Level 5 Motorsports entered into a bit of an unknown territory at last weekend's official Le Mans Test, with its new Lola-Honda package that debuted just one month ago at Sebring. But the team logged nearly 1,000 miles between its two LMP2 cars over the eight hours of available track time.

Team owner/driver Scott Tucker completed nearly 60 laps, equivalent to 6 stints, at the wheel of the team's n° 33 Lola-Honda Coupe : "It was our plan all along for me to spend the majority of the day in the 33 car, so we stuck to it." Tucker's marathon day got off to a rough start when his car suffered a turbo failure. But a quick turnaround by the David Stone-led crew saw the car promptly return to action. By the end of the day, the defending LMPC champion had shaved off nearly 10 seconds from his personal best time set in the morning.

While Tucker gained further knowledge of the famed 8.5-mile circuit, his Intercontinental Le Mans Cup season-long co-drivers were at the wheel of Level 5's Lola-Honda Coupe, fresh from its class victory at Long Beach. Veteran Frenchman Christophe Bouchut and Portuguese driving standout Joao Barbosa took turns in the n° 34 machine, concentrating on aerodynamic and suspension developments. Despite a late-session glitch which caused a power loss, Bouchut managed to turn the car's quickest lap time of the day, a 3:48.174. It put the Level 5 crew sixth quickest on the time charts and best of the Honda-powered entries in the competitive field. "We had a few small issues, especially at the end when we were losing power in the engine," Bouchut said. I couldn't go any faster so we made the decision to reduce downforce. It was a bit of a 'rock and roll' move, but it worked out." Barbosa completed two double-stints over the course of the day. "We tried to split the sessions between myself and Christophe to try and get a little bit more speed out of the car," Barbosa said. "We have to run a very low-downforce aero setup to try and make up for the speed that we don't have on the straights. I think we're in a good direction and we'll have a pretty decent and competitive car for the 24-hour race next June."

(Based upon Level 5 Motorsports press information)

Photo : LE MANS 24 HOURS TEST DAY, 24th APRIL 2011. The Level 5 Motorsports Lola-Hondas (#34 pictured above) took benefit from the great experience of former Le Mans winner Christophe Bouchut, victorious with Peugeot in 1993.