24 Guasch/Boyd.Qualified: 12th (MG). Race: 3rd (LMP3)
United’s #24 Ligier placed an excellent third in the hotly-contested LMP3 field staged over two-hours in energy-sapping 30C plus ambient temperatures yesterday afternoon. #22 looked set for a top-five but a puncture and gearbox issue delayed it in the closing stages while #23 retired from the top-10 approaching mid-distance.
United Autosports is now placed fifth (#24), 11th (#22) and 16th (#23) in the 21-car LMP3 Teams’ rankings after the Michelin Le Mans Cup race at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in which the Anglo-American team achieved the incredible feat of scoring its 153rd podium in just 10 years of competition history.
The penultimate round of this year’s MLMC is held at Spa-Francorchamps (BEL) on 21 September.
22 McGuire/Bell. Qualified: 19th (JM). Race: Retired (LMP3)
23 Hodes/Grist. Qualified: 8th (RH). Race: Retired (LMP3)
24 Guasch/Boyd.Qualified: 12th (MG). Race: 3rd (LMP3)
Race
23 (RH) and #24 (MG) began from their best start positions of season in P8 and P12 respectively with #22 (JM) starting P19 but at the completion of the opening lap #24 lay 10th after a great start, #23 11th while McGuire was up to an amazing 13th in #22 after a lightning start. Hodes re-took Guasch on lap two for 10th, #23 & #24 both running inside the top-10 with 16 minutes gone with #22 12th.
23 spun out of 8th on 23 minutes (lap 12) just ahead of the closely following #24, Guasch going off track in avoidance of Hodes who slipped to 10th just ahead of #22 prior to a brief Full Course Yellow. United’s #24, #23 and #22 trio ran inside the top-10 when the race went green again with 31 minutes gone but Hodes lost places with a spin on 45 minutes before ending the #23’s race in the gravel when trying to overtake #22 around the outside, the American losing grip on the rubber marbles.
24 and #22 ran 7th and 9th following a second FCY on 50 minutes, Boyd and Bell taking over their respective #24 & #22 Ligiers on 56 minutes, resuming 5th and 9th. #22 dropped from 9th to 12th when a front right wheel was changed due to a suspected puncture with 38 minutes remaining but returned to the pits a lap later to change the rear left, resuming an unrepresentative 15th. A charging Boyd took 3rd in the #24 with 32 minutes left while Bell pitted again with 15 minutes remaining and subsequently retired with a gearbox issue.
Wayne Boyd (GB), driver car #24, United Autosports: Born: Belfast, Northern Ireland. Lives: Templepatrick, Northern Ireland. Age: 28 “I am very, very happy to get a podium. Mike did a good job in his first stint, stayed out of trouble and moved up. The pit-stop was bang on the money and we were able to jump some cars and obviously then I had a move for third which was great. The last 25 minutes was just a matter of staying ahead. I was also monitoring the tyres. A huge thank you to the team who did a really good job.”
Richard Dean, Team Owner and Managing Director, United Autosports: “I honestly don’t believe we could have got any more than a podium finish with Mike and Wayne also ‘winning’ the Ligier race. Both performed to their absolute maximum.”
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