Bell rings changes with Ligier debut
NORTHUMBERLAND’S Matt Bell is making history this weekend as he debuts a prototype race car at Donington Park.
The Newcastle native, who returns to compete under the United Autosports banner this year, joins fellow team returnee Andrew Bentley at the helm of a Ligier JS P4 in the PT4 class of the LMP3 Cup series.
The Batmobile look-alike Ligier, which was first unveiled at the 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans, has been granted eligibility to race in the UK series after negotiations between series organisers Bute Motorsport and the ACO (Automobile Club de l’Ouest).
Bell admits he’s excited to be the first to pilot the JS P4 in the UK LMP3 series, and knows no matter his result, he’ll be doing it in style.
“I’m looking forward to debuting the new sportscar in the UK LMP3 Cup Championship,” he said.
“I was impressed the first time I drove the Ligier LMP3, so it’ll be interesting to see what Onroak Automotive [manufacturer] has produced for the Ligier JS P4. It looks amazing, that’s for sure.”
United Autosports team owner and managing director Richard Dean says this weekend not only provides a chance to see where the new car stacks up in the hotly contested series, but also gives the team a chance to produce data that will eventually help its customers.
“We are looking forward to the opening round of the LMP3 Cup,” Dean said. “It will be great to finally see the Ligier JS P4 out on a UK circuit.
“We’ll be gathering more information on the car for our customers based on the UK circuits, so it will be a beneficial weekend for us.”
Yesterday’s debut came less than seven days after Bell started his 100th race with the United Autosports crew, where he and Jim McGuire took 11th place in the Michelin Le Mans Cup season opener at the Paul Ricard Circuit in France.
The following day, Bell, Tony Wells and Garett Grist were back out for the first round of the 2018 European Le Mans Series.
Despite an early battle with the front-runners, however, tyre and safety car woes meant the team had to settle for seventh.
“That was a bruising opening weekend,” Bell said. “It became very apparent the level of competition in both series had gone up significantly.
“The areas where we lacked a bit of pace really hurt us whereas last year it wouldn’t have been too much of a problem. It’s a wake-up call for us so we’ll delve into the analysis and come back stronger for Monza.”