Murphy Prototypes will, not for the first time, be showcasing young talent at Imola this coming weekend for round two of the 2016 European Le Mans Series.
Murphy Prototypes of course was the sportscar racing starting place, back in 2013 for 2015 World Endurance Champion Brendon Hartley. 2016 Rolex 24 Hours and 12 Hours of Sebring winner Pipo Derani is another Murphy Prototypes ‘old boy’!
The team fielded a trio of LMP2 rookies at Silverstone for round one, coming through to take a top ten class finish after fighting from the back of the grid.
Silverstone drivers Damien Faulkner and Marc Goossens though will not return for round two in Italy.
22 year old Irishman Seán Doyle (above) returns at Imola after his LMP2 debut at Silverstone, the Oreca 03-R Nissan a major step up from the mainly production based machinery that Doyle had thus far campaigned.
Despite his lack of high downforce experience though his lap times proved competitive, a vote of confidence in the man selected by Nissan Ireland as one of its Next Generation sporting ambassadors.
26 year old Norfolk driver Garry Findlay made his ELMS debut at Estoril last year, debuting the LMP3 Ligier in the Series for Graff Racing and bringing the car home second in class.
Findlay has already shown potential in Formula Fords and VdeV sportscars.
21 year old Patrick McClughan hails from Newtownabbey in Northern Ireland and has Ginetta Juniors and Radical racing on his cv.
In 2015, he contested the Radical Sprint Championship and scored an impressive 12 wins and multiple fastest laps during the season’s 21 races. He also won the coveted Sunoco Challenge award last year that comprised a fully funded drive at Daytona in January, contesting the Continental Tire Sportscar Championship race in a Racers Edge Ford Boss Mustang.
Murphy Prototypes Team Owner Greg Murphy: “Our team has always been committed to showcasing young talent and giving drivers the opportunity to develop their natural ability. Garry has already demonstrated what he can do in Formula Ford and then underlined it in VdeV. Patrick is an incredibly exciting prospect: he has shown his speed in the Radical Championship and has even beaten former Murphy Prototypes drivers such as Alex Kapadia and James Littlejohn. Seán did a great job for us at Silverstone on his first time out in an LMP2 car and it’s good to have him driving for us again.
“All three of them are quick and hungry young drivers, so I’m thrilled they are with us at Imola. We are confident that racing with Murphy Prototypes will be a huge step forward in helping them reach their motorsport goals.”
