Overland Park, Kan. (January 21, 2009) - The 2009 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona is without a doubt, the most exciting race of the year. Involving some of the most diverse drivers from the best racing series in the world today, the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 January 24-25 race is the premier event in North American sports car racing.
This year's race promises to be one of the most competitive in recent history with competitors and teams coming in from many of the top racing circuits around the world.
A new headline-grabbing program is the Supercar Life Level 5 Motorsports team. Since late-October 2008, the team has consistently driven in the top five at test sessions in the new No. 55 Supercar Life Level 5 Motorsports BMW Riley Daytona Prototype. Comprised of champion drivers Scott Tucker, Christophe Bouchut, Raphael Matos and Ed Zabinski, the team has placed themselves in the upper echelon of cars to watch at the Rolex 24 and throughout the 2009 season with their fast lap times at "The Roar Before The 24" test session earlier this month.
Each driver in the No. 55 has established a recognized benchmark in the industry, here's a look at what each will bring to the team.
Scott Tucker: After a tremendous season in the Ferrari Challenge Series where he won six of the final eight races, Tucker, finished second in the championship standings. He 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.
Christophe Bouchut: Bouchut, a Triple FIA GT Champion, winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, 24 Hours of Spa and 24 Hours of Daytona, obviously knows what it takes to win an endurance race. His impressive driving abilities made headlines during the Grand-Am Rolex Series October and January Test Days, driving the fastest lap of the weekend test session, breaking the unofficial circuit record with a lap time of 1:39.9.
Raphael Matos: Matos will be looking to keep his perfect record intact as he joins the team for the 2009 season opener. He stood on top of the podium in the GT class in the 2008 Rolex 24 At Daytona with a win in his Series debut as a co-driver in the No. 70 Mazda RX-8. Matos has also won the IRL Firestone Indy Lights championship and will join the IndyCar Series in 2009 with Luczo Dragon Racing.
Ed Zabinski: Zabinski, who most recently won the 2008 SCCA National Championship in the T1 Class, brings a great deal of experience and endurance race knowledge to the team. He co-drove with Tucker for much of the 2008 season in the Supercar Life Level 5 Motorsports Crawford Ferrari V-8 GT in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series.
The talented Supercar Life Level 5 Motorsports team will race against the best with the return of the two-time defending Champions of the Rolex 24 Hours At Daytona, Scott Pruett, Memo Rojas along with their teammate, NASCAR and international racing superstar, Juan Pablo Montoya. The same car also won in 2006 at the race; however with different drivers at the wheel.
Other headliners include Indy 500 Champions Buddy Rice and Dario Franchitti as well as IndyCar Series Champion Scott Dixon and IndyCar fan favorite Danica Patrick. Three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion Jimmy Johnson will once again compete in the race along with rising star and 2008 NASCAR Camping World Series Rookie of The Year, Colin Braun.
Three AMA motorcycle legends, Jeff Ward, Jason Pridmore and Scott Russell bring their many championships in that racing discipline to the Spirit of Daytona team along with veteran racer Guy Cosmo. Ward is also a former IndyCar driver with wins in that series.
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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