ALMS: KENNOL RULES THE DRIVERS PODIUM!

ALMS is THE american endurance championship, and KENNOL takes the whole podium! After causing the biggest driver shakeup of the year by welcoming Guy COSMO in the team, Level 5 won the 2013 Baltimore GP this year again, thanks to BRISCOE and FRANCHITTI, and heads to Austin, Texas, with a solid lead on their closest rivals. The chase for 2 new ALMS crowns ends in 3 races, so make your bets for this hectic end of season.

I got hit from behind and it pushed me into the wall and spun me around. Then the crash turned huge.

Scott TUCKER, LEVEL 5 Driver and Owner

This is such a tight circuit and there is little margin for error here…

David STONE, Team Manager

▌ THE TRADITIONAL CRAZY START AT BALTIMORE…

Following a wild and crazy moment on the opening lap of the Grand Prix of Baltimore that saw Level 5 Motorsports’ pole-winning No. 551 entry and driver Scott Tucker taken out of the race, Level 5’s No. 552 car, with drivers Marino Franchitti and Guy Cosmo, put on a dominating performance to score the team’s fifth P2 class win of the season and a third-place finish overall.

Scott TUCKER came into the race weekend leading the championship point standings and was starting the race from the P2 pole position after a spectacular qualifying effort saturday from Ryan BRISCOE. Sadly, while the full field of cars was approaching the green flag to start the race, TUCKER was struck from behind and turned into the wall by Extreme Speed Motorsports driver Anthony LAZZARO who was later penalized for avoidable contact. Numerous cars were subsequently caught up in a chain reaction crash that forced the race to be red flagged for nearly an hour. Guy COSMO, starting from the 4th position, was able to avoid the accident and continue.

“It was an unfortunate situation,” TUCKER said. “The crew gave us a great set up and Ryan gave us a great qualifying run so we were definitely where we wanted to be. You just never expect to go out like that.”

Things turned out much better for the team’s other Honda Performance Development ARX-03b. After the team struggled with the car in practice and qualifying, COSMO quickly took the No. 552 to the lead in his first race stint as a Level 5 driver. He joined the team earlier in the week after parting ways with Extreme Speed Motorsports. “I feel so bad for Scott” he said. “I hate it for him and the crew who have worked so hard. But, they gave us a great set-up today and we were able to show what this team can do.”

Guy COSMO handed the car over to usual Level 5 driver Marino FRANCHITTI, who worked up more than a 9 second lead over the “faulty” ESM entry driven by LAZARRO and Scott SHARP.

“The team did another fantastic job today,” Franchitti said. “After the troubles we had yesterday, we had a great car for the race. And Guy did a great job. Everything was just seamless. I’m glad we were able to get the win for the guys today.”

Next up for Level 5 is the International Sports Car Weekend at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, September 20-21, 2013. Qualifying at the 3.4-mile track will be held Friday, September 20, at 2:40 p.m. (EDT). The race will be held on Saturday, September 21, at 3:45 p.m. (EDT). As usual, enjoy the multi-angle live video airing on the ALMS website for free!

Meanwhile, you can enjoy this exclusive video report of the whole week-end with KENNOL and Level 5 team: