The other round of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup series brought the Scott Tucker-owned Level 5 Motorsports squad to Belgium for the Spa-Francorchamps 2011 race. The renowned course is known for being flat however offering drivers with challenging curves to encounter all the while racing at swifter speeds relative to different tracks.
Tucker with the exceptional crew, coming off wins at the 12 Hours of Sebring along with the Long Beach Street Circuit, were joyful to be at the venue to see precisely what the weekend had to bring. The Spa competition was dense and intensive; the Le Mans series and the Intercontinental Le Mans series appeal to topmost talent from throughout the globe to the legendary Spa track. “This is one of the greatest tracks in the world,” Tucker said. “It’s one of the faster tracks we run at. It’s curvy but flat … you’re flat to the floor.”
With its runs at the ILMS year opener in the 12 Hours of Sebring, the Lola Honda was battling to generate top speed at the straightaways. For the Spa, all Honda cars were presented a 1.2 mm larger air restrictor as compensation. After initial exams, mentioned Level 5 driver Christophe Bouchut, the restrictor supplied minor increases in speed, but it was unclear pre-race just how much of a variance the adjustment would make.
As it proved, the restrictor didn’t supply the speed increase the Level 5 team had predicted, a unsatisfactory end result that set the team in a bit of a disadvantage, though it wasn’t through yet. In qualifying rounds, driven by Bouchut, the Honda ended 10th-not the result you will expect with the fast track, the driver talent and the restrictor correction.
After he had run the course, Tucker told members of the media his feeling of the course: “It’s as advertised: long and fast,” he said. “In the prototype, the turns are so fast, and there are a lot of G’s, so it will be very physically challenging over 6 hours.”
But 6 hours didn’t really come as Tucker plus the team expected. After a little contact with a car speculated to be No. 41, the Level 5 vehicle arrived to pit for gasoline along with damage in the right rear end corner on the tail section. The segment was replaced, and after fueling up, the vehicle was back in line.
Afterward, just a few hrs into the race, Bouchut abruptly spun into the barrels along the side of the track. Team manager David Stone believed that something in the rear suspension had failed, but the power team have to wait formal investigation for the answer.
Despite the fact that Level 5 Motorsports endured a disheartening finish to its second ILMC appearance, driver self-discipline and proficiency were not in question. Only days away from another FC race in California, the team turned its focus to its next opportunity.
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