Honda Performance Development return to the American Le Mans Series paddock at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca – now in partnership with Level 5 Motorsport.

The Monterey circuit has been a happy hunting ground for HPD in the past – the performance arm of Honda clinching its first American Le Mans Series LMP1 championship here in 2009 with Highcroft Racing.

Level 5 kicked off their season armed with a HPD-powered Lola but have now switched to a new HPD engine and chassis package for the ACO’s new cost-capped LMP2 specs.

The team has only had the car less than a week and completed a brief shakedown at Infineon Raceway in preparation for this weekend.

Multiple ALMS most popular driver award winner Luis Diaz drives the new HPD at Laguna with Level 5 boss Scott Tucker and former 24 Hours of Le Mans winner, Christophe Bouchut.

Diaz was fifth fastest overall in this morning’s opening practice session.

Guy Smith topped the timesheets for Dyson Racing in the LMP1 class overall – a division bolstered this weekend by the return of Aston Martin Racing and Diaz’s former Fernandez Racing teammate Adrian Ferandez.

Baltimore winner Kyle Marcelli was fastest in LMPC while Dirk Mueller topped the times for BMW in GT.

The Porsche hybrid 2.0 – while running unclassified this weekend – was actually the second fastest GT car on track this morning.

The American Le Mans Series cars return on track this afternoon at 2:15pm which qualifying kicking off at 3:25pm.

Click the PLAY button below to listen to Luis Diaz about Level 5 Motorsport’s debut with the HPD P2 car.

[powerpress url=”//www.michelinracingusa.com/wp-content/uploads/luis_diaz_9_15.mp3″]