Level 5 motorsports
Level 5 Motorsports was an American motorsport team that was active in sports car racing . Team owner was Scott Tucker . In 2014 the team disbanded
history
Foundation and first years
The team was founded in 2006 by Scott Tucker and was initially active in amateur sports. Tucker himself drove in the Ferrari Challenge North America and the SCCA National Championship . Just one year later, the team also entered the professional sector and competed with Tucker and Ed Zabinski in races in the Rolex Sports Car Series and the KONI Challenge . In addition to these two series as part of the Grand-Am, Tucker also drove in the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge , the American Porsche brand cup.
Rolex Sports Car Series
In the 2008 season, the team drove again in the one-make cups of Ferrari and Porsche and also four races in the Rolex Spors Car Series. It was also Christophe Bouchut's first year at Level 5 Motorsports, the beginning of a multi-year partnership between him and Scott Tucker.
For the 2009 season , Level 5 registered for eight races in the Rolex Sports Car Series. This is where the team's porotype career began , as a Riley - BMW was used in the Daytona prototype class. The best result was a third place in the Crown Royal 200 at the Glen on the short version of the route in Watkins Glen by Tucker and Bouchut.
In 2010 there were two more races in the Rolex Sports Car Series on the program. At the Rolex 24 at Daytona , Tucker, Ryan Hunter-Reay , Lucas Luhr and Richard Westbrook achieved third place, the greatest success in team history to date. A year later, the team started the series for the last time to date , and two vehicles were used again in Daytona . With places eight and eleven, the success of the previous year could not be repeated.
American Le Mans Series
With the introduction of the LMPC class , the team changed its main field of activity to the American Le Mans Series . In the 2010 season, two vehicles were used in the series. Already at the Sebring 12 Hours , the first race of the season, Tucker, Bouchut and Mark Wilkins clinched a class win . In the course of the season four more class wins were achieved, the team championship was won and Scott Tucker became driver champion in the LMPC class.
Just one season later, Level 5 rose to the LMP2 class and used various equipment in the first season. A Lola B11 / 40 and a Lola B08 / 80 were used in Sebring , both with HPD motors in the rear. In Long Beach in April and Road America in August, only the B11 / 40 was at the start, the team suspended the three races between these two events and the race in Baltimore . At the penultimate race in Laguna Seca the switch to the HPD ARX 01g was made, at the end of the season at the Petit Le Mans two HPDs were used. However, since there was only one other vehicle in the LMP2 class at the Petit Le Mans this season, Level 5 was able to win the team title and Tucker and Bouchut the driver title again with just a few outings.
HPD remained the partner for the 2012 season . Level 5 won eight of the ten season races with the HPD ARX 03b , so that the team and driver titles could be defended one more time.
In 2013 the team was again active in the ALMS with two vehicles, but the decision to do so was made very late. The team made it a requirement that another team be at the start for the entire season. Extreme Speed Motorsports decided to move up from the GT to the LMP2 class in order to be this competitor. Tucker competed with various co-drivers and was able to win the drivers' titles in his class again, while the team was also able to defend the title.
United SportsCar Championship
The United SportsCar Championship was created in 2014 through the merger of the ALMS and the Rolex SportsCar Series . Level 5 Motorsports planned to compete in the LMPC and GT-Daytona classes. At the 24-hour race in Daytona , the team started with two vehicles in the GTD class. The Ferrari with the number 555 and the drivers Scott Tucker , Bill Sweedler , Townsend Bell , Jeff Segal and Alessandro Pier Guidi took the win. However, the team could not celebrate its victory directly, as it was given a 75-second penalty in the last lap, which the organizers took back a few hours later. In February, Level 5 Motorsports announced its withdrawal from the United SportsCar Championship.
ILMC / 24 hours of Le Mans
At the international level, Level 5 entered for the first time in 2011. In the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup (ILMC), the team drove five of the seven races of the season with Tucker, Bouchut and João Barbosa . The team with the Lola B11 / 80 HPD achieved a class win in the LMP2 at the Petit Le Mans and ended the season in third place in the team championship. The first start at the 24-hour race in Le Mans , which was part of this ILMC season, was also successful with third place. A year later, Level 5 only entered the 24-hour race , but retired with Tucker, Bouchut and Luis Díaz after completing 240 laps. In 2013 , Tucker, Marino Franchitti and Ryan Briscoe crossed the finish line in the LMP2 class, but were not classified with only 242 laps driven.
resolution
Tucker funded the team through organized crime . From his credit company he diverted a double-digit million amount to finance its use. The company was already investigated in 2012. An acquittal followed in 2013. In May 2014, the company's board of directors was summoned to court. In the same year, the team's vehicles were put up for sale.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from March 2, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ http://sportscar365.com/imsa/tusc/level-5-submits-two-prototype-challenge-entries/
- ↑ http://sportscar365.com/imsa/tusc/level-5-enters-ferrari-gtds-signs-sweedler-bell-for-2014/
- ↑ John Dagys: Level 5 Confirms Withdrawal from TUSC. In: sportscar365.com. February 26, 2014, accessed May 10, 2020 .
- ↑ Heiko Stritzke: DMotor sport financed by organized crime - scandal around level 5 motorsports. In: motorsport-magazin.com. December 30, 2014, accessed May 10, 2020 .
