United Autosports are pleased to confirm that Guy Smith and Duncan Tappy will join their Road to Le Mans team for the 2021 event, racing in the Ligier JS P320.
Duncan Tappy will be racing the #23 Ligier JS P320 in place of Wayne Boyd, who will race for United’s LMP2 team in the Le Mans 24 Hours this year.
Duncan is currently racing for United Autosports ELMS team but has raced at the Road to Le Mans event five times before, including last year with United Autosports. He won the second of the two races in 2018 and finished on the podium in 2016, 2017 and 2019.
Duncan Tappy: “I’m absolutely delighted to be joining the #23 car for the Road to Le Mans race. A big thank you to Richard and John for drafting me in. After a really strong start to the championship for John and Wayne, I will be pushing like crazy to keep that momentum going for them and I’d like to wish Wayne all the best in the 24-hour race. It’s a race I have had quite a lot of success at in the past, so I can’t wait to see what we can do.”
Guy Smith will be making both his Road to Le Mans debut and his LMP3 debut, he is no stranger to Le Mans, having raced there eight times before in the 24-hour race. The last time Guy raced there was in 2013, making his debut at the prestigious event in 2000. In 2003, Guy won the race as a Bentley factory driver. The following year, Guy started the race on pole position and led the majority of the 24 hours before a mechanical problem caused them to lose out on a second consecutive win by just 30 seconds.
Guy will be racing alongside Jim McGuire, who he is currently racing with in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship endurance races in the #22 Oreca 07. The pair, along with Wayne Boyd finished third at the last round at Watkins Glen at the end of June. Jim has raced in the Road to Le Mans event for the last four years.
Guy Smith: “I’m looking forward to the Road to Le Mans event. It’ll be my first time at Le Mans since 2013, so I’m going to be like a rookie again. But I’m looking forward to it. It’s always a fantastic circuit to drive and it will also be my first time in an LMP3 car. I’m excited to try it. It’ll be good to drive with Jim and hopefully we can get a good result and maybe get on the podium.”
United Autosports will also be entering the Road to Le Mans event with their full time Michelin Le Mans Cup cars, which includes Guy’s long-time friend and business partner, Andy Meyrick. Andy will be racing the #32 Ligier alongside Daniel Schneider. Championship leaders Gerry Kraut and Scott Andrews will team up in the #22 Ligier, while Duncan Tappy will be stepping in for Wayne Boyd, racing alongside John Schauerman, who is currently lying third in the LMP3 championship.
The Road to Le Mans event consists of two practice sessions, two qualifying sessions and two 55-minute races. The first race will be held on Thursday 19 August, with the second race on Saturday 21 August just before the start of the Le Mans 24 Hours.
