Madison, WI -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/23/2012 -- Level 5 Motorsports development driver Mason Daughters is getting quite an education in the karting ranks. With support from Scott Tucker and the Level 5 team, Daughters is enjoying a successful start to the 2012 season.
Tucker, a five-time national driving champion and native of Leawood, Kansas, initiated the development project to provide assistance to young racers.
Daughters, a 14-year-old from Polo, Missouri, continued his 2012 campaign at the prestigious Gatorz Challenge of the Americas at the Musselman Honda Circuit in Tucson, Arizona where he faced some of the best karting teams in the country. Daughters finished 15th and 19th, respectively, in a pair of Senior Rotax division finals races.
“This is the only way I’m going to learn and get better, driving against the toughest competition,” Daughters said. “These are pretty prestigious events, and I’m honored to be participating. But, that doesn’t mean I’m not here to win. We’ll keep getting better and our time will come. I’ve just got to be patient and keep going at it.”
The Gatorz Challenge of the Americas is a three-round, six-event West Coast competition that is part of the path to qualifying for the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals. The next round is February 24-26 in Phoenix.
Daughters qualified 23rd on both Saturday and Sunday and made steady progress throughout the events. Team owner Phil Giebler, the 2007 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year, was pleased with Daughters’ performance against a field of mostly older drivers.
“Mason had and up-and-down weekend,” Giebler said. “He has been dropped into the deep end of the pool this year with the most competitive classes in the country, the Senior division. Its deep talent pool is going to push him all year. The Rotax Senior class was by far the most competitive class of the weekend.
“Mason had to start in the middle of the 33-kart fields, and that’s where you always have incidents. He got tangled up with another competitor after moving up to 15th in the Saturday pre-final and finished 30th. He came back strong in the 25-lap final to finish 15th. Sunday was also difficult, but in the final he got a great start to move up to 11th in the first three laps after starting 22nd. There was a very late attempt to pass him and the driver made contact and gave Mason a flat rear tire. He still managed to continue and finished 19th. Mason showed great determination in dealing with the tire problems.”
Daughters opened the season the previous weekend in Palm Beach, Florida, at the Florida Winter Tour’s Rotax Max Challenge. He finished 31st and 19th in two races at Palm Beach International Raceway after making his debut in the Senior division.
With the help of Tucker and his Level 5 Motorsports driver development initiative, Daughters completed a solid 2011 season in the go-kart ranks by finishing 17th among 60 competitors in the TaG Junior main event at the prestigious 14th annual Superkarts USA Super Nationals in Las Vegas. Held on the temporary circuit in the parking lot of the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino, it is the largest karting event in the world.
“Mason continues to impress and to develop his skills as a driver,” said Tucker, a five-time national driving champion. “We obviously like what we’ve seen from him, and he’s getting great coaching from Phil. “We’re certainly looking for big things out of Mason in 2012. It will be fun to watch him.”
Daughters is one of five youth racers that have been sponsored by Level 5 Motorsports, including his younger brother, Garrett. Mason Daughters scored the Liberty Cup championship in the TaG Jr. class of the Kansas City Karting Association in 2011 at at his home track in Liberty, Missouri, winning all four of his events in one weekend. He holds the all-time track record for the fastest lap at that facility.
He also came within 100 points of winning the Heartland Sprint Series championship in Kansas City in his rookie season.
About Level 5 Motorsports
Level 5 Motorsports (http://www.level5motorsports.com) has fielded successful entries in GT and Prototype classes in the American Le Mans Series, GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series, Ferrari Challenge Series and the Sports Car Club of America since 2008. The team has competed throughout North America and Europe, extensively in France and Spain. Team owner and driver Scott Tucker has earned five national championships and has more than 70 podium finishes and 60 victories in his driving career. Level 5 is based in Madison, Wisconsin.