubtedly been priceless to the ever-changing team.
Level 5 Motorsports continues to operate on a near-perfect mix of technique, desire, skill and experience. The cohesive mix of the drivers' backgrounds 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 estimated the automobile to be a positive multiplier for their already winning equation, but as is the situation in racing, they also knew always to anticipate the unexpected. For another team, the possibility and risk of getting into a brand new vehicle so close to the season's major races could mess up drivers and the team's flow, but Level 5 is comprised of drivers that have knowledge not only adapting to vehicle changes but also in motor racing alone.
"Experience counts," said Christophe Bouchut before 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 up the gearbox for examination, sitting out of a final practice time to familiarize themselves with the brand new automobile as much as possible before its very first run. Still, Bouchut was right: A car can be examined time after time, and the race strategy can be cemented into the drivers' heads, but there comes a point for drivers when lessons from recent race experience takes over with a sort of gut instinct and feeling that can't be taught.
Tucker is the least skilled driver on the Level 5 team, but what he lacks in years driving he makes up for with a exceptional learning curve that barely existed to start with. A beginner in 2006 when he was 44, Tucker displayed natural talent and unforeseen skill in the Ferrari Challenge Series before he created Level 5 Motorsports and began establishing a dream team of individuals. As the seasons progressed, Tucker began seeing his first major success. In 2009, he won the Sports Car Club of America National Championship. Later on, he was the first American to drive one of Audi's V-12 turbodiesels in a competition, during the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The love for motorsports along with an unrelenting search for excellence-which has caused him to maintain an ultra-disciplined physical fitness program along with a intense, three-series race schedule-have catapulted his brief 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 just about the most successful endurance drivers across the world. His victories have included the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. He has also won three 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 an important part 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. 3 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 branded Most Popular Driver that year. Diaz's experience with Level 5 Motorsports is limited only to the 2011 season, but his knowledge of the LMP2 cars has undoubtedly been priceless to the ever-changing team.
Level 5 Motorsports continues to operate on a near-perfect mix of technique, desire, skill and experience. The cohesive mix of the drivers' backgrounds 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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