Wayne Boyd eager to make fast start and show he’s a Le Mans Cup title threat

Wayne Boyd is full of confidence ahead of his Le Mans Cup quest

Jason Craig

New Nielsen Racing signing Wayne Boyd wants to hit the ground running at the opening round of the new Michelin Le Mans Cup at Circuit de Catalunya in Spain on Saturday.

Gold-rated driver Boyd has joined forces with the Northants-based squad for the six-round series and will battle it out for points and prizes with the help of his Bronze-graded team-mate Tony Wells.

The pair made a strong start earlier this week in the last official test in which the No.97 car run by Swiss team COOL Racing topped the timesheets in both the morning and afternoon sessions.

“We had a really good run during the test this week, it was a good start to the season. It is always nice to meet everyone in the team and it gave us the opportunity to see where we are at,” explained Boyd.

“We learned a lot — both inside and outside the car. There are a lot of positives we can take into this weekend, and everyone in the team is super professional, so that certainly helps build confidence.”

Qualifying takes place just before midday today to determine the front row of the grid for the race at 4.40pm.

Of the 38 cars lining up on the grid, 29 of these are in the Le Mans Prototype 3 class, including the eye-catchingly clothed Ligier JS P320 Boyd and Wells will be sharing.

Despite the presence of reigning champions Team Virage, last year’s Vice Champions Team Thor, ANS Motorsport, Rinaldi Racing, MV2S Racing, CD Sport and many more returning for another season, Boyd is firm in the belief they have the car — and the know-how — needed to position themselves for wins.

“As a line-up, to be winning every race, that is what I am aiming for with Tony, especially with the package that we have,” added Boyd.

“I don’t see why we should think differently. For us, coming away with a podium, that would be a decent start — but we are very much aiming for the top step together.”

Meanwhile, newly-recruited Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy driver Jon Armstrong will begin his FIA European Rally Championship campaign proper on Saturday.

Following Friday night’s super special stage, the Kesh native will tackle six gravel speed tests today at Rally Hungary alongside co-driver Eoin Treacy.

The pair have signed up to a full season in the sport’s second tier with the backing of Irish motorsport’s governing body M-Sport who will run their Ford Fiesta Rally2 on all eight points scoring rounds.