Ferrari Challenge - Tucker Leaves Laguna Seca With Another Podium

Laguna Seca, May 24, 2011: Scott Tucker, the most successful driver in Ferrari Challenge Series history, added to his list of accomplishments with a podium finish at historic Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca during the second event weekend of the 2011 season. This follows up a victory in the season opener at Infineon Raceway on April 30.

The runner-up finish in Saturday’s race was the highlight of the weekend for Tucker and his Boardwalk Ferrari Level 5 Motorsports team on this challenging road course. The Ferrari Challenge Series is only two events into the season, which marks the debut of the new Ferrari 458 Challenge, the make that will replace the Ferrari F430 as the car of choice for the single-marque series. The new and relatively untested car continues to be a work in progress for Level 5.

“We really haven’t had a lot of time with the 458,” Tucker said. “We’ve had such a hectic schedule that we have not been able to test the car the way we would like. But, still, we have a win and a podium so we feel we’ll be able to continue to develop this new car.”

After battling his way into second place, Tucker ran out of laps and was unable to catch Enzo Potolicchio, who scored his second win of the season.

Sunday's race also brought intense action to the track as a strong field of competitors battled each other and the famous 2.234-mile, 11-turn road course. Tucker finished fifth.

"We drove the best car we had today," Tucker said Sunday. "Unfortunately, some of the guys had a little more testing time and they were a little bit stronger. But, we're going to see what we can do about that."

Adding to the team’s challenges is the fact that Tucker has been competing in the secondary car while the primary car is awaiting approval from series officials.

Tucker and Level 5 Motorsports are in the middle of preparing for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the world’s most prestigious endurance race. The event is the third stop on the schedule for the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup where Level 5 is competing in the LMP2 class in a Microsoft Office 2010-sponsored, Honda-powered Lola. The international competition is in addition to the American Le Mans Series, where the team also races on a full-time basis.

“We have a full plate, that is for sure,” Tucker said. “But, we have a very talented and dedicated team. We race to win every time out and we are not going to shy away from the hard work it takes to get there.”

The 24 Hours of Le Mans will take place June 11-12, 2011. Complete coverage will be provided by Radio Le Mans at Radiolemans.com.