Mosport: Level 5 Motorsports race report

Tucker, Level 5 Team Shine at Mosport; Set up Championship Showdown in Season Finale

A challenging beginning to the weekend turned into a solid finish for Scott Tucker, Christophe Bouchut and the Level 5 Motorsports team Sunday at Mosport International Raceway. Tucker and Bouchut drove the No. 55 Microsoft-sponsored ORECA FLM09 to second place in the LMPC class in the Mobil 1 Grand Prix of Mosport, setting up a championship showdown in the season finale in October.

The No. 55 car started from the sixth position after making only two qualifying laps on Saturday. After a last-minute, pre-race engine change, Tucker and Bouchut made their way through the field and finished just 18 seconds behind Gunnar Jeannette.

Tucker and Jeannette are tied atop LMPC point standings heading into the season's final event, the 13th annual Petit Le Mans, set for October 2 at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia. Another strong performance from the team will be required for Tucker and Level 5 to claim the inaugural LMPC title.

"It was a tough weekend for the Level 5 Motorsports team. Getting on the podium really speaks to the determination of everyone in this organization," said Tucker, who started the race in the No. 55 and finished it in the No. 95 ORECA FLM09. "We battled a lot of adversity.

We were able to hang in there and made up a lot of ground during the race. Now, it's on to Road Atlanta and a chance to win the championship."

A red flag after a crash between two GTC cars with 29 minutes left delayed the event. The accident took out approximately 60 feet of guardrail, prompting officials to wave the yellow flag and then the checkered flag once the race got back under way.

Andy Wallace began the race in the No. 95 Microsoft Office-sponsored entry. Tucker took over the seat of that car with approximately an hour left, and brought it home to a fourth-place finish in the LMPC class.

Level 5 Motorsports' ALMS team will take a four-week break to prepare for the season finale at Road Atlanta.

"We have put ourselves in a position to win a championship. That is what we have been working for all season long," said Level 5 Motorsports Team Manager David Stone. "The team has responded to a great deal of adversity with a lot of poise and confidence. Scott has done an unbelievable job behind the wheel, and Christophe and Andy have been phenomenal, too."

Next weekend, Boardwalk Ferrari Level 5 Motorsports is set to participate in the regular season finale for the Ferrari Challenge Series at Watkins Glen International as Tucker has his eyes set on a championship in that series as well.

-source: level 5 motorsports