In mid-March, after a modest but strong finish at the Rolex 24 at Daytona weeks earlier, the Level 5 team made its LMP2 debut. After winning its LMP class this season, the drivers nabbed the LMP2 distinction. As is now a bit of a tradition in the past year, the team was working feverishly to finish its entry car in time for the starting flag. In a matter of just days, the Lola Honda was finished and shipped to Florida for its race debut as well as the team’s class debut.

Level 5 drivers Scott Tucker, Ryan Hunter-Reay and Luis Diaz split time commanding the racetrack. Tucker told members of the media that the 12 Hours of Sebring was a “test run” for the Lola Honda, as it had come straight off the assembly floor, but if Sebring was a test, Level 5 Motorsports scored an A . Even in the face of a handful of mishaps and issues, the drivers drove strong and finished strong, making up for any mistakes with skillful maneuvering around turns and careful, strategic straightaway shots. The Level 5 Motorsports team secured an LMP2 victory, reliving their LMP success from the previous year. Tucker also won the Champion Driver award at the 12 Hours of Sebring in 2010.

The Lola Honda wasn’t the quickest car through the straights, but she shined when the track started to bend. Tucker and Diaz made the first rounds of the Sebring International Speedway and made clear their class dominance in early stages. Strong showings from the drivers on the first 2 legs of the race still left work to be done by Hunter-Reay, a Florida native. Hunter-Reay drove a great leg, recovering lots of time for the team and ultimately whizzing beyond the finish line in front of the pack.

“The team had some issues but made up for lost time,” Tucker reported. “Ryan had a grew last few laps.” Although the Lola Honda was barely finished before tackling a notoriously grueling 12-hour race, the car didn’t show any signs of fatigue or wear at race’s end. The team didn’t face any mechanical issues, and nary a scratch was visible on the body at the end of the day. “We’re pleased with the vehicle performance,” Tucker said. “We knew we had a great car, and we’re eager to see what we can do with it.”

The Level 5 team, along with other entries, donned Japan stickers on their cars to honor the country after the earthquake and tsunami that had occurred in the time leading up to the Sebring race.

Reaching podium on the first ALMS appearance of the season was precisely the start Level 5 Motorsports had envisioned entering Sebring. With plenty races to come before the championship Petit le Mans in October, they had a lot of work in front of them, plenty of miles to drive, and a lot of potential for successes in the future.

Scott Tucker’s Level 5 Motorsports are 2011 ALMS Champions Scott Tucker .

2011 - After having a modest but strong showing at the Rolex 24 at Daytona weeks earlier, the Level 5 Motorsports team made its LMP2 debut. After winning its LMP class in 2010, the drivers nabbed the LMP2 distinction. As has become a bit of a tradition in the past year, the team was working feverishly to finish its entry car in time for the starting flag. In a matter of just days, the Lola Honda was finished and shipped to Florida for its race debut and the team’s class debut.

Level 5 drivers Scott Tucker, Ryan Hunter-Reay and Luis Diaz split time commanding the racetrack. Tucker told members of the media that the 12 Hours of Sebring was a “test run” for the Lola Honda, as it had come straight off the assembly floor, but if Sebring was a test, Level 5 Motorsports scored an A . Even in the face of a couple mishaps and issues, the drivers drove strong and finished strong, making up for any mistakes with skillful maneuvering around turns and careful, strategic straightaway shots. The Level 5 Motorsports team secured an LMP2 victory, reliving their LMP success from the previous year. Tucker also won the Champion Driver award at the 12 Hours of Sebring in 2010.

The Lola Honda wasn’t the quickest car through the straights, but she shined when the track started to bend. Tucker and Diaz made the first rounds of the Sebring International Speedway and made clear their class dominance quickly. Strong showings from the drivers on the first 2 legs of the race still left work to be done by Hunter-Reay, a Florida native. Hunter-Reay drove an awesome leg, recovering plenty of time for the team and ultimately whizzing beyond the finish line in front of the pack.

