By Jim Tobin
The second round of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup series brought the Scott Tucker-owned Level 5 Motorsports team to Belgium for the Spa-Francorchamps 2011 race. The legendary course is known for being flat yet providing drivers with challenging curves to encounter even while racing at faster speeds relative to other tracks.
Tucker and his team, coming off wins at the 12 Hours of Sebring and the Long Beach Street Circuit, were excited to be at the venue and see what the weekend had to bring. The Spa competition was dense and intense; the Le Mans series and the Intercontinental Le Mans series attract top talent from around the world 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."
In the runs at the ILMS year opener in the 12 Hours of Sebring, the Lola Honda battled to produce top speed at the straightaways. For the Spa, all Honda automobiles were honored a 1.2 mm larger air restrictor as compensation. After preliminary assessments, stated Level 5 driver Christophe Bouchut, the restrictor supplied little boosts in speed, but it was not clear pre-race just how much of a variation the adjustment will make.
As it turned out, the restrictor didn't deliver the speed increase the Level 5 team had expected, a disappointing outcome that set the team at a bit of a disadvantage, though it wasn't over yet. In qualifying rounds, driven by Bouchut, the Honda finished 10th-not the result you might expect given the fast track, the driver talent and the restrictor adjustment.
After he had run the course, Tucker told members of the media his impression 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 quite come as Tucker plus the team predicted. With some contact with a car suspected to be No. 41, the Level 5 car entered pit for gasoline along with damage in the right rear end corner on the tail section. The segment was changed out, and after fueling up, the automobile was back in line.
And then, only a couple of hours into the race, Bouchut abruptly spun into the barrels along the side of the track. Team manager David Stone pondered that something in the rear end suspension had failed, but the staff might need to wait for formal analysis for the answer.
Although Level 5 Motorsports endured a disappointing conclusion to its second ILMC appearance, driver determination and skill were not in question. Just days away from another FC race in California, the team turned its attention toward its next opportunity.
Tucker and his team, coming off wins at the 12 Hours of Sebring and the Long Beach Street Circuit, were excited to be at the venue and see what the weekend had to bring. The Spa competition was dense and intense; the Le Mans series and the Intercontinental Le Mans series attract top talent from around the world 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."
In the runs at the ILMS year opener in the 12 Hours of Sebring, the Lola Honda battled to produce top speed at the straightaways. For the Spa, all Honda automobiles were honored a 1.2 mm larger air restrictor as compensation. After preliminary assessments, stated Level 5 driver Christophe Bouchut, the restrictor supplied little boosts in speed, but it was not clear pre-race just how much of a variation the adjustment will make.
As it turned out, the restrictor didn't deliver the speed increase the Level 5 team had expected, a disappointing outcome that set the team at a bit of a disadvantage, though it wasn't over yet. In qualifying rounds, driven by Bouchut, the Honda finished 10th-not the result you might expect given the fast track, the driver talent and the restrictor adjustment.
After he had run the course, Tucker told members of the media his impression 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 quite come as Tucker plus the team predicted. With some contact with a car suspected to be No. 41, the Level 5 car entered pit for gasoline along with damage in the right rear end corner on the tail section. The segment was changed out, and after fueling up, the automobile was back in line.
And then, only a couple of hours into the race, Bouchut abruptly spun into the barrels along the side of the track. Team manager David Stone pondered that something in the rear end suspension had failed, but the staff might need to wait for formal analysis for the answer.
Although Level 5 Motorsports endured a disappointing conclusion to its second ILMC appearance, driver determination and skill were not in question. Just days away from another FC race in California, the team turned its attention toward its next opportunity.