KENNOL ROARED BEFORE DAYTONA
Daytona’s opening of the 2011 GRAND-AM season is 2 weeks away, but BOUCHUT, TUCKER, DIAZ, MATOS, HUNTER-REAY, and WESTBROOK are already ready, obviously! Last weekend, they prepared this event in the best way, setting the second time of the weekend and thus improving the track record! The team was right to impose their paddle shifts at the wheel in the new regulations.
With all these changes (new suspensions, new differential …),
we are booked on this test!
David STONE
We have a nice squadron of pilots
who know what to do to win
Scott TUCKER
▌ THE TEAM LEVEL 5 BRILLED
After a dazzling performance at Daytona in 2010, Level 5 and KENNOL did not ride in Grand Am for 1 year. The team was asking for changes to the two BMW Riley Daytona Prototypes. The main advance is the addition of driving speeds, for which Level 5 has been lobbying for over a year! This evolution is finally in the program 2011. “We have widely made known our desire to have these” paddle-shifters “on DP,” confirms TUCKER. “We are happy with these validations, and we could not wait to be here to test on the track.”
This week, discovering these new 2011 adjustments and the redone run of the Daytona International Speedway, the Level 5 team shone on the 3-day GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series. One of the cars made a big impression with his podium at the Rolex 24 at Daytona 2010, and the team has some hopes for the race to come.
“We have quietly found our marks during the first sessions, until posting very big laps at the end of the weekend,” comments TUCKER. “It’s the warm-up we were hoping for: an effort from everyone involved in this Microsoft Office Level 5 team to be truly competitive at the Rolex 24 in Daytona in a couple of weeks.”
Scott TUCKER, owner of the team and driver, is once again committed to BMW Riley No.55 and No.95; they sign the 2nd and 3rd best times of the Sunday tests at Daytona International Speedway. No.55, with TUCKER, Christophe BOUCHUT, Luis DIAZ and Mark WILKINS, turned in 127.533 mph. No.95, with TUCKER, Ryan HUNTER-REAY, Raphael MATOS and Richard WESTBROOK, shot in 127.465 mph, less than 1/10 behind his older sister.
“The Rolex 24 is a race like no other,” admits TUCKER, coming out of an incredible 2010 season, during which he gleaned 2 national titles and a cap of “Rookie of the Year”. “It must be apprehended as an entity apart. To be on the podium of the Rolex 24 is an achievement. Winning this race will take you to another level. Getting ahead at Daytona means you’re ahead of some of the biggest pilots on the planet. We have great partners, and a nice squadron of pilots who know what to do to win.”
“Roar Before the 24” seems to have boosted the morale of Level 5 Motorsports, and allowed to regain control of these cars in sleep for Rolex 24 Daytona at the end of the month. The flag is due to drop on Saturday 29 January at the Daytona track, at 15:30 local time, and will be broadcast live on the SPEED TV partner channel.
In addition, the team’s performance at the 24 Hours of Daytona 2010 was the subject of a feature film that toured independent festivals this summer in the US and Canada. “Daytona Dream”, told by Jason PRIESTLEY, after skimming these circuits, will be offered by Discover Channel in Primetime Sunday, January 30, after the arrival 2011. Stay tuned to discover the back of the scenery!
In the meantime, you can get a glimpse of what awaits you with this exclusive report from KENNOL and Level 5:
