The Level 5 team's 2011 year has shown it a versatile, dominating team filled with expertise, skill and drive. Commanding the podium at the majority of the competitions 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 found a winning method in its schedule, race strategy and drivers, including Tucker, Luis Diaz and Christophe Bouchut. While they began the last quarter of an already remarkable 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 frequently as dependable 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 expected the automobile to be a good multiplier for their already winning equation, but as is the situation in racing, they also knew always to anticipate the unpredicted. For another team, the possibility and risk of entering completely new vehicle so close to the season's major races could throw off drivers and the team's rhythm, but Level 5 is comprised of drivers that have experience not only adapting to car adjustments but in motor racing itself.
"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 assessment, sitting out of a final practice session to acquaint themselves with the brand new vehicle as much as possible before its very first run. Still, Bouchut was right: A car can be examined time and time again, and the race strategy can be cemented into the drivers' heads, but there comes a time for drivers when lessons from past race knowledge takes over with a sort of intuition and feeling that can't be taught.
Tucker may be the least skilled driver on the Level 5 team, but what he lacks in years behind the wheel he makes up for with a great learning curve that barely existed to start with. A beginner in 2006 at the age of 44, Tucker displayed natural talent and incredible skill in the Ferrari Challenge Series before he created Level 5 Motorsports and began setting up a dream team of motorists. As the seasons advanced, Tucker began seeing his first major success. In 2009, he won the Sports Car Club of America National Championship. Later on, he was the very 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 put together with an unrelenting pursuit of excellence-which has caused him to maintain an ultra-disciplined training schedule and also a grueling, three-series race schedule-have catapulted his short career into the territory of his counterparts, whose 1st 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 on this planet. 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 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 element 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. A few 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 titled Most Popular Driver that season. Diaz's experience with Level 5 Motorsports is limited only to this year's season, but his knowledge of the LMP2 cars has undoubtedly been critical to the ever-changing team.
Level 5 Motorsports continues to run on a near-perfect blend of expertise, eagerness, 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 latest HPD ARX-01g car.
The Level 5 team expected the automobile to be a good multiplier for their already winning equation, but as is the situation in racing, they also knew always to anticipate the unpredicted. For another team, the possibility and risk of entering completely new vehicle so close to the season's major races could throw off drivers and the team's rhythm, but Level 5 is comprised of drivers that have experience not only adapting to car adjustments but in motor racing itself.
"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 assessment, sitting out of a final practice session to acquaint themselves with the brand new vehicle as much as possible before its very first run. Still, Bouchut was right: A car can be examined time and time again, and the race strategy can be cemented into the drivers' heads, but there comes a time for drivers when lessons from past race knowledge takes over with a sort of intuition and feeling that can't be taught.
Tucker may be the least skilled driver on the Level 5 team, but what he lacks in years behind the wheel he makes up for with a great learning curve that barely existed to start with. A beginner in 2006 at the age of 44, Tucker displayed natural talent and incredible skill in the Ferrari Challenge Series before he created Level 5 Motorsports and began setting up a dream team of motorists. As the seasons advanced, Tucker began seeing his first major success. In 2009, he won the Sports Car Club of America National Championship. Later on, he was the very 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 put together with an unrelenting pursuit of excellence-which has caused him to maintain an ultra-disciplined training schedule and also a grueling, three-series race schedule-have catapulted his short career into the territory of his counterparts, whose 1st 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 on this planet. 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 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 element 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. A few 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 titled Most Popular Driver that season. Diaz's experience with Level 5 Motorsports is limited only to this year's season, but his knowledge of the LMP2 cars has undoubtedly been critical to the ever-changing team.
Level 5 Motorsports continues to run on a near-perfect blend of expertise, eagerness, 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 latest HPD ARX-01g car.
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