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Le Mans / ALMS
ALMS: 5 Questions With Christophe Bouchut
Level 5 Motorsports driver discusses ALMS 12 Hours of Sebring victory and previews next month’s Grand Prix of Long Beach...
Christophe Bouchut helped lead Level 5 Motorsports to an overall ALMS victory in last weekend's 60th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. (Photo: John Dagys)
While Audi dominated the 60th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, scoring a 1-2 finish, an overlooked story in last weekend’s FIA World Endurance Championship and American Le Mans Series season-opener was the fine performances put in by a pair of LMP2-class contenders.
FIA WEC debutants Starworks Motorsport and defending ALMS P2 champs Level 5 Motorsports enjoyed flawless runs in their HPD ARX-03bs, which was rewarded with class victories for both teams, having finished third and fourth overall, respectively.
Even more impressively, the Level 5 trio of Scott Tucker, Christophe Bouchut and Joao Barbosa came home as the highest-placed ALMS car, beating the pair of P1-class contenders, just one day after it's No. 055 car suffered a heavy crash in qualifying.
SPEED.com caught up with Bouchut to get his thoughts on the overall ALMS win and look ahead to next month’s Long Beach Grand Prix, as Level 5 continues its pursuit of back-to-back ALMS P2 championships.
DAGYS: Heading into the Sebring weekend, would you have imagined the roller-coaster of fortunes, from Friday’s accident to the ALMS overall win just 24 hours later?
BOUCHUT: Sometimes bad things can bring good things. Friday's accident was the case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. After that, the whole team was mobilized [and worked through the night]. The result was very deserving because we had prepared for this race very, very seriously. The result in incredible and beyond what we could have imagined and we’re all very proud of this.
DAGYS: What was the most difficult aspect of the race?
BOUCHUT: One of the toughest things was the number of safety car during the race. They could save you time when you're behind the leader or make you lose time when you’re leading. And we were leading the race for most of the time!
DAGYS: How has the team adapted to the new HPD ARX-03b? Have you seen major improvements compared with last year’s ARX-01g?
BOUCHUT: We have done lot of testing at Sebring before the race and covered a significant number of miles before the first race. The new HPD ARX-03b is different in many ways but at the same time it's not a revolution compared to last year but just better on all points.
DAGYS: What do you think will be the keys to success at Long Beach?
BOUCHUT: It's always great to start with a victory because it gives a higher confidence and pushes to achieve further victories. But Long Beach is a circuit very different from Sebring and we'll have to review everything. Level 5 is an incredible team that’s solid and reliable and we can count on everyone to give their maximum.
DAGYS: Do you see the P2 competition will increase, as teams get used to their new packages?
BOUCHUT: Yes I think other P2s can be quick on this circuit where the driver is still important. But we are all strong at Level 5 and the last two seasons I've always been fast on this track, which I really like. I won the pole in LMPC in 2010 and I look forward to participating in this year with our new HPD ARX-03b P2 car.
John Dagys is SPEED.com’s Sportscar Racing Reporter, focusing on all major domestic and international championships. You can follow him on Twitter @johndagys or email him at
FIA WEC debutants Starworks Motorsport and defending ALMS P2 champs Level 5 Motorsports enjoyed flawless runs in their HPD ARX-03bs, which was rewarded with class victories for both teams, having finished third and fourth overall, respectively.
Even more impressively, the Level 5 trio of Scott Tucker, Christophe Bouchut and Joao Barbosa came home as the highest-placed ALMS car, beating the pair of P1-class contenders, just one day after it's No. 055 car suffered a heavy crash in qualifying.
SPEED.com caught up with Bouchut to get his thoughts on the overall ALMS win and look ahead to next month’s Long Beach Grand Prix, as Level 5 continues its pursuit of back-to-back ALMS P2 championships.
DAGYS: Heading into the Sebring weekend, would you have imagined the roller-coaster of fortunes, from Friday’s accident to the ALMS overall win just 24 hours later?
BOUCHUT: Sometimes bad things can bring good things. Friday's accident was the case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. After that, the whole team was mobilized [and worked through the night]. The result was very deserving because we had prepared for this race very, very seriously. The result in incredible and beyond what we could have imagined and we’re all very proud of this.
DAGYS: What was the most difficult aspect of the race?
BOUCHUT: One of the toughest things was the number of safety car during the race. They could save you time when you're behind the leader or make you lose time when you’re leading. And we were leading the race for most of the time!
DAGYS: How has the team adapted to the new HPD ARX-03b? Have you seen major improvements compared with last year’s ARX-01g?
BOUCHUT: We have done lot of testing at Sebring before the race and covered a significant number of miles before the first race. The new HPD ARX-03b is different in many ways but at the same time it's not a revolution compared to last year but just better on all points.
DAGYS: What do you think will be the keys to success at Long Beach?
BOUCHUT: It's always great to start with a victory because it gives a higher confidence and pushes to achieve further victories. But Long Beach is a circuit very different from Sebring and we'll have to review everything. Level 5 is an incredible team that’s solid and reliable and we can count on everyone to give their maximum.
DAGYS: Do you see the P2 competition will increase, as teams get used to their new packages?
BOUCHUT: Yes I think other P2s can be quick on this circuit where the driver is still important. But we are all strong at Level 5 and the last two seasons I've always been fast on this track, which I really like. I won the pole in LMPC in 2010 and I look forward to participating in this year with our new HPD ARX-03b P2 car.
John Dagys is SPEED.com’s Sportscar Racing Reporter, focusing on all major domestic and international championships. You can follow him on Twitter @johndagys or email him at
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