Andy Meyrick showed a return to form at the latest round of the Michelin Le Mans Cup with United Autosports teammate Daniel Schneider. After a challenging opening to the season, the pair made big gains during both races, with a standout performance during the first race of the Road to Le Mans weekend to take a top-four finish. The result is Andy’s best of the season so far and the highlight for the team during the weekend’s double-header.
Andy and Daniel were looking to hit the reset button after a difficult opening half to the season and had full focus on a strong performance during round 4, at the iconic Circuit de la Sarthe. Traffic would turn out to be a factor as more than 40 cars battled for clean air in the opening qualifying session, while cautions around the circuit also limited the potential for a clear run. Despite this, Andy qualified the #32 Ligier JS P320 in 13th for race one.
A strong start saw Daniel move up through the field before an incident brought out an early Safety Car. A strategy call by the United Autosports team saw Andy prepare to take over, running firmly in the top-10. Quick work in the pitlane catapulted Andy further up the order as the strategies played out, and he set about closing the gap to the leading group of cars as the clock ticked down. Demonstrating the pace which he had shown during qualifying, Andy muscled his way through the field, making the most of each opportunity to secure 4th place on the final lap. Indeed, a podium position looked to be on the cards for the British driver, before a late yellow flag brought his charge to an early conclusion. Andy crossed the line in 4th place to score his best result of the season so far.
Race two of the weekend would see another overtaking exhibition with further gains made through the field, underlining the pace of the #32 United Autosports entry. An action-packed race saw Andy take over for the second half which was interrupted by various yellow flag periods. Despite these restrictions, Andy once again showed his outright pace, gaining ground to bring the car home 13th.
“The car felt great all weekend, and really showed the pace we knew we had as we managed to move up the order in both races. The team did a great job with the car and were faultless in the pitstops, and Daniel made a great start in the opening race to set things up perfectly for me to battle during my stint,” explained Andy. “I was able to push all the way to the flag and managed to make the pass for 4th with just over a lap to go, but we were unlucky with the slowzone on the last lap. Overall, it was great to get the result for the team, and to get our season firmly back on course. We will be pushing to be back on that podium next time out.”
