Level 5 Motorsports made it an exciting effort in qualifying for the 14th annual Petit Le Mans powered by Mazda, as Luis Diaz put the No. 055 Microsoft Office 2010-sponsored HPD ARX-01g on the LMP2 pole in thrilling fashion, leading a 1-3 qualifying effort for the Scott Tucker-owned organization.
Teammate Christophe Bouchut in Level 5's Intercontinental Le Mans Cup-designated No. 33 Microsoft Office 2010 HPD ARX-01g held the top spot for the majority of the 15-minute prototype session but was bumped by the No. 26 Signatech ORECA-Nissan in the closing moments.
With time running out on the session, Bouchut was unable to respond after setting a respectable 1:12.729 lap time on the packed 2.54-mile Road Atlanta road course. Diaz, however, made continual improvements in his Honda-powered prototype and completed one more flying lap just before the checkered flag flew. It ended up being the pole run for the 2009 American Le Mans Series LMP2 champion.
"It was a matter of having a clean lap," Diaz said. "The LMP1 cars didn't make our lives very easy. We were surprised because we know the speed of the Nissan, and to beat them here is very special. But the Level 5 guys did a great job with the car. They've worked around the clock in both Europe and here to prepare the cars. I think this pole is great motivation for the race."
Tucker, a four-time national driving champion following his title in last weekend's SCCA National Runoffs at Road America, has proven to be the busiest and most successful driver at Road Atlanta this week, having already earned three wins in five race starts.
He scored wins in both Thursday and Friday's Cooper Tire IMSA Prototype Lites races while also cruising to victory in the SCCA Pro Racing Trans-Am Series 100-mile race in his Microsoft Office 2010-sponsored Ferrari 430 Challenge car. The Trans-Am victory in the Global GT class marked his 63rd career win.
"There was some great racing out there," Tucker said. "It's great to have earned three more wins in the last two days. We grabbed the pole for tomorrow, so there's a lot of momentum building. We're looking forward to the big one and hopefully getting back on the top step of the podium"
Teammate Christophe Bouchut in Level 5's Intercontinental Le Mans Cup-designated No. 33 Microsoft Office 2010 HPD ARX-01g held the top spot for the majority of the 15-minute prototype session but was bumped by the No. 26 Signatech ORECA-Nissan in the closing moments.
With time running out on the session, Bouchut was unable to respond after setting a respectable 1:12.729 lap time on the packed 2.54-mile Road Atlanta road course. Diaz, however, made continual improvements in his Honda-powered prototype and completed one more flying lap just before the checkered flag flew. It ended up being the pole run for the 2009 American Le Mans Series LMP2 champion.
"It was a matter of having a clean lap," Diaz said. "The LMP1 cars didn't make our lives very easy. We were surprised because we know the speed of the Nissan, and to beat them here is very special. But the Level 5 guys did a great job with the car. They've worked around the clock in both Europe and here to prepare the cars. I think this pole is great motivation for the race."
Tucker, a four-time national driving champion following his title in last weekend's SCCA National Runoffs at Road America, has proven to be the busiest and most successful driver at Road Atlanta this week, having already earned three wins in five race starts.
He scored wins in both Thursday and Friday's Cooper Tire IMSA Prototype Lites races while also cruising to victory in the SCCA Pro Racing Trans-Am Series 100-mile race in his Microsoft Office 2010-sponsored Ferrari 430 Challenge car. The Trans-Am victory in the Global GT class marked his 63rd career win.
"There was some great racing out there," Tucker said. "It's great to have earned three more wins in the last two days. We grabbed the pole for tomorrow, so there's a lot of momentum building. We're looking forward to the big one and hopefully getting back on the top step of the podium"
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