Overland Park, Kan. (January 22, 2009) While the team of Supercar Life Level 5 Motorsports may be entering this weekend's Rolex 24 endurance racing classic armed with various degrees of experience, their desire to excel is a definite common bond between them.
Champion drivers Scott Tucker, Christophe Bouchut, Raphael Matos and Ed Zabinski all have enjoyed their fair share of fame on and off the track. It was in this afternoon's qualifying session that they achieved that success, hoping to continue that level of accomplishment going into this weekend's race at Daytona International Speedway behind the wheel of their No. 55 Supercar Life Level 5 Motorsports BMW Riley Daytona Prototype.
Bouchut started off strong in the No. 55 Daytona Prototype when Tracy Krohn in the No. 75 hit the No. 55 Supercar Life Level 5 Motorsports BMW Riley, ending its qualifying session early, resulting in a best lap time of 1:41.561, taking the # 10 spot in DP's for Saturday's Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16, 47th annual classic held at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona, Fla. on January 24th.
2009 Rolex 24 Qualifying
"Unfortunately, these things happen," said Team Manager, David Stone. "The accident caused enough damage to the car, making us pit. Once we reviewed, we knew we couldn't change anything during that time to help improve on our lap timing, thus we had to abandon the session."
David Donohue of Brumos Racing took the #1 position knocking Michael Valiante of Michael Shank Racing out of the position, pushing him back to third position on the starting grid.
Krohn Racing and Alegra Motorsports also had a successful run in this afternoon's qualifying session, taking the #4 and #5 positions for Saturday's race.
Teammate, Matos is confident that the No. 55 Supercar Life Level 5 Motorsports BMW Riley will be a strong contender in this weekend's race. Matos, making a second series debut, was a co-driver on the winning team of the GT class.
"Last year's 24 was a great experience," said Matos. "There is no question about it; this is a survival race. You have to maintain your focus on keeping the car together and maintaining your consistency."
Having won the 1995 Rolex 24 Hours At Daytona, Bouchut also knows what it takes to win. "With the experience I have gained over the years, I feel like a completely different driver in the 24. There have been few opportunities for me to race in the United States since that victory, which is why I am particularly happy to be racing here this year. For many, this is a way to help prepare for the season ahead and also a moment of truth for others."
Looking forward to the weekend's events, Zabinski hopes to finish strong. "It will be an enjoyable race and we'll be driving our very best. We are hoping to come out with a strong finishing position, one that everyone involved would be extremely proud of."
"As a team, we are thrilled to have who we have driving behind the wheel of this year's Rolex 24," said Tucker. "In my opinion, competing in a race is just like business. It takes teamwork and each person brings a different force to the table. By having a game plan and working together as a whole, the possibility of finishing in the Top Five is so much greater. We're definitely looking forward to the race!"
Watch the Supercar Life Level 5 Motorsports team and the rest of the field this Saturday as the green flag drops for the 2009 Rolex Grand-Am Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 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.
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