Scott Tucker faces stiff competition at 24 hours of Le Mans

By Susan Hall


The Scott Tucker-owned Level 5 Motorsports team had completed 24-hour races before, though the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup 24 Hours of Le Mans race brought the stiffest competition from all over, totally changing the face of endurance competitions compared to what Level 5 was used to in the American Le Mans Series.

Level 5 made its 24 Hours of Le Mans introduction very much like it had appeared up to that time in the season: very well. Besides having the challenge of new cars or races they've never before experienced, the Level 5 team has made podium race after race in seemingly easy fashion.

Tucker, Christophe Bouchut and Joao Barbosa drove the No. 33 Microsoft-sponsored Lola Honda car in their new LMP2 group. A seamless race concluded with a third place finish and 10th place overall. So how does a new team that has never competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans remain cool facing the toughest competition in today's world and manage to accomplish podium? It's the trademark of Level 5 Motorsports-careful, skillful driving combined with steely determination and an unrelenting focus on a wining finish.

The team, managed by David Stone, was the only American prototype in the 56-car field. Earlier in the week, the Level 5 team sacrificed track time due to a fuel leak. Despite little gains on the track throughout qualifying before the race, the team begun dead last in the LMP2 lineup. The consistency Level 5 is renowned for providing worked to its benefit-after competitors faced difficulty, the Lola Honda held strong and was traveling continuously at 3rd place by a . m ., less than 4 laps behind the leader.

Not that Level 5 didn't have some setbacks-but the tight teamwork and the drivers' power to avoid any troubles from interfering with their internal focus made the teams two problems seem small in the grand general scheme of things. Barbosa spun into the rock trap about half way in the race, and three hrs from the finish, the car received a realignment as well as rear deck change.

A day following its debut in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Level 5 Motorsports nabbed the checkered flag. The win was huge for the team and for Tucker-he had now made podium in all four of the big sports car endurance races internationally, and in front of 250,000 spectators to boot.

"Any time additions we face were not the fault of the car or the engine," said Tucker. "This team worked hard, and we accomplished something great today."

Tucker and his Level 5 team hit the road in hopes of ongoing their all but total domination of all three of its series. They would next face the Six Hours of Imola in the next round of the ILMC.




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