“The team had some issues but made up for lost time,” Tucker said. “Ryan had a grew last few laps.” Although the Lola Honda was barely finished before tackling a notoriously grueling 12-hour race, the car didn’t show any signs of fatigue or wear at race’s end. The team didn’t face any mechanical issues, and nary a scratch was visible on the body at the end of the day. “We’re pleased with the vehicle performance,” Tucker said. “We knew we had a great car, and we’re eager to see what we can do with it.”

The Level 5 team, in addition to entries, donned Japan stickers on their cars to honor the nation after the earthquake and tsunami that had occurred in the time before the Sebring race.

Reaching podium on the first ALMS appearance of the year was the start Level 5 Motorsports had hoped for moving into Sebring. With plenty of races to come before the championship Petit le Mans in October, they had a lot of work ahead of them, numerous miles to drive, and a lot of potential for successes ahead.

Scott Tucker’s Level 5 Motorsports are 2011 ALMS Champions Scott Tucker .

Motorsports competitions tend to be held in some of the most appealing locales: southern California, central Florida, just off the coast of France. So it would make sense that motorsports teams would set up base nearby-the climate would be consistent, the travel wouldn’t be far, and the heart of motorsports culture would be just next door. But Scott Tucker’s Level 5 Motorsports team is instead headquartered in Madison, Wisc., a location that works just as well for the team.

Tucker himself originates from the Midwest, spending the majority of his life in the Kansas City, Mo., area. He made his first career as a private equity investor in Leawood, Kan., where he still is involved with his company, Westfund, as well as the payday loan company AMG Services. Now, however, his professional life more centers around his burgeoning racing career; during the past five years since Tucker entered the professional motorsports industry, he has steadily climbed the ladder of success, stepping on numerous podiums along the way. His latest win was an historical finish at the Sports Car Club of America National Championship Runoffs, which was Tucker’s third consecutive win at that race. He crossed the checkered flag for making history in a Porsche 996 Twin-Turbo at the Road America circuit in Elkhart Lake, Wisc., a rare convenient location to Level 5’s home base.

Yet ,, with just as much as Tucker travels, no location is more convenient than another. He competed in a ambitious five series in this 2011 season, flying from Florida to California to Canada to France to Italy to England-and back to Wisconsin, to compete. With victories spread evenly among the American Le Mans Series, the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup series, the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series, the Ferrari Challenge Series and the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge series, Tucker was probably more at home on the podium than he was in Madison.

Part of the reason Level 5 Motorsports is located in Madison is because team manager David Stone. Tucker met stone in 2007 while working with Kelly-Moss Motorsports. He was driving a GT Porsche for the team and often collaborated with the company’s project manager, Jeff Stone, David’s brother. 1 year later, when Tucker created Level 5 Motorsports, Stone took the manager position.

The Midwest location works well as a home base, whether or not Tucker stops over during cross-continental traveling. Halfway between Infineon Raceway and Mazda Laguna Seca Raceway in California; and Lime Rock Park in Connecticut, as well as Daytona International Speedway in Florida, the location is equally convenient to virtually all the North American race facilities in Tucker’s many series, and is just a stone’s throw from Road America.

Madison, Wisc., might not enjoy the mild climates in California and Florida, but for Level 5 Motorsports, it’s the ideal center point for a fully packed racing schedule. The team will compete this weekend at Road Atlanta for the ALMS championship Petit Le Mans before closing a remarkable 2011 season. Just outside a snowy Wisconsin winter awaits the 2012 season, which the team will kick off in February.

Scott Tucker, a five-time national driving champion Scott Tucker.

Tucker was determined to race Level 5 Motorsports’ new HPD ARX-01g car as soon as he could. That determination was evident when he and his team decided to wait until the last possible minute to make a final decision on the Six Hours of Silverstone race: It was all or nothing. Unfortunately, cost-capped wheels for the car weren’t available in time for Level 5 to maintain its entry in Silverstone; Tucker withdrew. “I knew there was a risk in waiting for the parts, with them not being guaranteed,” Scott Tucker says. “But the car is undoubtedly the best vehicle performance-wise that we can get, so I was determined to give it a shot. The HPD engine and chassis combination has proved to be the best over the years. We feel very comfortable and confident in making this unprecedented and decisive move.” Determination, risk, and refusing to settle for anything but the best-sounds a bit like racing.

