November 2011 - The Level 5 team’s 2011 season has proven it a versatile, dominant team stocked with talent, skill and determination. Commanding the podium at the majority of the races 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. As they began the final quarter of an already unbelievable season with the ModSpace American Le Mans Monterey presented by Patron mid-September, all their ducks seemed to be in a row: their equation had been proven again and again as reliable for an effective winning effort. But this race contained 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 positive multiplier for their winning equation, but as is the case in racing, they also knew always to expect the unexpected. For another team, the possibility and risk of entering a brand new car so close to the season’s biggest races could throw off drivers and the team’s rhythm, but Level 5 is made up of drivers who have experience not only adapting to car changes but in motorsports itself.

“Experience counts,” said Christophe Bouchut before 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 inspection, sitting out of a final practice session to acquaint themselves with the new car as much as possible before its first run. Still, Bouchut was right: A car can be inspected over and over, and the race strategy can be cemented into the drivers’ minds, but there comes a point for drivers when lessons from previous race experience takes over with a sort of intuition and sensibility that can’t be taught.

Tucker is the least experienced driver on the Level 5 team, but what he lacks in years behind the wheel he makes up for with a learning curve that barely existed in the first place. A rookie in 2006 at age 44, Tucker displayed natural talent and surprising skill in the Ferrari Challenge Series before he created Level 5 Motorsports and began building a dream team of drivers. As the seasons went on, Tucker began seeing his first major success. In 2009, he won the Sports Car Club of America National Championship. Later, he was the first American to drive one of Audi’s V-12 turbodiesels in a competition, during the 24 Hours of Le Mans. His love for motorsports coupled with an unrelenting pursuit of excellence-which has caused him to maintain an ultra-disciplined fitness regimen as well as a grueling, three-series race schedule-have catapulted his short 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 one of the most successful endurance drivers in the world. 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 three Porsche Carrera Cup France championships, three FIA GT titles and a FFSA GT championship. He is the only triple FIA GT champion in history. Bouchut has been driving with Tucker’s Level 5 team since 2008, adding his experience to Tucker’s burgeoning motorsports empire and becoming an integral part of the team’s success.

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. Three 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 season. Diaz’s experience with Level 5 Motorsports is limited to only the 2011 season, but his familiarity with the LMP2 cars has undoubtedly been invaluable to the ever-changing team.

Level 5 continues to run on a near-perfect combination of talent, passion, skill and experience. The cohesive mix of the drivers’ backgrounds has established the team as dominant frontrunners in multiple series and allowed the 2011 momentum to continue with the new HPD ARX-01g car.

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2011 - Scott Tucker has built his career on a deep passion for motorsports, a heavy dose of remarkable talent, a calculated driver roster and the help of some spending money from earlier in his life. Driver and owner of Level 5 Motorsports, Tucker began racing in 2006 at age 44, and most recently won his third consecutive Sports Car Club of America National Championship Runoffs, an historical finish at a race he’s entered since his first year of professional racing. Although Tucker has now established himself as an elite race car driver in one of the most prolific racing organizations in the world, his career began in a Ferrari.

3 years after Tucker began his professional racing career, he set a record for the most wins in the Ferrari Challenge Series, nabbing 10 victories in 2009. Tucker again made history last weekend when he won his 3rd consecutive SCCA Runoffs -this time in a Porsche 966 Twin-Turbo-but just three years earlier, he and racing partner Ed Zabinski made history when they placed in the top three of the 2008 T1 Runoffs, a year before Tucker himself began his historical tear on the Runoffs circuit.

At the time, Tucker was a relative newcomer to the motorsports scene, and he joined Zabinski on the Ferrari Challenge circuit. Tucker has relied on more experienced racers who can gain driving points while still providing him the opportunity to gain experience on the track, and Zabinski did just that, winning first place at the 2008 Runoffs while Tucker finished third.

Zabinski began in a second-place starting position and quickly put pressure on the first place racer, Andrew Aquilante. Zabinski tailed Aquilante in his No. 77 Level 5 Motorsports Ferrari 360 Modena for the next 13 laps. Several times, his Ferrari pulled side-by-side with Aquilante’s No. 36 Hosier/Phoenix Perf/Hawk Chevrolet Corvette.

