Level 5 Motorsports Takes Point Lead to Laguna Seca

Level 5 Motorsports has certainly proven its mettle in endurance races in 2010. The team expects nothing less than continued success for its two entries this weekend in the six-hour American LeMans Series Monterey presented by Patron from the famed Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

Scott Tucker, Christophe Bouchut and GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series driver Mark Wilkins will drive the No. 55 ORECA FLM09 prototype for Level 5 at Laguna Seca. Tucker, veteran sports car driver Andy Wallace and GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series driver Burt Frisselle will pilot the No. 95 ORECA FLM09 prototype.

A victory in the season-opening 12 Hours of Sebring in March was only the beginning of a solid start to the 2010 season for the No. 55 Level 5 team. The trio of Tucker, Bouchut and Wilkins combined to take the checkered flag in record-setting fashion.

"We had a very strong, if not dominant run at Sebring," Tucker said. "The race at Laguna Seca is shorter than that one, but it's still an endurance race and those are very challenging for everyone involved. The Level 5 Motorsports team has already shown it is up the task in these types of races. I know we'll be ready and the cars will be well-prepared for this one at Leguna Seca."

Level 5 Motorsports also posted a solid third-place finish in the prestigious Rolex 24 At Daytona in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series in January.

Tucker and Bouchut followed up their victory at Sebring with a stellar weekend on the street circuit for Long Beach, California, in April. After setting a track qualifying record, the No. 55 LMP narrowly missed another win with a strong second-place finish. The team currently sits tied for first place in the ALMS LMPC standings.

"This is our first year in the series, but we've been pretty good right out of the box," Tucker said.

The 2010 season has been good to Tucker. In addition to his accomplishments in the American LeMans Series and the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series, he also has three victories in the Ferrari Challenge Series and leads the series standings.

Wilkins and Frisselle co-drive the No. 61 car in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series. The two finished fifth overall in the Rolex 24 At Daytona in January.

Wallace brings not only experience, but a successful pedigree to the Level 5 team as well. He has won the 24 Hour of LeMans, the 24 Hours of Daytona three times, the 12 Hours of Sebring twice and the Petit LeMans. He was the 1986 Autosport National Racing Driver of the Year.

"Once again, we've got a tremendous driver lineup for Level 5 Motorsports," Tucker said. "There's a great deal of experience there, and we've got drivers who know how to win. We expect both cars to be up there battling for a victory when the checkered flag drops."

Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca is one of the more storied racetracks in the United States, if not the world. The 2.238-mile, 11-turn road course features the Turn 9 Corkscrew, considered by many to be one of the most difficult corners in the American LeMans Series.

At the apex to Turn 8, a left-hand turn, the elevation change is a 12 percent drop. By the time a race car reaches the apex of Turn 8A (a right-hander), the elevation is at its steepest -- 18 percent drop. The Corkscrew drops 59 feet between the entrance of Turn 8 and the exit of Turn 8A - the equivalent of a 5 ½-story drop - in only 450 feet of track length.

A 20-minute qualifying session for the LMPC class is set for 3:55 p.m. PT Friday. The six-hour race is scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m. PT Saturday. The race will be televised nationally on CBS May 29, at 1:30 p.m. ET.

 

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