The Level 5 Motorsports team's 2011 year has proved it a versatile, prominent team filled with knowledge, skill and enthusiasm. 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 has found a winning formula in its schedule, race strategy and drivers, including Tucker, Luis Diaz and Christophe Bouchut. While they began a final quarter of an already great year with the ModSpace American Le Mans Monterey provided by Patron mid-September, all their ducks seemed to be in a row: their formula had been proven time and time again as reliable for an effective winning effort. But this race comprised 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 car to be a beneficial 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 stepping into a completely new car so near to the season's biggest races could screw up drivers and the team's rhythm, but Level 5 is made up of drivers that have expertise not merely adapting to vehicle adjustments but in motorsports itself.
"Experience counts," said Christophe Bouchut prior to 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 the gearbox for examination, sitting out of a final practice time to familiarize 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 again, and the race strategy can be cemented into the drivers' minds, but there comes a point for drivers when lessons from recent race knowledge gets control with a sort of gut instinct and sensibility that can't be taught.
Tucker is the least seasoned driver on the Level 5 team, but what he lacks in years behind the wheel he makes up for with a stunning learning curve that barely existed in the first place. A beginner in 2006 at the age of 44, Tucker displayed natural talent and amazing skill in the Ferrari Challenge Series before he developed Level 5 Motorsports and began generating a dream team of individuals. As the seasons evolved, 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. His passion for motorsports put together with an unrelenting quest for excellence-which has caused him to maintain an ultra-disciplined exercise regimen and also a difficult, 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 best endurance drivers internationally. 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 about 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 a fundamental piece 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 named Most Popular Driver that year. Diaz's experience with Level 5 Motorsports is limited to only the 2011 season, but his knowledge of the LMP2 cars has without doubt been critical to the ever-changing team.
Level 5 Motorsports continues to operate on a near-perfect mixture of talent, desire, skill and experience. The cohesive mixture of the drivers' experience has established the team as dominant frontrunners in multiple series and allowed the 2011 momentum to continue with the completely new HPD ARX-01g automobile.
The Level 5 team expected the car to be a beneficial 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 stepping into a completely new car so near to the season's biggest races could screw up drivers and the team's rhythm, but Level 5 is made up of drivers that have expertise not merely adapting to vehicle adjustments but in motorsports itself.
"Experience counts," said Christophe Bouchut prior to 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 the gearbox for examination, sitting out of a final practice time to familiarize 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 again, and the race strategy can be cemented into the drivers' minds, but there comes a point for drivers when lessons from recent race knowledge gets control with a sort of gut instinct and sensibility that can't be taught.
Tucker is the least seasoned driver on the Level 5 team, but what he lacks in years behind the wheel he makes up for with a stunning learning curve that barely existed in the first place. A beginner in 2006 at the age of 44, Tucker displayed natural talent and amazing skill in the Ferrari Challenge Series before he developed Level 5 Motorsports and began generating a dream team of individuals. As the seasons evolved, 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. His passion for motorsports put together with an unrelenting quest for excellence-which has caused him to maintain an ultra-disciplined exercise regimen and also a difficult, 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 best endurance drivers internationally. 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 about 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 a fundamental piece 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 named Most Popular Driver that year. Diaz's experience with Level 5 Motorsports is limited to only the 2011 season, but his knowledge of the LMP2 cars has without doubt been critical to the ever-changing team.
Level 5 Motorsports continues to operate on a near-perfect mixture of talent, desire, skill and experience. The cohesive mixture of the drivers' experience has established the team as dominant frontrunners in multiple series and allowed the 2011 momentum to continue with the completely new HPD ARX-01g automobile.
Comments (0)
Posting Komentar