As the 2 fought it out until Lap 15, Aquilante happened upon a mistake that allowed Zabinski a chance to pass. A full-course yellow had come upon the track on the penultimate lap of the entire competition, and Aquilante hit the brakes hard. Zabinski headed the other way as Aquilante hit another car and wrecked. Zabinski clinched the first-place win, as Tucker pulled his No. 55 Level 5 Ferrari 360 Modena into third place, just behind John Buttermore of Pontiac, Mich.-who, incidentally, Tucker would finally beat in 2009 for his three-win streak.

Tucker made third place in the 2008 Runoffs while Zabinski finished first.

A year later, Tucker would begin an historic effort in the series. Tucker and Zabinski continued competing under the brand new Level 5 Motorsports team, finishing 28th in the Porsche GT3 class at the Rolex 24 at Daytona; 8th place at Iowa Speedway; and races at Homestead-Miami Speedway and Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Quebec.

Just a year later, Tucker joined up with Christophe Bouchut and began a speedy journey to the top of motorsports competition. Although he’s now entered in five series, including with brand new Le Mans Prototypes, the Ferrari Challenge series has always been on Tucker’s schedule, remaining as the first races he was entered in. After this past weekend, the Ferrari Challenge series is one in which Tucker has made an inimitable mark.

Astrophotography by Scott Tucker. Astrophotography by Scott Tucker Scott Tucker.

Level 5 Motorsports owner-driver Scott Tucker has spent the better part of the 2011 season on double duty. Not only has he consistently driven both the Level 5 Motorsports Honda entries in ALMS and ILMC competition, but also his role as both owner and driver has him equally focused on delivering outstanding results this season while building a solid development program for seasons to come. And he’s been largely successful at both tasks-the 2011 season is the team’s winningest yet, and there’s no sign of them slowing down.

Gaining two brand new Honda LMP2 class cars to replace the team’s former Lola Honda was one of the greatest accomplishments Tucker has made as an owner. While he was racing in five series this season, Tucker kept his eye on the development of the new cars, which were a collaboration of Honda Performance Development and Wirth Research. In July, Tucker concluded that the new prototypes were the best in class and reserved two right off the line, changing Level 5’s entries mid-season.

When the cars got finished they only have had a few opportunities to prove themselves, they were clearly a good decision based on the track time they’ve gotten. Tucker won the ModSpace American Le Mans Series Monterey at Mazda Laguna Seca Raceway last month in the first of the new prototypes, which performed without a hiccup for the duration of the race. When the double threat of both entries premiered at Petit Le Mans earlier this month, it was another flawless performance a win for Tucker and Level 5.

Tucker also made a smart move as team owner by picking up LMP2 class veteran Marino Franchitti just in time for Petit Le Mans. Franchitti makes a valuable addition to the team not only because he’s experienced in the LMP2 competition field but he’s also intimately familiar with the HPD ARX-01 prototypes, having driven nearly every version beginning with the HPD ARX-01a. If Tucker and team are to continue up the ALMS and ILMC ranks, focusing on Le Mans Prototype competition, Franchitti will add significant depth to the team in the coming season.

As a driver, Tucker was no slouch this year, either. The team began at a decent pace, delivering a podium finish at the Roar Before the Daytona 24 and ultimately finishing 8th at the Daytona 24 itself. Level 5 finished on top at the 12 Hours of Sebring, the Long Beach circuit and at Road America and Road Atlanta. But Tucker drove single-entries in the Ferrari Challenge Series, the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series and the IMSA GT3 Challenge series, as well, and was regularly at the top of the podium there, too. In September, Tucker finished first at the Sports Car Club of America’s National Championship Runoffs, making history alongside only a select few other drivers to ever manage the same feat.