Calculated decisions and ultimate control are part of what makes drivers successful, and Level 5 has had its fair share of success. The team has made podium finishes in some of the biggest races of the past year, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Six Hours of Imola. Last month, the crew competed in the four-mile Road America circuit for the sixth round of the ALMS season and won its class, which continued Level 5’s undefeated record in American Le Mans Series competition this year. In that one weekend, Scott Tucker, the reigning ALMS LMPC champion, tackled six races in four different series. He earned podium finishes in the IMSA Prototype Lites, IMSA GT3 Challenge by Yokohama and SCCA Pro Racing Trans-Am races, and he won the Trans-Am T2 class, his 55th career victory in international competition. Co-driver Luis Diaz earned his 10th career ALMS victory. “As far as I know, the championship is now locked up,” team manager David Stone had said.

Even so, as Tucker and co-drivers Christophe Bouchut and Luis Diaz hit the road with the new HPD ARX-01g at the LMS enduro today, they’ll have plenty of catching up to do after taking Silverstone off. “As a team, you never want to miss a race, a practice or a chance to prepare,” Tucker says. “But we’re really looking to perform well and get acquainted with the HPD ARX-01g at Mazda Laguna Seca so we can look ahead to Petit.”

While considering options for the Silverstone race, Level 5 was given the option to compete with the HPD ARX-01g using grandfathered-in specifications, but the team ultimately decided that racing with modified specifications on the car would defeat its purpose. In order to prepare the car for the 6 hour LMS enduro today, additional mechanics flew to the Wirth workshop in England last week. When it was finished, the car got a one-way ticket to San Francisco.

Preliminary tests with the HPD ARX-01g were promising, with all three drivers optimistic about the weekend’s race. Especially important was calibrating the drivers’ balances with the new vehicle. Tucker, who began his driving career in 2006, has been known for his unwavering balance since he began. At his first appearance in Le Mans, the Super Bowl of motorsports, he cranked more than 200mph-in the dark- with an Audi R10, the first American to be behind an Audi turbodiesel’s wheel in competition. His decision to skip Silverstone hearkens the same calm confidence. With a winning year already clinched, committing to the Six Hours of Silverstone in the old car just wasn’t as valuable as the possibility that Level 5 might be able to drive its HPD ARX-01g. Just as in races, Scott Tucker set his sights on a goal and let the situation unfold. Although the Silverstone absence meant lost time and points, Scott Tucker and his team are just gearing up for a winning finish to an already dazzling year.

To make up for lost time and points, Level 5 plans to contest the final two ILMC rounds in Atlanta and China.

Find more about Scott Tucker Scott Tucker.

October 24, 2011 - Tucker and his Motorsports teammates recently began the final quarter of a racing year that has included numerous podium appearances, multiple car changes, incredible accomplishments and yet still room for improvement. Scott Tucker, owner and driver for Level 5, has been a leader for the team despite the rookie status he maintained merely months ago. His tight, balanced driving has earned him top honors in the American Le Mans Series as Rookie of the Year and Champion Driver in 2010. His races often end with stints on the podium, and his career has only just begun.

As Scott Tucker, his co-drivers Christophe Bouchut and Luis Diaz and team manager David Stone prepare to close the calendar year with the all-important Petit Le Mans and the Ferrari International Finals, the stakes are high-the team has woven itself a reputation of excellence that is best understood by looking back at what has made 2011 a stunning year for Level 5 Motorsports.

In mid-March, following a modest but strong showing at the Rolex 24 at Daytona several weeks earlier, the Level 5 team made its LMP2 debut. After winning its LMP class in 2010, the drivers nabbed the LMP2 distinction. As has become somewhat of a tradition in the past year, the team was working feverishly to finish its entry car in time for the starting flag. In a matter of just days, the Lola Honda was finished and shipped to Florida for its race debut and the team’s class debut.

