#23 United Autosports Ligier JSP320 wins the Le Mans Cup Spa Round
It was a rocky start for the #23 with a water pipe issue bringing the car into the pits just before the green flag. Following an amazing team effort to fix the issue, Schauerman started the race from the pit lane, though significantly behind the racing pack, before a Safety Car following chaos at La Source (T1) bunched up the 39-strong grid.
Thrilling pit stop strategy flipped the race on its head, firing Wayne Boyd into the top four after the mandatory stop. From there, the 2020 European Le Mans Series LMP3 champion hunted down the leaders, making his move at Les Combes with 35 minutes left on the clock. Shortly after, Boyd set the fastest lap of the race (2:13.407), more than 1.2 seconds clear of the second fastest time.
Sadly, for the #22 Ligier JS P320 of Gerry Kraut and Scott Andrews, the race finished before it started when contact from the #39 Graff Racing car on the second lap sent Gerry into the endurance pit wall, across the track and onto the grass on the run up to Eau Rouge. It was a premature end to a promising weekend, with strong pace on track during the practice sessions.
The finale of the 2023 Le Mans Cup is on the 22nd October in Portimão – in the meantime, stay up to date with the team on social @unitedautosports.
John Schauerman and Wayne Boyd win the Le Mans Cup Spa Round 2023
Car #23
Quali P21 | race P1
John Schauerman: “What a way to have the race at Spa … to win here is just unbelievable. This is a win that goes first to the mechanics for getting the car back on track after the water pipe issue just before the start. This is for those guys … they did a terrific job. Wayne, of course, did his normal great stuff. My stint was fine, I didn’t make any mistakes so it was good. But overall … what an experience!”
Wayne Boyd: “I’m so so happy for John to get a win because I know he’s coming to the end of his driving career and to get a win for us, him and the team is just so special. I’m so happy. Massive thanks to the team for not only the strategy being superb but also our car was clearly the fastest on track. They did such a good job, pit stops … everything went well, so thanks to United Autosports and huge thanks to John as well.”
Gerry Kraut and Scott Andrews - Le Mans Cup United Autosports #22
Car #22
Quali P24 | race DNF
Gerry Kraut: “I love Spa … for the first time, I did Eau Rouge and Raidillon flat which was my goal for coming here. The car was fantastic, we had such a strong set-up. I wanted to have a great race, but it just didn’t turn out that way … I drove through the reckless multi-car crash at the first turn after they threw the green, but on the next lap I was driven right into the wall … it’s inexcusable. That ended it all for us.”
Scott Andrews: “A really unfortunate end to our Michelin le Mans Cup race, but the most important thing is that Gerry is okay. It’s clear United Autosports have really fast cars … we felt it this weekend. Congratulations to the #23. I’m so happy for John to get a race win, and Wayne had a great drive.”
team manager
Charlie Kemp: “What a great weekend for car #23 – John, Wayne and the team fully deserved the win after snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. Starting dead last and finishing as winners is testament to the whole team. Car #22, whilst sadly being crashed out of the race, has shown great pace. It was great to watch Gerry’s improvement through the weekend, and to see him enjoying Spa more than ever.”