Nigel Mustill is renowned for eliciting some super-fast talent to share his exotic racing machines in endurance races; Phil Bennett, Michael Vergers, Bob Berridge and John Martin have all plied their skills in the past, and more recently, former Superleague pilot Craig Dolby has put in some stirring performances in Nigel’s Wessex Racing-run Riley, a “trackday” version of the Daytona Prototype designed to run in the American Grand Am series, now the United Sportscar Series.

The Riley will make its long-awaited debut in the Endurance Racing Series at Donington on Sunday, with yet another professional driver sharing the duties, for Nigel Mustill and Craig Dolby will be joined by Jay Shepherd.

Jay is no stranger to endurance racing, competing regularly in the Fun Cup with old pals Rod Barrett and Jan Persson, and indeed it was this same trio that clinched the Britcar championship in 2008, driving a Neil Garner-run Porsche 996.

So, how did this all come about then? Jay explains; “I’ve known Nigel’s daughter Kate for years, we worked together at Palmersport, and we’ve kept in touch. I’ve been meaning to drive this car for a while now, but each time something has come up and it’s fallen through. It’s happening now though, and I’ll sit in the car for the first time on Sunday morning, and I’m really looking forward to driving a car like this again, though it will be nerve-wracking. I just want to enjoy the experience, and bring it home – I expect Craig to be faster than me.

Indeed, Craig Dolby starred in the opening hours of last weekend’s Blancpain Spa 24hrs; the Nissan GT-R he was sharing had a troubled qualifying, and started from a midfield position. Craig’s phenomenal charge through the pack to seventh place in the opening stint sadly, though went unrewarded, as a crash in foul weather later in the race caused retirement.

With fewer racing commitments these days (something he’d like to rectify), Jay has been concentrating on running a championship-winning Kart team, Team7Racing, looking after around a dozen drivers, and is also the UK importer of the Italian Haase kart.

Nigel Mustill will no doubt underpin his two hotshoes with his usual solid performance in Sunday’s three-hour enduro, keeping the Riley at the sharp end of the field.