Level 5 drivers Scott Tucker, Ryan Hunter-Reay and Luis Diaz split time commanding the racetrack. Tucker told members of the media that the 12 Hours of Sebring was a “test run” for the Lola Honda, as it had come straight off the assembly floor, but if Sebring was a test, Level 5 Motorsports scored an A+. Even in the face of a handful of mishaps and issues, the drivers drove strong and finished strong, making up for any mistakes with skillful maneuvering around turns and careful, strategic straightaway shots. The Level 5 Motorsports team secured an LMP2 victory, reliving their LMP success from the previous year. Tucker also won the Champion Driver award at the 12 Hours of Sebring in 2010.

The Lola Honda wasn’t the fastest car through the straights, but she shined when the track started to bend. Scott Tucker and Diaz made the first rounds of the Sebring International Speedway and made clear their class dominance early on. Strong showings from the drivers on the first two legs of the race still left work to be done by Hunter-Reay, a Florida native. Hunter-Reay drove an excellent leg, recovering plenty of time for the team and ultimately whizzing past the finish line at the front of the pack.

“The team had some issues but made up for lost time,” Scott Tucker said. “Ryan had a grew last few laps.” Although the Lola Honda was barely finished before tackling a notoriously grueling 12-hour race, the car didn’t show any signs of fatigue or wear at race’s end. The team didn’t face any mechanical issues, and nary a scratch was visible on the body at the end of the day. “We’re pleased with the vehicle performance,” Tucker said. “We knew we had a great car, and we’re eager to see what we can do with it.”

The Level 5 dreamteam, along with other entries, donned Japan stickers on their cars to honor the country after the earthquake and tsunami that had occurred in the time leading up to the Sebring race.

Reaching podium on the first ALMS appearance of the year was exactly the start Motorsports had hoped for coming into Sebring. With plenty of races to come before the championship Petit le Mans in October, they had a lot of work ahead of them, a lot of miles to drive, and a lot of potential for successes to come.

Looking to find more information about Scott Tucker visit Scott Tucker.

Tucker and his Level 5 Motorsports teammates recently began the final quarter of a racing year that has included numerous podium appearances, multiple car changes, incredible accomplishments and yet still room for improvement. Tucker, owner and driver for Level 5, has been a leader for the team despite the rookie status he maintained merely months ago. His tight, balanced driving has earned him top honors in the American Le Mans Series as Rookie of the Year and Champion Driver in 2010. His races often end with stints on the podium, and his career has only just begun.

As Tucker, his co-drivers Christophe Bouchut and Luis Diaz and team manager David Stone prepare to close the calendar year with the all-important Petit Le Mans and the Ferrari International Finals, the stakes are high-the team has woven itself a reputation of excellence that is best understood by looking back at what has made 2011 a stunning year for Level 5 Motorsports.

There is no doubt that Tucker is a good race car driver, but when you add the fact that he competes not only in the ALMS and the ILMS but also the Ferrari Challenge series, Tucker becomes an unbelievable race car driver-unbelievable not only because of the schedule he keeps, but because of his continual success on the track. The first FC race of the 2011 year for Tucker and his Level 5 Motorsports team was the debut of the Ferrari 458 Challenge-the 5th model to be used since the series began in the early 90s-at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif.

The 458 model was new to the race, but Scott Tucker and the car were old friends. He tested the car exclusively in Spain the previous fall and again at the 12 Hours of Sebring weekend in the spring of 2011. The Ferrari 458 model is lighter and faster compared to its Italia 458 counterpart. The vehicle boasts 570 horsepower; 9,000 RPM direct injection V8 engine, and its gearbox is modified to increase torque at lower revolutions. The car is also equipped with a top-quality traction control system that was developed by Ferrari. The system is based on logic and strategies from Ferrari’s experience in the Formula One series.

Scott Tucker entered the 2011 FC season with four wins on the Infineon course, which covers approximately 2.5 miles with 12 turns. Overall, the Level 5 team fared well in the weekend’s pair of FC races. “We came out with two cars, but because we were trying a new product with a new seat, it caused some issues with technical people here, so we pulled out one car,” said team manager David Stone. “The car we were able to run didn’t get the new gearbox update, so we’ve been tentative about that.”

