Nielsen Racing at Silverstone
The opening three rounds of the European Le Mans Series have seen plenty of pace from Nielsen Racing. Heading to Silverstone, the British-based squad are seeking their first podium of the season to build on what has been an impressive performance to date.
Fifth in the standings with the #7 Norma LMP3 of Tony Wells and Colin Noble secured fourth position last time out at Circuit de Catalunya, their best result of the season to date.
Both drivers have fond memories from last year’s event at Silverstone where Colin chased Tony to the chequered flag to take the runner-up position. Reacquainted once again for 2019, the pairing will be pushing for their first ELMS victory.
The sister #8 Ligier sees the return of Nobu Yamanaka who is balancing both his business interests in Japan with his ELMS programme. James Littlejohn resumes his coaching and driving role alongside Nobu, seeking another clear run and valuable race mileage from Nobo as he continues his development in the series.
Twinned with the FIA World Endurance Championship this weekend, the 4 Hours of Silverstone takes place on Saturday at 14.30 local time.
Roger Bennett, Nielsen Racing ELMS Team Manager
“The Nielsen Racing Team are really looking forward to our home ELMS race on the newly resurfaced Silverstone circuit. We had a successful run in last year’s race, Colin chasing down and finishing second, just a few seconds behind the winning car which was driven by Tony.
“The whole field is becoming more and more competitive so we need to focus on maximising everything to get the best result we can. Small details are making the difference now, with the top four cars at the last round covered by just 30 seconds at the end of the four-hour race.
“This will be another new circuit for Nobuya, but he has been learning the circuit on a simulator in Japan, so that will shortcut his learning during the event. James has lots of experience at Silverstone is all sorts of cars, which will be a big help to Nobu. A trouble-free run will hopefully see them progressing further towards the front of the field.
“Tony and Colin were both on the rostrum here last year, and it’s a mark of where they and the team are, that if they have a trouble-free run, they should finish somewhere near the front of the field. The Norma chassis in their hands has shown lots of promise but we have been a little unlucky at every round so far. Let’s hope we can all deliver as a team.”