Tucker’s record alone would place him comfortably in an elite class of motorsports drivers. But his calculated, shrewd decisions as Level 5 Motorsports owner add even more depth to his motorsports skill set. Tucker didn’t even enter the motorsports industry until 2008, when he was a 44-year-old private equity investor from Kansas with a passion for competitive motorsports. He virtually exploded onto the scene and has spent the past three years cultivating a super team of talented, experienced race car drivers. The team next heads to the 6 Hours of Zhuhai, the pinnacle of the ILMC competition. Last weekend, Level 5 got some integral ILMC points with their class victory at Petit Le Mans, and they’ll seek a vice championship next month in China.

Welcome to the portfolio of Scott Tucker Scott Tucker

November 2011 - 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.

Tucker and 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 first race of the final quarter of the racing season was a new start for Level 5 Motorsports. The Tucker-owned, Microsoft Office-sponsored team debuted its long-awaited HPD ARX-01g in the team’s Sept. 17 return to American Le Mans Series competition. In the months leading up to the ModSpace race, Tucker’s and teammates Diaz’s and Bouchut’s track appearances were sporadic, making last-minute withdrawals in order to pursue the new cost-capped LMP2 Honda in time for the world’s best competitors in Intercontinental Le Mans Cup races at the end of the year.

Not having the right wheels for the car in time forced Level 5 to withdraw from the Silverstone ILMC race that would have taken place just a week before the ModSpace race at Mazda Laguna Seca Raceway. Not having enough competition made the team withdraw from several ALMS races in July, including the Northeast Grand Prix in Lime Rock Park in Connecticut and the Grand Prix of Mosport in Ontario, Canada. In its first year in the LMP2 class, Level 5 Motorsports wanted to continue progressing in the class, and races with no other LMP2 entries didn’t seem worth the laps. With a brand new, state-of-the-art car in production and huge ILMC end-of-season races growing ever closer, the team focused on preparing itself for international competition-the best competitors the world had to offer.

The team went into the summer in good standing, with Tucker and Bouchut leading in points and the entire team making numerous podium appearances in all three series in which it’s entered. When the HPD ARX-01g started its racing season at the Laguna Seca race, it fell right into line with the rest of its team. The debut was flawless, delivering on its manufacturer promise of increased speed and not suffering a single mechanical issue or unplanned pit stop. The dream team drove to a fourth-place overall finish with maximum points in the LMP2 category, yet another impressive feat for the team’s first season.

The win secured the drivers’ championship for Tucker and Bouchut in time for the all-important Petit le Mans, which means Tucker is on track to be a four-time national driving champion. That his career itself is only 5 years old speaks to his raw talent, determination and incredible development as a driver. That he also raced in two races besides the ModSpace contest speaks to the fact that he’s a little nuts-or just versatile, enduring and knows how to win, considering he added double victories in the extra races to the win at Laguna Seca.

With the ModSpace ALMS out of the way, the race season started winding down in time but winding up in energy as drivers continued preparing for the Petit Le Mans and the final round of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup in China. With the season schedule back on track and a brand new ride to boot, Level 5 Motorsports will aim to continue its momentum and end up as it started: on top.

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The Level 5 Motorsports team’s performance at Petit Le Mans recently was a testament to the fact that you can set yourself up for success. Team owner-driver Scott Tucker has spent the last full year preparing for the team’s LMP2 class debut at Road Atlanta in Petit Le Mans, the final race of the American Le Mans Series season. Tucker built the team, they practiced, and they were all but perfect at the race.

Tucker’s preparations began late a year ago when he added Luis Diaz to the driving roster. The team had just come off a first win at Petit Le Mans in the lowest LMP class, which bumped them up to the LMP2 class for the 2011 season, a class of elite drivers that has historically been dominated by powerful Nissan prototypes. Diaz had driven in the LMP2 series since 2007, finishing sixth in the first season with Fernandez Racing and later claiming the class championship in 2009. He was also voted Most Popular Driver that year.

