PODIUM FOR KENNOL AT 24H OF THE MANS!
The success rarely smiles at the independent teams who tackle, for the first time, the 24H of Le Mans, but Level 5 Motorsports was able to celebrate its first attempt on the podium of the most prestigious Endurance race in the world, in front of a crowd of 250,000 spectators! Christophe BOUCHUT and KENNOL celebrate their 18th participation in this race; the success of the performance and the regularity.
We worked hard to be there.
It was really tough and long all week,
but it ends ideally.
David STONE
▌ TUCKER, BOUCHUT AND BARBOSA AT TOP GENERAL
Team owner Scott Tucker and his rookie drivers Christophe Bouchut and Joao Barbosa drove their No. 33 Lola HPD Coupé on the third step of the podium in the highly rated LMP2 category. So noted that their flawless course gives them access to the Top 10 overall, ahead of several prototypes of the queen class LMP1! “The entire team has made a monumental effort this week,” says Tucker. “We are therefore particularly proud of this achievement. It was without a doubt the most difficult race we have competed in, and the most challenging competition we have ever faced, so we are particularly proud to have brought an American team here and to have achieved this feat.”
Let’s go back a few days, and understand why this podium is worth all the victories for the team led by David STONE, the only American proto squad on the 56 teams entered. After enduring Wednesday’s fuel leaks, which cost them over 5 hours of track time, Tucker, Bouchut and Barbosa had only a very limited number of laps in the qualifying sessions on Thursday for actually get ready for 24H.
And despite a good last start on the grid LMP2, strong first relay from Bouchut, Tucker and Barbosa have put the prototype in the Top 5 in the category fairly quickly. And when all the other competitors began to encounter the traditional troubles of Endurance racing reliability, the Lola HPD 33 continued in the same vein. At sunrise Sunday morning, the crew was now 3rd, just 4 laps behind the leader.
It was then that the team suffered its only two incidents of racing – a Barbosa spinning in the gravel pit during the 14th hour, and a quick move to the garage for a recalibration and a rear deck change 3 hours before the end, as a precaution given the many dropouts. And after 24 hours of battle on the track, Bouchut passed under the checkered flag! The team sponsored by KENNOL has traveled without failing 319 laps, nearly 4,350 km, for his debut at Le Mans …
“Everything went really well,” admits Bouchut, who celebrated his 4th podium at Le Mans.“We had no problem. The car was very safe and everyone did the job. We were losing time on the others on the track, but that’s due to the rules, not the engine or the car. So it’s a great result for the whole team, especially for a baptism at Le Mans.” Level 5 offers its 25th podium finish to Lola in the classic Le Mans, and was also the best Honda powered prototype in LMP2. This result is also a new benchmark in the evolution of Level 5, which adds this podium to his 2 class wins at the 12H Sebring, his 2010 victory at Petit Le Mans and a 3rd place at the Rolex 24 at Daytona last year. The team has now won a podium finish in the 4 most prestigious events in the world of Endurance racing.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” says Tucker. “We worked hard for that. We are truly blessed for being able to do this as a team. Getting on this podium was an incredible moment, and I hope it’s just the beginning of a crazy season!”
For Barbosa, who also celebrated his first podium at Le Mans, this result marks his best finish with Level 5 after his 4th place at the 12H Sebring and the abandonment following the breakage impressive 1,000 km of Spa.
“It’s more pleasant to finish like this!” pleasant Barbosa. “It was a tough fight but it’s an amazing result for the team’s very first participation here. I am very proud of all the team, and all the work that has been done. It’s a new landing, no doubt. A 3rd place of which we should all be extremely proud.”
With the points of Le Mans counting double, Level 5 quickly returned to the LMP2 Le Mans Intercontinental Cup standings, ranking 2nd in the team world championship. Only 18 points separate them now from the leader Signatech Nissan. With this new page written in a very beautiful way, the eyes are already turning to the next round of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup, the 6H Imola, scheduled for July 1 to 3. The legendary Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari circuit in Italy will be the scene of this 4th round (out of 7) of the World Endurance Championship, for which Level 5 and KENNOL are in the running, better placed than ever!
Meanwhile, you can come back on this weekend of madness with this summary of the preparation, the race, and the podium of Level 5 and KENNOL at the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2011:
