Scott Tucker, Christophe Bouchut, Raphael Matos and Ed Zabinski will drive in the No. 55 Daytona Prototype
Overland Park, Kan. (January 15, 2009) - The Supercar Life Level 5 Motorsports team announced today in a press conference its driver line-up for the 2009 Rolex 24 At Daytona race, to be held at Daytona International Speedway January 24-25.
Team members, Scott Tucker, Christophe Bouchut, Raphael Matos and Ed Zabinksi will take their seat behind the wheel of the No. 55 Supercar Life Motorsports BMW Riley DP for the 24-hour endurance race. All drivers join the new team with championship backgrounds, making this car to one to watch in the 2009 season.
Coming back to the team after a tremendous season in the Ferrari Challenge Series is Tucker, who finished second in the series championship standings. Tucker ran an impressive 2008 campaign in his Ferrari F430 with weekend sweeps at Infineon Raceway, New Jersey Motorsports Park and the Ferrari World Finals in Mugello, Italy. He finished strong with 6 wins in the final 8 races, moving up from 7th place in the series standings to 2nd, just 28 points behind the eventual Series champion, Roberto Fata.
Bouchut, a Triple FIA GT Champion, winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, 24 Hours of Daytona and 24 Hours of Spa, joined the team in late 2008 at Miller Motorsports Park in the Sun Rich Gourmet 1000k in the Crawford Ferrari V-8. Later on, his impressive driving abilities helped the team at the Grand-Am Rolex October Test Days; the French-born driver ran the fastest lap of the weekend test session, breaking the unofficial circuit record with a lap time of 1:39.9, the fastest lap ever turned on the 3.56-mile course.
Raphael Matos also joins the Supercar Life Level 5 Motorsports team for the 2009 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. The Brazilian was a winning co-driver in the 2008 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona in the GT Class in the No. 70 Mazda RX-8. Finishing the 2008 season, Matos and his team of Michael Shank Racing took first place at the podium in the Daytona Prototype class for the season finale held at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah. Matos also has Championships and wins in the ChampCar Atlantic Series, the Indy Pro Series, the Star Mazda Series and Formula Dodge Series.
Rounding out the team is Ed Zabinski, who most recently won the 2008 SCCA National Championship in the T1 Class. Zabinski co-drove with Scott Tucker for much of 2008 in the Supercar Life Level 5 Motorsports Crawford Ferrari V-8 GT in the Grand-Am Rolex Series and brings a great deal of experience and endurance race knowledge to the team.
The Supercar Life team had momentum going into the Rolex 24 Hours Roar Before the 24 Test Days as Tucker and Bouchut both drove the No. 55 Daytona Prototype to fast times of 1:44.926 and 1:44.780 on Day 1 of testing. It was on Day 2 of testing that Bouchut led the Daytona Prototype class with a lap time of 1:41.884 in the No. 55 Supercar Life Motorsports BMW Riley DP.
"This car definitely has the potential to run ahead of the pack this season," said Christophe Bouchut. "We're still making some adjustments, but right now, we're be ready to race and compete for the podium in the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona.''
With secondary sponsors eData Solutions and eCommLink behind the No. 55, great promises lie ahead for the team this season. In recent months eData Solutions expanded its sponsorship from the Rolex 24 at Daytona, to a full 2009 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 season in the No. 55 Daytona Prototype.
"To be able to run a successful season, we need full support and progress from everyone involved," said Scott Tucker. "With the help from our sponsors, engineers and crew, we've been able to put a tremendous amount of time and effort towards this car enabling us to be competitive from the start, and I can't thank everyone enough."
The 2009 Rolex Grand-Am Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 will open its season with the 47th Rolex 24 At Daytona Jan. 24-25 at 3:30 p.m. EST. For full coverage of the race, tune into FOX at 3 p.m. EST and SPEED at 4:30 p.m. EST.
About Supercar Life: The only event of its kind that allows you to drive a collection of the world's most elite supercars, on a private racetrack, at the speeds they were designed for, Supercar Life gives motorsports enthusiasts the opportunity to spend an entire day behind the wheel of a Ferrari F430, Lamborghini Gallardo, Aston Martin DB9, Mercedes CLK63 AMG Black Series and a Porsche Turbo 997. For additional information, please visit www.supercarlife.com.
About eData Solutions: As a leading service provider in database management, eData Solutions will continue to serve as a secondary sponsor for the season of the 2009 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 season in the No. 55 Daytona Prototype.
About eCommLink: eCommLink's enterprise payment processing platform is the foundation for the future of stored value and debit solutions. eCommLink offers the stored value industry's only multiple account payment platform with an ACH engine, money transfer, and bill payment capability. The platform enables issuers, institutions, and employers to offer unique applications for stored value, debit, and credit, all on one card. For additional information, please visit www.ecommlink.com.
About the Grand-Am Rolex Series: The Grand American Road Racing Association was established in 1999 to return stability to major league sports car road racing in North America. As the organization begins its ninth season of competition in 2008, Grand-Am is universally regarded as one of the world's most competitive road racing organizations. For additional information, visit www.grand-am.com.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Callie Spear | 913.894.6923, ext. 658
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