Level 5 Motorsports Continues Quest for History With Record-Setting Lap
In a thrilling qualifying session, Christophe Bouchut set a blistering lap in the Level 5 Motorsports Le Mans Prototype Challenge entry to earn the top qualifying spot for this weekend's American Le Mans Series race on Long Beach, California's, famed street circuit. Bouchut drove the No. 55 ORECA FLM09 LMP to a new track record with a lap of 1:17.084 edging Gunnar Jeannette by less than two tenths of a second the closing seconds of the session.
After a dominating, season-opening win in the famed 12-Hours of Sebring in March, the two-car team took to the track for today's qualifying round with an eye on continuing its run toward history. True to form, both cars qualified well and are in great starting positions for tomorrow's race.
"The team did a great job with this car," Bouchut said. "I knew we would be fast and we had to work out there today. But we showed that we have the car to beat."
Bouchut will share driving duties with team owner and driver Scott Tucker who will once again take on driving duties for both team entries.
Tucker earned the fifth qualifying position in the No. 95 car with a fast lap of 1:21.151. He will share that ride with IZOD IndyCar Series standout Ryan Hunter-Reay."To have Christophe - the most successful sports car driver in the field - in one car and Ryan -- who's really a standout in the IndyCar Series - in the other is fantastic," said Tucker. "We've won races together and proven that not only can we perform well individually, but we've really jelled as a team. You can't overstate how important that is to a team's success. Right now, the three of us are really clicking."
Hunter-Reay will also be running in this weekend's IZOD IndyCar Series event - Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach - Sunday. He is currently seventh in that series' point standings and looks forward to the busy weekend of racing."This is a tight, slick circuit," said Hunter-Reay. "You've really got to concentrate to be fast and stay out of trouble. Fortunately, the crew did another outstanding job in preparing this LMP and we were fast from the start.
"Knowing that I have a legitimate shot to win each time I get on the track is a great feeling," he said. "I am thankful to have the chance to run both the Indy Car and this great Le Mans Prototype."With a pair of LMP entries in Saturday's race, Level 5 Motorsports looks to continue its run toward a championship in the inaugural season for the LMPC. Tucker and Bouchut currently sit atop the point standings, but show no signs of complacency.
"We've got a long season ahead of us," Tucker said, "and that means showing up every race focused on getting to the top of the podium. Winning races is paramount."The green flag will wave on the 1 hour, 40-minute race Saturday beginning at 4:40 p.m. PT. The SPEED Channel will carry the race on a tape-delayed basis beginning at 5 p.m. PT Saturday.
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