It has only been two weeks since Scott Tucker of Boardwalk Ferrari made headlines as he swept both races at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the 2009 Ferrari Challenge Series' season-opener. Tucker's driving was pure perfection; he and the No. 55 Supercar Life Ferrari F430 led every lap in the doubleheader weekend, beating the competition single-handedly with a margin of victory that was anything but close. Coming off such a strong opening weekend in Miami, the team has high hopes for a repeat performance at Road Atlanta, April 18 and 19.
"Unbelievable," Tucker said. "Every season you're looking for your first win, and in the first races of the year, I made it to the top of the podium twice. The No. 55 immediately felt good for my first stint, which allowed me to set the pace right away. As always, I have a great team behind me and strong competitors on the track; with this in tow we should see a successful 2009 season."
Heading into the weekend's next round of the Ferrari Challenge Series season, Tucker and the No. 55 team will once again look to defeat Ferrari of Houston's Mark McKenzie in the No. 27 car. During race two of Miami's season-opener, Tucker passed McKenzie in a late green flag, taking over first place well ahead of turn one. McKenzie made a desperate attempt to outmaneuver Tucker but was unsuccessful as Tucker maintained a generous lead. This weekend's races are sure to ramp up the excitement, as Road Atlanta's 2.54-mile course and tricky Turn 10 complex will quickly magnify errors and overly impulsive moves. Tucker and his team must instead rely on honed instinct and methodical preparation.
"Extreme care must be taken when driving through the S-curves and the chicane on this course," Tucker said. "Mentally and physically I have to prepare myself to break lightly through turns eight through 10; these are nasty areas. Those who don't will find themselves in the grass."
In Miami, Tucker sustained his lead for all 27 laps, winning race two after posting the fastest lap time of all drivers with a time of 01:29.834. Tucker was awarded 200 points per race, giving him prime position in the Series standings (400 points) with McKenzie following in second (330 points). That has the Boardwalk Ferrari team poised for success in Atlanta, as Tucker looks to widen the 70-point gap.
And after two weeks of intense preparation, the No. 55 Supercar Life Ferrari F430 is ready to dominate Road Atlanta. Team Manager David Stone looks for the car to continue moving full-throttle going into the weekend's race. "Road Atlanta provides a degree of difficulty of its own for Series competitors," he says. "You're only as good as your current race and the track at hand. Although this track will be challenging, I have no doubt in my mind that Scott can and will out-distance himself from the rest of the competition once again."
"The team gave me a great car last race, and it was their work that put us in victory circle," Tucker said. "Road Atlanta will present us with an entirely different set of challenges; I'm confident in our abilities and know that we'll do everything we can to put the No. 55 Supercar Life Ferrari F430 in a competitive position once again when the green flag drops."
Turning up the heat for Saturday's race three in the Series, qualifying will begin at 9:50 a.m. EST with the race scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m. EST. Race four concludes the weekend's activities, beginning at 2:45 p.m. on Sunday.
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