Diaz would add depth in an already skilled, experienced Level 5 team, but his LMP2 experience would be integral to Level 5’s success right out of the gates this season. As the team tackled the racing season, Tucker was focused on winning, both presently and for the future. The drivers made podium at numerous races this year, but Tucker’s constant pursuit of success wasn’t completely evident until he announced in July that Level 5 would switch cars mid-season because he had purchased two brand new Honda prototypes. The cars had been on Tucker’s radar for months while in design and development, and he determined these were the top line and Level 5’s best chance at being a contender in the Nissan-dominated LMP2 ALMS field.

Right before Petit Le Mans, Marino Franchitti joined the Level 5 lineup. Raising Diaz’s experience one, Franchitti had extensive experience driving the Honda models Level 5 had recently acquired. The HPD ARX-01 cars are cost-capped with modified fuel injectors, allowing for greater speeds at lighter weights. Franchitti had driven nearly every HPD ARX-01 model, starting with the HPD ARX-01a up to the HPD ARX-01g’s that Tucker had just bought.

A year of team building paid off for Tucker impressive teammates at Petit Le Mans. The cars performed flawlessly even though they barely had four digits of miles under their wheels. Level 5 has typically entered two cars in Le Mans races, and it might be hard to have a better outcome for their double-entry style than they did at Petit. One car, driven by Diaz and Franchitti, snagged the pole position during testing, setting a track record. During the race, the entry driven by Tucker, Joao Barbosa and Christophe Bouchut held off the Nissan competitor long enough to stay ahead, and when the Nissan experienced mechanical problems in hour five, the Level 5 prototype pulled away. The team cruised to an 8-lap lead and ultimate victory at Road Atlanta, securing the drivers’ championship for Tucker and Bouchut as well as some valuable ILMC points for the team.

Almost all Tucker’s preparations have come to this point. The team heads next to the seventh and final round of ILMC competition with the 6 Hours of Zhuhai in China, where they’ll aim for a vice championship. Tying up a successful 2011 season with multiple consecutive wins would propel the team toward a 2012 season of high expectations. Knowing Level 5 Motorsports, they’ll be ready.

Learn more about Scott Tucker and his Level 5 team Scott Tucker.

What would a Saturday without at least three races be for Level 5 Motorsports owner-driver Scott Tucker? Probably a day off. Maintaining a 2011 season schedule that raises uncertainty as to whether he sleeps, Tucker again pulled a multiple-race this weekend. Not only was his Level 5 team competing in the American Le Mans Series championship, Petit Le Mans, but Tucker also entered himself in the Cooper Tire Prototype Lites double-header, a pair of rounds in the IMSA GT3 Challenge by Yokohama series and the Sports Car Club of America’s Pro Racing Trans-Am event. Petit Le Mans itself was a 10-hour commitment for Tucker, who drove both the Level 5 LMP2 entries, Nos. 33 and 055.

Tucker’s weekend kicked off with the Cooper Tire Prototype Lites races. Coming off a week of qualifying for the all-important Petit Le Mans, you’d think it would be hard for Tucker to transfer his focus to anything else-a win at Petit Le Mans would mean Tucker achieved two consecutive Petit Le Mans victories and would score the second-place position for Level 5 in the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup series LMP2 championship standings. But Tucker handily won the Cooper Tires race, his third consecutive victory in the Lites 2 class. His performance the next day at the IMSA GT3 Challenge by Yokohama series race earned him a No. 9 spot in the overall standings for the year.

Tucker drove the Level 5 Microsoft Office-sponsored No. 55 Ferrari 430 for the SCCA Trans-Am event. This was the first year that the GGT class has run as its own class in the race, and Tucker again claimed a top finish, his second Trans-Am Series victory of the season. He drove a Porsche last month at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs.

“It’s been a great racing weekend so far,” Tucker said. “There’s been some good competition and some close finishes. Everything’s working out; it’s been a great day.” With the supporting races out of the way, Tucker could finally focus his full attention on the juggernaut Petit Le Mans, the pinnacle of the ALMS season. The Level 5 team had entered two brand new LMP2 cars, which performed seamlessly during qualifying and testing. The team also added a fifth driver last week, Marino Franchitti, who has extensive experience driving the HPD ARX-01 models. He’s been behind the wheel of nearly every iteration of the prototypes starting with HPD ARX0-1a, Level 5’s being an HPD ARX-01g built by the partnership of Honda Performance Development and Wirth Research.

