Overland Park, Kan. (January 25, 2009) It was a race to remember. The whole track was a blur of color, sound and activity. But for the people who worked on the teams, it was about survival in the premier North American sports car endurance race.
The Rolex 24 Hours At Daytona has become a landmark for successful drivers from around the world. January 24-25, marks the biggest race of the season. It is where Formula One, NASCAR, IRL and Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series stars all join together.
"This race is a true testament to the quality of preparation and professionalism required for the Rolex 24," said Team Manager, David Stone. "In my opinion, the group that we have put together is second to none."
At 3:30 p.m. EST Saturday, January 24, the green flag waved in the 47th running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona. Team members Scott Tucker, Christophe Bouchut, Raphael Matos and Ed Zabinski were ready to race. The team had qualified earlier in the week taking the tenth position, however, due to rule violations, the teams of Michael Shank Racing (P3) and Alegra Motorsports (P5) dropped down in the starting grid to the #17 and #19 spots, moving the No. 55 to the fourth row. Bouchut was first behind the wheel in the car for laps 1-32, quickly moving from the starting position of the #8 spot up to #6.
Tucker was next to drive the No. 55 Daytona Prototype, keeping the car composed from laps 32-64 posting consistent lap times and gaining position. Matos then stepped in and began his assault on the field with 21 hours left on the clock.
As the Rolex 24 raced into the night, several cautions slowed the field. The No. 55 Supercar Life Level 5 Motorsports BMW Riley only gained momentum, taking advantage of the open field to close the gap. Matos continued at his pace of 124.859mph, when the right rear tire, for still unknown reasons, shredded at nearly 200mph as he entered Turn 1 causing the fourth caution of the night. With a quick tire change on pit road, Bouchut then took over once again. It was here that the No. 55 climbed to its highest position of the night yet.
First, vaulting to the #3 spot, the No. 55 Daytona Prototype followed class leaders, Buddy Rice and Scott Dixon of Brumos Racing and Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates in the #1 and #2 positions. On Lap 185 Bouchut overtook IRL star Scott Dixon, taking over the #2 spot. Bouchut turned in a lap time of 1:42.184, closing the gap to just 8.294 seconds behind class leader, Buddy Rice. The Frenchman continued to put pressure on the Indy500 champ throughout the remainder of his stint. The crowd roared as Bouchut handed off the No. 55 to an eagerly-awaiting Tucker.
Overnight the No. 55 team found itself with new technical problems. The crew worked diligently on the car, replacing its entire rear end due to a transmission failure. It was on Lap 363, with Zabinski behind the wheel, when the No. 55 lost traction in third gear at 120mph, resulting in a hard hit on the banking. Matos, after taking over for Zabinski, was forced to bring the Daytona Prototype onto pit road to fix a bent upper control arm. The Rolex 24 would ultimately claim eleven DP teams for various reasons ranging from engine problems to accidents.
Back on track the No. 55 made up for its lost time, running in the Top 10 for the remainder of the race. It was on Lap 640 that Matos turned in the fastest lap time for the team with a time of 1:42.137, an incredible 0.014 seconds away from second place team, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates.
The Supercar Life Level 5 Motorsports team stood proudly as Tucker took the checkered flag in the 9th position. Tucker was happy, for his team and this car in its first race, it was a momentous day.
"To be able to run this race, takes an unbelievable amount of effort on everyone's part," said Tucker. "We achieved great success today. This was our first 24-hour race as a team, in a new season, in a new class. I couldn't be more proud."
"For this race, timing is everything," said Bouchut. "Every minute of every hour, of every lap counts. One mistake, and it could cost you the whole race. Our crew did a fantastic job in getting us back on track, making up for the time we had lost in fixing the car."
The Supercar Life Level 5 Motorsports team completed a total of 665 laps driving an average speed of 98.515mph for the 24-hour endurance. The team ran the sixth fastest average time throughout the entire race, only 0.25 seconds away from being third quickest overall. A grand total of 25 cautions and 735 laps ended the 2009 Rolex 24 Hours At Daytona. Taking home the title of this year's championship and Rolex watch was Brumos Racing, with David Donohue behind the wheel for the final laps. Rounding out the top four in the DP class were teams, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates in #2 with drivers Scott Dixon, Juan Pablo Montoya, Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas and Brumos Racing in #3 with drivers Joao Barbosa, Terry Borcheller, JC France and Hurley Haywood. The teams of SunTrust Racing and Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates finished in the #4 and #5 positions.
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