FIRST WIN OF 2018 FOR BELL, WELLS & GRIST IN TOPSY-TURVY 4 HOURS OF SILVERSTONE

United’s three other cars meanwhile, suffered poor luck, despite all of them being in contention for podium spots in their respective classes throughout the race.
 
LMP2
LMP2 was a struggle for the United Autosports team. The #32 Ligier JS P217 of Hugo de Sadeleer, Will Owen and Wayne Boyd eventually finished the race 10^th overall, despite climbing as high as fourth during the first half of the race.
 
The car struggled for grip throughout the final two hours, after de Sadeleer and Boyd pushed hard early in the race to keep the car on the lead lap and in with a chance of a podium. Bad luck struck the team in the final hour though, after Owen’s stint which ended with him handing over to de Sadeleer for the run to the flag in 10^th. 
 
The Swiss was hit by a slower LMP3 class car through traffic and as a result picked up a puncture with 24 minutes left in the race, costing the team further time and forcing the #32 to come in for an unscheduled stop after almost a full lap with the puncture.
 
Filipe Albuquerque and Phil Hanson in the #22 meanwhile, were unable to finish. Hanson was forced to take evasive action at the start, dropping him to the back of the LMP2 pack after starting 12^th. The Briton made moves during the opening hour to climb back into the top 10, before being forced to retire the car halfway through the second hour, after a clump of rubber flew into the cockpit and set off the fire extinguisher, stopping the engine.
 
LMP3
In LMP3 the team had bad luck for the 2017 title-winning duo of Sean Rayhall and John Falb in the #2.  The reigning champions lost out on their chance of winning through no fault of their own in the final portion of the race, whilst the sister #3 Ligier JS P3 went on to win the class.
 
For much of the second half of the race, United’s pair of Ligier JS P3s ran in formation, 1-2 at the head of the class. The race to that point though, couldn’t have been more different for the two cars and their driving crews.
 
Bell, Grist and Wells controlled the race early in Bell’s stint after the halfway mark. The crew started fourth, and moved up to second after a Grist’s strong first stint. Then, Bell climbed in during hour three and made a daring pass on the leading car into the complex to take the lead. From there, Bell built a comfortable lead for Wells to defend until the end.
 
Over the other side of the garage, the #2 had to stage a comeback drive to make it a 1-2. Rayhall had an off in avoidance of an incident at Turn 1 at the start, dropping him to dead last. But he didn’t give up in pursuit of his first win of 2018 and slalomed through the field all the way to second before handing over to John Falb for the second half of the race.
 
With just the sister car to catch, Falb slowly reeled in Wells, before the final stop, which would have leap-frogged the team to the lead. But the car didn’t start, the duo losing two minutes as a result. Eventually, Falb crossed the line seventh.