“We’ve been looking ahead to Petit ever since the decision was made to switch to the new prototypes,” Tucker said. “It’s definitely a big day for us. We’re extremely pleased with the cars’ performance this week at testing, and we just need to get out there and drive fast, drive smart and try to take home another win.”

Level 5 Motorsports won Petit Le Mans in the LMP category last year, which bumped them up a class to LMP2. They’ve been formidable competitors in the field this season, winning multiple ALMS races and delivering solid performances in ILMC races overseas, as well.

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Level 5 owner-driver Scott Tucker made an investment. He bought two brand new Honda prototype cars in the middle of a packed racing season. The reason: because they were the best. Tucker and his team had finished the 2010 season with a win at Petit Le Mans, moving them from the LMP class to the LMP2 class for the 2011 season. Even though Tucker was racing in five series and a mid-season car change could create obstacles, Tucker reserved the first two HPD ARX-01gs out of production. He was looking ahead to the 2011 Petit Le Mans, where he wanted to make sure the team could compete with the field-dominating Nissans on the track. This weekend, Tucker’s investment paid off. Level 5 Motorsports took the highest podium spot at Road Atlanta, ending the American Le Mans Series season on top once again.

Tucker drove double-duty with both the Microsoft Office-sponsored Hondas, along with teammates Joao Barbosa, Luis Diaz, Christophe Bouchut and recent addition Marino Franchitti. Petit Le Mans was the cars’ first time on the track together, and the trio of Tucker, Barbosa and Bouchut brought the No. 33 across the checkered flag in sixth place overall, clinching the class victory.

“The car didn’t have any problems,” Tucker said. “We’re real happy with that; it’s about all we could ask for from such a new vehicle. I definitely think there’s still a lot of room for improvement with the car, but we originally said we just want to get it home in one piece. But putting it through a six-hour and now a 10-hour race without any problems, we’re real fortunate with that.”

As Tucker bought the HPD ARX-01g to compete with the Nissans that have historically dominated the field, the 3-week-old No. 33 fought off a Nissan for most of the race. Starting in third place, Tucker battled the Signatech ORECA Nissan throughout most of his opening double shift. Adding to the stress was the fact that the Nissan was Tucker’s main competition for the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup. But five hours into the race, the Nissan entry suffered mechanical problems.

Barbosa and Bouchut had a relatively easy job: Maintain the lead. They each put in a strong performance, and the final four hours of the race was quiet in the Level 5 pit. Ultimately, the team won its class by eight laps.

“We knew coming into this weekend that traffic was going to play a key role,” Barbosa said. “We were lucky enough to have a big enough lead that we could manage traffic with enough care. It was about staying out of trouble, and that’s when we went to the lead and just took our time. We didn’t make any mistakes, and we didn’t take any risks. The car performed perfectly for the entire race. We’re really pleased about that.”

The win at Petit Le Mans was a sizzling close to a season during which Level 5 was on fire. The Petit victory was Level 5’s second consecutive ALMS win in the fourth quarter of the racing season, its second consecutive Petit Le Mans victory and an Intercontinental Le Mans Cup victory.

“We’re pleased with the new car, and I’m proud of our performance here,” Tucker said. “It’s been a great season.”

Tucker also won the ALMS LMP2 drivers’ championship, along with Bouchut, and the Level 5 team won the teams’ championship because of its five wins this ALMS season. They’ll also have two spots reserved in next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.

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

November 16, 2011 - Following a superb, winning performance at Petit Le Mans last weekend, Scott Tucker and his Level 5 Motorsports team head next to Italy for one of two races remaining on the 2011 schedule. With the season winding down for all five series in which Tucker entered this year, he and the team are able to devote full focus to the remaining ILMC competition. With the ILMC points they earned with their class win at Petit Le Mans, the team seeks a vice championship in ILMC competition, ending with races in Italy and Zhuhai, China.