But a race car is only as good as the sum of all its parts-and one of those parts is the driver. Tucker started the first race in fifth place. After some contact around the first corner, he bunkered down and worked his way up the rankings. His smart driving earned Level 5 a first-place ranking. “We extremely happy we got the win here with our 458 car,” said one engineer.

“I was trying to get up as fast as I could without making contact or being too aggressive,” said Tucker. “We had a good car, and fortunately it worked out for us in the end.”

The second of the FC pair wasn’t as seamless as its predecessor; Level 5 decided not to qualify because of a first-lap penalty the day before. “We have a double whammy where we started in the back and we had another penalty,” Stone said. “Scott will have his work cut out for him. Getting on the podium is a tall order on this track.”

In addition to the penalties and race placement, Tucker and the Level 5 team had to face the challenge of a shorter race-the clock ran approximately 10 minutes short in 2011 compared to previous years. “There will be a little less time to work toward the front, but it is what it is, and the goal will be to come out of here with as many points as we can,” Stone said.

Tucker delivered a stellar performance despite the hiccups, weaving through traffic efficiently with the front of the line his unwavering goal. Although the 458 car started last, Tucker brought it across the line sixth, no small feat considering the circumstances. “It was a good race; we started last and finished sixth with no damage to the car,” Tucker said. “It’s about as good as you can do.”

With a solid performance again in May at the first FC series race of the year, Tucker continued on his whirlwind race schedule with an ILMC stop in Belgium for the Spa.

Penn Badgley starred as Scott Tucker in the movie John Tucker Must Die. He has also starred in the movies John Tucker Must Die, The Stepfather, and … He also appears in John Tucker Must Die playing Scott Tucker Scott Tucker.

When Level 5 Motorsports owner-driver Scott Tucker is asked by the media whether he’s satisfied with his incredible achievements in the motorsports industry, he usually answers something like, “I’ve worked really hard to get here, and I’m proud of what I’ve done.” He might be proud, but you never get the idea that he’s surprised. After all, it’s no fluke that a 44-year-old private equity investor from Kansas City would decide to begin a professional motorsports career and actually excel at the sport to the point that he’s now considered an elite race car driver. Professional racing is not for everyone; inside the car, temperatures are sweltering. The g-forces feel like you’re flying a plane.

At triple-digit speeds, the slightest move off-balance could send you into the boards or worse, another driver. So although the rest of the world sees Tucker take the podium race after race, what they don’t see is the amount of preparation required for just one race, much less races in all five series Tucker entered this year.

This year, Tucker has taken the podium at numerous race tracks, including Road America at the Sports Car Club of America National Championship Runoffs-his third consecutive win there-Mazda Laguna Seca Raceway most recently at American Le Mans Series Monterey, and at Road Atlanta for Petit Le Mans. Each of these races is an endurance race; none of Tucker’s ALMS or Intercontinental Le Mans Cup series races were less than 6 hours, and most were in the 10-12-hour range. With teams of drivers taking single or double shifts sometimes three hours at a time, each driver must be in impeccable physical shape.

The level of concentration a driver must maintain for extended periods of time is challenged by high temperatures and the need to keep the body completely balanced to be able to control the car. Tucker has said he loses seven pounds every race.

When he first set out in the professional motorsports world, Tucker was driving in the Ferrari Challenge series and the SCCA, in Grand-Ams and Ferraris. But he always had his eye on the Le Mans Prototypes series, the ALMS and the ILMC, cars built for speed and racing. With his goal set to make an appearance at the Twenty four hours of Le Mans in France, Tucker began the physical regimen that would be the foundation for a successful Le Mans debut in 2010. Tucker woke up at 4:30 a.m., before the sun, to put in an hour of cardiovascular exercise followed by core and flexibility workouts with a trainer. During any given race, a driver might face elevation changes, quick right and left turns and bumpy tracks, along with the challenge of maneuvering among and around other drivers on the track. Diet and sleep regimens are also key to fitness, but none of these elements come easy. Recently, at Petit Le Mans, Tucker and his team had got a brand new car that they’d never tested before. They had the testing/qualifying week prior to Petit to orient themselves with the car, make adjustments for driver accommodation, and deliver quality qualifying performances. The entire team was around the track until 2 a.m. several nights that week.

