Imagine that the Green Bay Packers attempted to defend their Super Bowl title in the National Football League and decide to enter the English Premiere Soccer league this season as well. That scenario provides a sense of the challenges that Scott Tucker and the Level 5 Motorsports team have taken on in 2011.

Having claimed five race wins and the 2010 American Le Mans Series (ALMS) championship in the LMPC class, for 2011 the Wisconsin-based squad moved up to the LMP2 class and taken on both the ALMS and the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup (ILMC).

The season began with ALMS races in Sebring, Fla. and Long Beach, Ca. Then the Level 5 team crossed the pond for the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the ILMC race in Imola, Italy.
Throughout the season, the Level 5 team has faced challenges with new cars, new rules, a mid-season car switch, and the logistics of an intercontinental schedule. The results have been impressive.

Tucker and co-drivers Christophe Bouchut of France and Joao Barbosa of Portugal have podium finishes at Le Mans and Imola, after an ALMS win at Long Beach and a fourth place finish at Sebring. In addition, Level 5 Motorsports second car was victorious at Sebring with Ryan Hunter-Reay and Luis Diaz. Still, there are few things better than home cooking and Tucker and the Level 5 team are looking forward to a return to Road America.

“I’m very happy to be racing back at Road America,” said Tucker.

“This is a second home for me in many ways. I’ve recorded some great wins here and of course the team’s base of operations is fairly close by.”

As the successes and travel miles pile up, fans in Europe and the U.S. are recognizing the Level 5 cars and team.

“It’s been an exciting year for Level 5,” said Tucker. “Our fans have grown tremendously this year which fuels us as we pursue our goal of becoming one of the world’s best sports car racing teams.”

Team manager David Stone plays a key role in building that team. With an eye on 2012, Level 5 Motorsports recently announced plans to switch cars before the Silverstone, England, round of the ILMC by aligning with Honda and Wirth Research. The agreement provides the latest, cutting-edge cars to the team, and offers access to Wirth’s highly regarded simulator to help the drivers prepare for the new car.

Becoming one of the world’s best sports car racing teams is not easy, but like the Packers, Scott Tucker and the Level 5 Motorsports team want nothing less than total success.