The last time Tucker and Level 5 were in Italy was for the 6 Hours of Imola in July, for which they drove the team’s Spyder. Tucker and co-drivers Christophe Bouchut and Joao Barbosa took the wheel of the car, which they chose to run for its larger restrictor in hopes that it would allow for more power.

The team hadn’t been running the car for the first half of the season, so they were at a slight disadvantage as they worked extra hard to get acquainted with the car and rule out any performance issues. “We haven’t been testing this car that much, so we’re on a steep part of the learning curve,” said Jeff Braun at the time. “We’ve already made a significant jump in performance compared to the other cars, and there’s more to come when we start to figure this car out a little bit.”

By the time the green flag waved, Level 5 had clinched a P2 position in ILMC and sixth overall. “The car performed well; we’re pleased with the performance so far, so it’s all systems go,” Tucker said.

“We’re fighting the Le Mans winners, and everything has to be perfect, from the car to the crew to the drivers, and everyone’s doing a great job,” said Barbosa. Tucker took a double shift to start off the race and held his own with drivers in the Le Mans field much more experienced than he. About halfway through the race, team manager David Stone commented on Tucker’s double stint. “Things are going really well,” he said. “Scott ran a really great double session. He was among all the pro drivers, and he was right up there with all of them.” The car was in a P3 position and Stone was optimistic about the team’s finish, though he mentioned things can change on a split-second notice in the world of motorsports.

As if on cue, the car experienced a mechanical issue in the last hour of the race, during Bouchut’s leg. Whatever the cause, the car was unable to shift. The team quickly calculated their position and the gap between Bouchut and his immediate challenger. “We knew if he could maintain the 150’s and 153’s or so, no one would catch us,” Stone said. Bouchut drove the remaining 25 minutes in just one gear.

Even with the mechanical problem, Level 5 Motorsports got on the podium. The mechanical mishap dashed their hopes of finishing first, but a podium finish was still a solid result in a field of some of the toughest competition in the world.

The next time Level 5 sets foot on an Italian track, you can bet they’ll be focused on No. 1. Tucker recently added Marino Franchitti to his driver roster, and the team’s two brand new HPD ARX-01g prototypes have proven to be unbeatable so far.

Scott Tucker and Level 5 scored a commanding victory in the 2011 Petit Le Mans and secured the 2011 American Le Mans LMP2 Championship Scott Tucker

November 14, 2011 - Scott Tucker and his Level 5 Motorsports team have been taking full advantage of testing days for this weekend’s Petit Le Mans. Racking up the odometers on the team’s brand new Honda prototypes is paramount for the race at Road Atlanta, effectively the championship of the American Le Mans Series, which has been on Tucker’s to-do list all year. The new cars, two Honda Performance Development/Wirth Research-made Le Mans Prototype 2 models, were a long-awaited addition to the team that involved some risk, but one that has proven worthwhile since the cars were rolled out of the box a week ago.

Tucker and teammates took the first-place podium spot at last weekend’s Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) National Championship Runoffs at Road America, an historical win for Tucker, who has now won three consecutive Runoffs championships. The race was the HPD ARX-01g’s debut run, but you wouldn’t have known it if the prototype hadn’t been eagerly anticipated in media coverage. The car’s performance was flawless, and so far, at testing for Petit Le Mans, its performance is also consistent.

The team, which includes drivers Tucker, L. Diaz, C. Bouchut, J. Barbosa and M. Franchitti, posted the fastest lap times in the first pair of testing days at Road Atlanta. Tucker, Barbosa and Bouchut tackled the first session Sunday in the team’s Microsoft Office-sponsored No. 33 HPD ARX-01g, recording 99 laps, one of which was a class leader at 1:17.799. The same trio posted a solid 1:13.729 during the last session.

The team’s other entry, the No. 055 HPD ARX-01g, also driven by Tucker along with Franchitti and Diaz, only made an appearance Monday, but what an appearance it was: The drivers again topped the LMP2 class with a 1:13.291. Because only the No. 33 car had been raced before, the practice time was especially important for the No. 55 entry. But its wheel couldn’t have been put in more able hands: Franchitti has extensive experience not only in the LMP2 class but in nearly every iteration of the HPD ARX prototypes, starting with the ARX-01a. Diaz also has a background in the LMP2 class, winning the class championship in 2009 with another team before joining Level 5 in 2011.

