- Stop-start drama-filled season finale in Portugal results in just a 20-lap race
- Daniel Schneider/Andy Meyrick record best finish of the year with sixth-place
- John Schauerman/Wayne Boyd end season with third top-10 finish
United Autosports
United Autosports came home with two top-10 finishes today (16 Oct), rounding off the Michelin Le Mans Cup season with a good haul of points at the Autodromo Internacional Do Algarve.
The result brings the team’s season tally to eight top-10 finishes over the course of the 2022 MLMC championship. It also marks the 10th time United has achieved a top-10 finish in Portugal.
A Red Flag brought the race to a halt for 97 minutes, due to a multi-car start-line accident when racing resumed after a Safety Car period – with all the action occurring during the opening 14 minutes. It unfortunately resulted in just 20-laps of racing for the United team to make their final impact on the championship standings.
The starting drivers who qualified the previous day - Daniel Schneider (#32), Shaun Lynn (#2), John Schauerman (#23) and Andres Latorre (#22) - experienced less than five minutes of actual racing before they all pitted for the mandatory driver changes under Safety Car conditions.
Actual racing resumed with just 20 minutes to go with the standings as followed:
- #32 - Andy Meyrick – 8th
- #23 - Wayne Boyd – 11th
- #22 - Garnet Patterson –15th
- #2 - Max Lynn – 27th
Following a Full Course Yellow for yet another on-track incident, the final standings were:
- #32 – 6th
- #23 – 10th
- #22 – 14th
- #2 – 22nd
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#2 Shaun Lynn (GB)/Max Lynn (GB)
Qualified: 18th (SL). Race: 22nd
Shaun: “I had a good start and stayed out of trouble before the stoppage but then much of my stint was waiting for the re-start. The season has been fantastic. Racing with my son, Max, has been special, as have been the team – it’s been good fun.”
Max: “I was hit on the Safety Car re-start going down the straight but we’ve finished every race this year which was our goal. The season has been incredible. The luck hasn’t always gone our way but United have been fantastic as has sharing the car with my Dad.”
#22 Andres Latorre (AUS)/Garnet Patterson (AUS)
Qualified: 23rd (AL). Race: 14th
Andres: “As has often been the case this year, with big grids, there’s a lot of incidents and Red Flags making it difficult to show the true potential of the car, especially in today’s shortened race. It has though been an amazing and positive experience and good learning for me in general."
Garnet: “My stint was good fun. It was super unfortunate about the big crash which massively shortened the race. Our season has had its ups and downs but we’ve shown good speed and it’s been a good learning year for Andres. The team has been mega and car has had good speed.”
#23 John Schauerman (US)/Wayne Boyd (GB)
Qualified: 20th (JS). Race: 10th
John: “I gained a couple of places before the start-line shunt where I picked up some car damage but we came from 20th to 10th thanks to Wayne, who is always mega fast and has helped me so much, combined with a great team strategy. An enjoyable year.”
Wayne: “It was a pretty good race for us. John and I both managed to steer clear of trouble and get into the points again. It’s a pleasure to coach and race with John. It’s definitely a partnership that I’d like to continue in the future.”
#32 Daniel Schneider (BRA)/Andy Meyrick (GB)
Qualified: 9th (DS) TIME. Race: 6th
Daniel: “It’s a great shame that I was unable to complete many racing laps on a track that I love. It was pure luck that I managed to avoid the big start-line accident. We’ve had ups and downs during the season but it’s been enjoyable. I’m excited to be racing with Andy in ELMS LMP2 Pro-Am next year along with Nelson Piquet Jr.”
Andy: “Finishing sixth is a strong result to end the season on. Daniel did a super job and did well to avoid the carnage. A great pit-stop made my job pretty easy despite it being a shorter than normal stint. I’ve very much enjoyed the season despite not getting the results our pace deserved.”
Le Mans Cup Team Manager:
Charlie Kemp: What a dramatic and incident-packed way to end the season! But through all of the carnage, we managed to survive and record two top-10 placings. We’ve enjoyed some highs and endured some lows during the season but that’s motor racing. We’ve always been competitive, scored two podiums and eight top-10s but just as importantly, our drivers have enjoyed the season.