At the 2010 Le Mans appearance, Tucker proved himself with an impressive qualifying time, but ultimately the team’s car crashed and didn’t finish the race. Tucker has spent the year-and-a-half since the 2010 Le Mans making very few mistakes on the race track and improving upon the quality of his performances.

Not too long ago clinching the LMP2 drivers championship in addition to co-driver Christophe Bouchut, Tucker joins his team aiming for an ILMC vice championship in races in Italy and Zhuhai, China. Keeping in top shape and maintaining unbelievable amounts of focus and discipline, Scott Tucker has worked his way to the top of elite motorsports. With 2011 all but in the rearview, eyes are on the 2012 season. If it goes as well or quite as good as the past year, Tucker will likely not be surprised. It’s what he’s been working for all along.

Looking for more information about Scott Tucker Scott Tucker

Scott Tucker and his Level 5 Motorsports teammates recently began the final quarter of a racing year that has included numerous podium appearances, multiple car changes, incredible accomplishments and yet still room for improvement. Tucker, owner and driver for Level 5, has been a leader for the team despite the rookie status he maintained merely months ago. His tight, balanced driving has earned him top honors in the American Le Mans Series as Rookie of the Year and Champion Driver in 2010. His races often end with stints on the podium, and his career has only just begun.

As Scott Tucker, his co-drivers Christophe Bouchut and Luis Diaz and team manager David Stone prepare to close the calendar year with the all-important Petit Le Mans and the Ferrari International Finals, the stakes are high-the team has woven itself a reputation of excellence that is best understood by looking back at what has made 2011 a stunning year for Level 5 Motorsports.

The second round of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup series brought the Scott Tucker-owned Level 5 team to Belgium for the Spa-Francorchamps 2011 race. The legendary course is known for being flat yet providing drivers with challenging curves to encounter even while racing at faster speeds relative to other tracks.

Tucker and his team, coming off wins at the 12 Hours of Sebring and the Long Beach Street Circuit, were estatic to be at the venue and see what the weekend had to bring. The Spa competition was dense and intense; the Le Mans series and the Intercontinental Le Mans series attract top talent from around the world to the legendary Spa track. “This is one of the greatest tracks in the world,” Tucker said. “It’s one of the faster tracks we run at. It’s curvy but flat … you’re flat to the floor.”

In its runs at the ILMS season opener at the 12 Hours of Sebring, the Lola Honda struggled to make top speed at the straightaways. For the Spa, all Honda vehicles were awarded a 1.2 mm larger air restrictor as compensation. After initial tests, said driver Christophe Bouchut, the restrictor provided small increases in speed, but it was unclear pre-race how much of a difference the adjustment would make.

As it turned out, the restrictor didn’t deliver the speed increase the Level 5 team had expected, a disappointing outcome that set the team at a disadvantage, though it wasn’t over yet. In qualifying rounds, driven by Bouchut, the Honda finished 10th-not the result you might expect given the fast track, the driver talent and the restrictor adjustment.

After Tucker had run the course, he told members of the media his impression of the course: “It’s as advertised: long and fast,” he said. “In the prototype, the turns are so fast, and there are a lot of G’s, so it will be very physically challenging over 6 hours.”

But 6 hours didn’t quite come as Tucker and the team expected. After some contact with a car speculated to be No. 41, the Level 5 vehicle came into pit for fuel and with damage in the right rear corner on the tail section. The section was changed out, and after fueling up, the car was back on track.

Then, just a couple of hours into the race, Bouchut suddenly spun into the barrels on the side of the track. Team manager David Stone speculated that something in the rear suspension had failed, but the team would have to wait for official investigation for the answer.

Although Level 5 endured a disappointing conclusion to its second ILMC appearance, driver determination and skill were not in question. Just days away from another FC race in California, the team turned its attention toward its next opportunity.

Bermuda photographer Scott Tucker creates photography for annual reports, leading magazines, advertising agencies and design firms Scott Tucker.