2011- Level 5 is enjoying a few weeks off following a jam-packed 2011 season before they close off the year at the Six Hours of Zhuhai in November. The vacation is a break in the excitement surrounding the team's winning season that involved multiple podium appearances, two American Le Mans Series drivers' championships and enough cars that you almost need two hands to count them all. Owner-driver Scott Tucker and co-driver Christophe Bouchut, who won the drivers' championships, will again join teammates Marino Franchitti, Luis Diaz and Joao Barbosa in China in just three weeks as they seek the vice championship in Intercontinental Le Mans Cup competition.
Zhuhai will be another chance to test the limits of Level 5's new cars, two HPD ARX-01g cost-capped prototypes with modified fuel injectors for increased speed. The cars have had relatively little track time, but the laps they have completed are promising. Tucker drove one of the team's entries to victory at American Le Mans Series Monterey at Mazda Laguna Seca Raceway in September, and the team ran both entries in Petit Le Mans, where one of the cars took first place in the LMP2 class while the other nabbed the pole position during testing. As much excitement as there has been this season surrounding Level 5 Motorsports achievements, there hasn't been as much within the team as far as overcoming major problems. The new cars, which Tucker decided to switch to in July, haven't given the team much to complain about.
"I feel like I'm starting to sound like a broken record," said Level 5 Team Manager David Stone at Petit Le Mans earlier this month. "But in a positive way. We're not having any problems with the cars; the guys are doing great. It's hard to pinpoint any challenges because everything's gone so incredibly well."
By "so incredibly well," Stone means that the cars have run virtually flawlessly. Aside from some very minor adjustments for the drivers and small maintenance measures, the cars came out of the box in pristine condition. Adding the increased performance of the cars to the Level 5 drivers' depth of talent, experience and skill has made Level 5 Motorsports a formidable contender in the field. After a win by nearly 8 laps at Petit Le Mans, the team garnered some valuable ILMC points and think the vice championship is within reach. But equally important is getting the cars more track time. With every added lap and mile, the drivers become better oriented with the new prototypes.
"We're looking forward to the opportunity to get more time in these cars," Tucker said. "So far, they've run great, but relatively speaking, they haven't been tested too extensively. We're looking forward to getting better acquainted with the cars and finding out more about them so Zhuhai will be a good race. The entire team has worked hard."
In fact, the team worked into the early hours of the morning during Petit Le Mans to finish the second Level 5 entry, which had just been shipped to the states from the building floor in London. When the prototype wasn't finished before Petit testing week began, it was shipped to Road Atlanta where the Level 5 team finished the build. Completing the finishing touches on the second car while simultaneously practicing and testing for Petit Le Mans wasn't an easy task for the mechanics, engineers and drivers, but the first-place finish is a testament to the quality of the entire Level 5 dream team. The whirlwind of Petit Le Mans week no doubt made these off-weeks even more welcome, as the team plays catch-up with their new cars with their eyes on a strong performance at Zhuhai.
Zhuhai will be another chance to test the limits of Level 5's new cars, two HPD ARX-01g cost-capped prototypes with modified fuel injectors for increased speed. The cars have had relatively little track time, but the laps they have completed are promising. Tucker drove one of the team's entries to victory at American Le Mans Series Monterey at Mazda Laguna Seca Raceway in September, and the team ran both entries in Petit Le Mans, where one of the cars took first place in the LMP2 class while the other nabbed the pole position during testing. As much excitement as there has been this season surrounding Level 5 Motorsports achievements, there hasn't been as much within the team as far as overcoming major problems. The new cars, which Tucker decided to switch to in July, haven't given the team much to complain about.
"I feel like I'm starting to sound like a broken record," said Level 5 Team Manager David Stone at Petit Le Mans earlier this month. "But in a positive way. We're not having any problems with the cars; the guys are doing great. It's hard to pinpoint any challenges because everything's gone so incredibly well."
By "so incredibly well," Stone means that the cars have run virtually flawlessly. Aside from some very minor adjustments for the drivers and small maintenance measures, the cars came out of the box in pristine condition. Adding the increased performance of the cars to the Level 5 drivers' depth of talent, experience and skill has made Level 5 Motorsports a formidable contender in the field. After a win by nearly 8 laps at Petit Le Mans, the team garnered some valuable ILMC points and think the vice championship is within reach. But equally important is getting the cars more track time. With every added lap and mile, the drivers become better oriented with the new prototypes.
"We're looking forward to the opportunity to get more time in these cars," Tucker said. "So far, they've run great, but relatively speaking, they haven't been tested too extensively. We're looking forward to getting better acquainted with the cars and finding out more about them so Zhuhai will be a good race. The entire team has worked hard."
In fact, the team worked into the early hours of the morning during Petit Le Mans to finish the second Level 5 entry, which had just been shipped to the states from the building floor in London. When the prototype wasn't finished before Petit testing week began, it was shipped to Road Atlanta where the Level 5 team finished the build. Completing the finishing touches on the second car while simultaneously practicing and testing for Petit Le Mans wasn't an easy task for the mechanics, engineers and drivers, but the first-place finish is a testament to the quality of the entire Level 5 dream team. The whirlwind of Petit Le Mans week no doubt made these off-weeks even more welcome, as the team plays catch-up with their new cars with their eyes on a strong performance at Zhuhai.
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