Time Warner Cable Road Race Classic : Scott Tucker and Level 5 Motorsports

With their names comfortably resting atop the overall points leaders’ charts, the drivers of Level 5 Motorsports rolled their new ultra-fast LMP2 car out of the box in Elkhart Lake, Wisc., remarkably close to their Madison, Wisc., home base after a streak of success in Intercontinental Le Mans Cup races in Europe. Scott Tucker and co-drivers Christophe Bouchut and Luis Diaz earned podium finishes in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France and Six Hours of Imola in Italy.

If there’s a word to explain the Level 5 Motorsports 2011 time, it’s momentum-but not the sort that builds, progressively gaining speed. The Level 5 momentum has been mind-blowing, right away. Which, incidentally, was the identical kind of momentum the team’s new LMP2 car had at the four-hour Road America enduro. At the race, the sixth round of the ALMS season, Tucker, Bouchut and Diaz wasted no time setting the cost-capped prototype up with a fifth-place overall placement after practice and qualifying. Tucker eventually moved the automobile into 4th place after commanding the wheel for his starting double shift.

Tucker then passed the wheel to Bouchut, who presented a remarkable performance in spite of a late stop-and-go penalty from a pit lane speed limiter problem. Bouchut, who is among the best endurance drivers in the world, recovered from the penalty and handed the car to Diaz in good standing. Diaz set a late record for the team’s fastest lap time and ultimately crossed the finish line in fifth place overall with maximum points in the LMP2 category. Even though team had entered the raceway seeking first place, the championship points were valuable, and the brand new car had a good overall performance.

“It was really important for us to do well being based so close to Elkhart,” Bouchut said. “We lost an overall podium position with the pit speed limiter, but in racing, you never know what will happen. The car didn’t have any problems the entire weekend.”

Winning the LMP2 class meant Tucker, Bouchut and Diaz’s undefeated streak in the ALMS season stayed in tact. As well as the Road America enduro that weekend, Tucker competed in the IMSA Prototype Lites, IMSA GT3 Challenge by Yokohama and SCCA Pro Racing Trans-Am races on Saturday, winning in the Trans-Am T2 class and making the podium in all four races. The juggling act has become commonplace for the reigning ALMS LMPC champion, with every race meaning another chance to win.

The Road America podium finish in the LMP2 class was Tucker’s 56th win. With the championship all but official, the group prepared to keep on their extraordinary streak for the last quarter of the year, with the ModSpace American Le Mans Monterey presented by Patron at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, when the team would finally bring out the new HPD ARX-01g car by Wirth Research and Honda Performance Development.

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