Tucker's Overflowing Schedule Is Testament To His Commitment To Each Series |
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Topics: Scott Tucker
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Kaitlyn Tillman
Level 5 Motorsports
October 4, 2011
There's commitment, and there's overcommitment. Scott Tucker's racing schedule, for most people, would be overcommitment. Competing in five series in seven countries for the 2011 season, Tucker has been literally all over the map for the past 10 months. But for Tucker, his racing schedule—which includes the Grand-Am Rolex series, the American Le Mans Series, the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup series, the Ferrari Challenge series and the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge series—is truly evident of simply commitment. The schedule doesn't overwhelm him because he's doing it for the sole reason that he enjoys it. The sometimes four-race weekends don't stress him out because he wants to be at each and every one. There is perhaps no better way to illustrate Tucker's commitment to all of the series and cars that have gotten him where he is today than to look at his five-year relationship with Ferrari, where everything started.
Now, Tucker is a three-time national driving champion who has competed in some of the newest, fastest cars in the industry and stood at podium next to the racing veterans who have been doing it the longest. But just five short years ago, Tucker was climbing into the driver's seat of a Ferrari for his first full season as a race car driver, in the Ferrari Challenge series. He raced at Homestead-Miami Speedway, and later he took fifth place at Portland International Raceway, his best finish of the season. He then took third in one of the two North American races at the World Finals in Italy.
Tucker drove Ferrari again in 2007 for his second full season of the Ferrari Challenge. In May of that year, he nabbed his first career win at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. Tucker then created his Level 5 Motorsports team in 2008, entering the FC series as both owner and driver. He took his Ferrari to the top six times in the 13-race season and finished second overall in the final drivers' standings, and then won both of the two North American races at World Finals. Tucker took a Ferrari V8 Crawford GT to four Rolex Sports Car Series races in the same season. In 2009, Tucker won 10 races, which made him the winningest driver in Ferrari Challenge's history. His Boardwalk Ferrari team won the Dealer's Championship.
When Tucker decided to pursue even more prestigious racing events, including the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup and the American Le Mans Series, he knew his increasing opportunities were in part thanks to his success with Ferrari. Not only that, but he still loved racing Ferraris. So to ditch his Ferrari career after finding so much success in the series was never an option. Even as he added four additional series to his racing schedule, along with cutting-edge supercars in the Le Mans Prototype classes, Ferrari always made the list, too. Tucker has raced in up to four different races in a single race weekend to accommodate all of his commitments.
In 2010, Tucker began a partnership with Ferrari to test and develop its new 599XX for the 2011 season. Tucker's new No. 55 Ferrari 599XX improved the mechanics, technical specifications, technology and speed of its predecessors. The fact that he not only raced for Ferrari while racing in four other series but also spent time creating a new car with the program is testament to Tucker's solid ties to Ferrari. Without Ferrari, he might never have ignited an engine on the race track, and he isn't ignorant to the fact. As his schedule permits, he will continue to race in the Ferrari Challenge series just as he did five years ago.
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Kaitlyn Tillman has been keeping a close eye on Scott Tucker, owner and driver, of Level 5 Motorsports throughout the past year to keep you posted about the success of the dream team. To get more information about Tucker, check out http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703940904575395452654498336.html