Level 5 Motorsports Makes History in 12 Hours of Sebring

SEBRING, Fla. - Level 5 Motorsports made history Saturday with a dominating win in the historic 12 Hours of Sebring. The trio of Scott Tucker, Christophe Bouchut and Mark Wilkins turned in an unforgettable performance in the inaugural Le Mans Prototype Challenge besting their nearest competition by 16 laps.

The team took one of two Microsoft Office 2010 Oreca LMPs entered by Level 5 to an early lead. After starting in the third position, the No. 55 quickly overtook Gunnar Jeannette and paced the field in the early laps. A miscue in the pits briefly cost them positions; but they proceeded to put on a clinic, regaining the lead and putting the rest of the class behind them.

"What a great day for the Level 5 team," said owner / driver Scott Tucker who also earned the Constructors Championship with the win. "Winning this race in the inaugural running for this Le Mans Prototype is something we'll never forget. It's great to be in this series - it's a great place to come and race."

The No. 55 completed 327 grueling laps in the 12-hour race over what is considered one of the most difficult circuits in racing. The commanding win enters the record books as the first win for the new car and proof-positive that the LMP is a durable and exciting race car.

"When you consider how demanding this race is on drivers and equipment, you've really got to love this car," said Bouchut, who posted the No. 55's fast lap of time 1:56.977 sec. "The crew did a great job getting it ready and it was a great car to drive."

Bouchut adds this victory to an already impressive resume that includes wins in the Rolex 24 At Daytona, the 24 Hours of Spa and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He will contest the entire 2010 American Le Mans season with Tucker as the duo look toward the championship.

The team's second entry, the No. 95, appeared to be out of the event around the half-way point as the steering pump pulley failed. With no replacement part on hand, the team manufactured one on site.

"This just shows what this team is made of," said Assistant Team Manager Jeff Stone. "This is a new car and we knew coming in we'd encounter surprises. But we certainly didn't expect to manufacture replacements. But this team doesn't give up."

Stone, himself, was a replacement this weekend as he was on hand filling in for his brother David, the team's regular Manager, who was unable to attend the event due to illness.

After a three-hour delay in the pits, the car returned to the track in style setting the event's fastest lap for the LMP with Tucker behind the wheel posting a remarkable 1:56.759 sec. Tucker was performing rare double-duty as a driver of both cars. Along with him in the No. 95 were IZOD IndyCar standout Ryan Hunter-Reay and James Gue.

Saturday's win comes as part of an extremely successful start to the racing season for Tucker and Level 5 Motorsports. Things got off to a fast start as they claimed their first podium finish in the Rolex 24 At Daytona in late January. The team placed third in their Riley BMW Daytona Prototype.

Then, just last weekend, Tucker picked up more hardware in Florida with a win in the Ferrari Challenge Series at Homestead-Miami Speedway. In what was another dominating performance, Tucker set a track record in qualifying and went on to lead the race wire-to-wire.

The American Le Mans Series resumes action April 17, 2010, with the Long Beach Grand Prix in Long Beach, Calif. SPEED will have television coverage at 8:00 p.m. ET. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.americanlemans.com.

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