The Level 5 Motorsports team\’s 2011 season has proven it a versatile, prominent team stocked with knowledge, skill and dedication. Commanding the podium at the most of the events it entered-including winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and podium at Imola and Sebring, among others-is evidence that the Scott Tucker-owned, Microsoft Office-sponsored team has found a fantastic formula in its schedule, race strategy and drivers, including Tucker, Luis Diaz and Christophe Bouchut. While they began the final quarter of an already wonderful year with the ModSpace American Le Mans Monterey presented by Patron mid-September, all their ducks appeared to be in a row: their equation had been proven continuously as trustworthy for an effective winning effort. But this race contained one wild card, or wild car, as the case might be-the team would finally debut the HPD ARX-01g they had announced they were switching to mid-season.

The Level 5 team expected the car to be a positive multiplier for their already winning equation, but as is the case in racing, they also knew always to expect the unanticipated. For an additional team, the possibility and risk of entering a completely new vehicle so near to the season\’s major races could mess up drivers and the team\’s rhythm, but Level 5 is comprised of drivers who have expertise not only adapting to vehicle changes but in motorsports alone.

\”Experience counts,\” said Christophe Bouchut before the ModSpace race. \”We\’ve worked hard to prepare for this race, but it\’s still brand new and there are still things to check.\” The team opened the gearbox for inspection, sitting out of a final practice session to familiarize themselves with the new vehicle as much as possible before its 1st run. Still, Bouchut was right: A car can be assessed again and again, and the race strategy can be cemented into the drivers\’ minds, but there comes a point for drivers when lessons from former race knowledge takes over with a sort of gut instinct and feeling that can\’t be taught.

Tucker may be the least experienced driver on the Level 5 team, but what he lacks in years behind the wheel he makes up for with a brilliant learning curve that barely existed to start with. A rookie in 2006 at age 44, Tucker displayed natural skill and astonishing skill in the Ferrari Challenge Series before he created Level 5 Motorsports and began making a dream team of individuals. As the seasons advanced, Tucker began seeing his first major success. In 2009, he won the Sports Car Club of America National Championship. Later on, he was the very first American to drive one of Audi\’s V-12 turbodiesels in a competition, during the 24 Hours of Le Mans. His passion for motorsports as well as an unrelenting search for excellence-which has caused him to maintain an ultra-disciplined exercise schedule as well as a grueling, three-series race schedule-have catapulted his short career into the territory of his counterparts, whose first races weren\’t too long after their first birthdays.

Christophe Bouchut, part of the Level 5 dream team, is one of the most successful endurance drivers around the globe. His victories have included the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. He has also won about three Porsche Carrera Cup France championships, three FIA GT titles and a FFSA GT championship. He is the only triple FIA GT champion in history. Bouchut has been driving with Tucker\’s Level 5 team since 2008, adding his experience to Tucker\’s burgeoning motorsports empire and becoming a fundamental piece of the team\’s success.

Luis Diaz drove in the Toyota Atlantic and Indy Lights Series from 1999 to 2003 before moving to the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car series in 2004 when he co-drove the No. 01 car with former Champ Car competitor Scott Pruett for Chip Ganassi Racing. Several years later, Diaz moved again, this time into the American Le Mans Series, driving an LMP2 Lola B06/43-Acura for Fernandez Racing, and won the class championship in 2009. Diaz was also branded Most Popular Driver that season. Diaz\’s experience with Level 5 Motorsports is limited just to this year\’s season, but his familiarity with the LMP2 cars has undoubtedly been invaluable to the ever-changing team.

Level 5 Motorsports continues to operate on a near-perfect combination of expertise, passion, skill and experience. The cohesive combination of the drivers\’ experience has established the team as dominant frontrunners in multiple series and allowed the 2011 momentum to carry on with the brand-new HPD ARX-01g car.