The Level 5 team has already clinched the LMP2 class championship with the most points scored in the season, so they now look for a podium finish in their LMP2 debut at the 14th annual Petit Le Mans and a powerful delivery from their new prototypes.

“We’re all very happy with how testing has gone,” Tucker said. “Especially since the No. 055 hasn’t seen any track time, we’re extremely pleased with its performance. We have a long week and a long race ahead of us, but I don’t think we could have a better starting position at this point.”

The 10 hours or 1,000 miles of Petit Le Mans will begin Saturday. The Level 5 team is well prepared for a sizzling LMP2 debut, having acquired the new prototypes and Franchitti just in time for the competition. Last year at Petit Le Mans, the Level 5 team won the LMP class championship, which bumped them to the LMP2 division. With all the work that’s gone into preparing for Petit Le Mans this season, it’s clear that Tucker and Level 5 are aiming to move up the ranks again and truly compete on the next level of racing.

Scott Tucker’s Official Site on MySpace! Scott Tucker.

This weekend at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs, Scott Tucker, owner and driver for Level 5, has made history . By taking the victory lap, he nabbed his third consecutive SCCA titles, an historical feat that only a select few drivers have ever accomplished.

In 2009, the Runoffs classic was held for the first time in Elkhart Lake, Wisc., its 6th location since it began. The location was close to Level 5 Motorsports’ home base in Madison, Wisc. The team, which Tucker founded in 2008, was still young but had enjoyed some good success already in the 2009 season. Tucker competed and won in the Hawk Performance Touring 1 race.

His No. 55 Ferrari 430 Challenge had the pole position to start, and he led the T1 field through turn one. In turn two, he lost the leading position to competitor John Buttermore, of Pontiac, Mich., who eventually would make podium behind Tucker. Tucker was hot on the tail of Buttermore’s Nearbrook Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette, keeping his second place status even with pressure from behind in driver Lance Knupp of Fenton, Mich., the third driver to eventually reach the podium that day.

The top three drivers fought it out throughout the race. Tucker followed Buttermore closely, waiting for an opportunity to overtake him. In turn five, Buttermore’s mistake became Tucker’s window, and Tucker passed him to regain the lead in lap four, just before turn six.

Tucker didn’t look back for the remainder of the 13-lap, 52-mile race. By the time he crossed the checkered flag, Tucker had sped to a 1.42-second lead for the first place finish in his first Runoffs appearance. In the process, he recorded the fastest lap of the race, with a 2:22.000 lap during the competition.

“Both Buttermore and Knupp were formidable competitors for the duration of the race,” Tucker said. “I was caught sleeping for a second there, when Buttermore overtook me, but he got a little wide in turn five, and I was able to take advantage of that. It really could have been anyone’s podium today; both of those guys put up strong, consistent races. I had to be continuously focused because I knew if I made a mistake, either one of them would be right there to pick it up.”

Not long after Tucker overtook Buttermore, the Chevrolet lost stability due to braking, which allowed Knupp’s No. 37 Dodge Viper to get into the second-place spot. Even as Buttermore decelerated the pace, he still ranked third-place at the podium finish.

In 2009, Tucker was still in the midst of proving himself an elite driver in just his third year of professional racing. His decisive victory at the Runoffs, considered one of the best sports car races in the world, added to his growing list of victories in 2009. Going into the 2011 Runoffs, Tucker was a different driver; he had not only two Runoffs wins under his belt, but a variety of other first-place and podium finishes from five different racing series. The 2009 SCCA Runoffs at Elkhart Lake, Wisc., were the start of 2 years of huge success for Tucker and his Level 5 Motorsports team.

Level 5 Motorsports, owned by 5-time National Champion Scott Tucker is a team comprised of Champions. Our presence is well-known atop podiums at racing circuits the world over, including 6 wins in the prestigious American Le Mans Series Scott Tucker.