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United Autosports is a sports car racing team,[2][3] founded by American businessman and entrepreneur Zak Brown[4] and former British racing driver Richard Dean.[5]
The United Autosports Ligier JSP217 co-driven by William Owen, Hugo de Sadeleer and Filipe Albuquerque. The car went on to finish the race in fifth place overall, fourth in LMP2.
Paul Di Resta (second left), Phil Hanson and Filipe Albuquerque won the 2020 Spa 6 Hours WEC race in August
United Autosports also prepares and races a range of historic race cars in events across the world, such as the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion[12] and the Le Mans[13] and Silverstone[14] Classics.
United Autosports scored its third consecutive WEC LMP2 victory at Spa in August 2020
In 2021, United Autosports contested more races than ever before - 43 over 41 race weekends - resulting in the most top-three podium race finishes the team had ever achieved in a single year, totalling 36 including 12 victories.
The team competed in the GT4 Euro Series for the first time, winning the Silver Teams' title. Bailey Voisin and Charlie Fagg claimed the Silver Driver's Award with Gus Bowers and Dean Macdonald taking fifth place.[34]
Extreme E was another new programme in 2021, which the team entered in partnership with Andretti as Andretti United Extreme E. Catie Munnings and Timmy Hansen were the driver duo in the inaugural year of this radical, eco-conscious championship. They won the 2021 Arctic X-Prix, finished fourth in the Teams' Championship standings overall, while Munnings and Hansen claimed third in the Driver's Championship.[39]
2020
Victory at CoTA in February[40] earned United an early lead in the WEC LMP2 Championship but racing was then suspended due to the Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19 pandemic), the series resuming only in August at Spa, where Hanson, Albuquerque and di Resta emerged victorious once again. The trio followed this with a class victory in the delayed Le Mans 24 Hours in September[41] to clinch the LMP2 Championship with a race to spare.[42] United Autosports began its quest for ELMS title success by winning the LMP2 and LMP3 categories in the opening two races at Paul Ricard[43] and Spa.[44] A return to Paul Ricard for Round 3, the "Le Castellet 240", at the end of August saw a third consecutive victory in LMP2 for United, extending the team's lead.[45] Phill Hanson and Filipe Albuquerque won the European Le Mans Series Championship at Monza clinching the title after winning the race. They became the first drivers to win the WEC, Le Mans 24H and ELMS championships in a single season [46] and United became the first team to win the FIA World Endurance Championship (LMP2), European Le Mans Series and the Le Mans 24 Hours (LMP2) all in the same year. United Autosports ultimately also secured the ELMS LMP3 Championship for a third time: Wayne Boyd, Tom Gamble and Rob Wheldon won the final four-hour race at Portimão to clinch United's third Team's title in the past five years. The trio achieved three wins, a third place and four poles.[47]
In July 2020 United announced its entry into the Extreme E series with Andretti Autosport, creating a brand new team - Andretti United Extreme E.[48] The British team will partner with US-based Andretti Autosport for an inaugural season of electric, off-road SUV racing in 2021 with Briton Catie Munnings and Timmy Hansen, from Sweden, racing for the team. United Autosports will enter the GT4 European Series in 2021 with a brace of McLaren 570S GT4 cars.
In September 2020, it was announced that the team purchased all of the defunct Strakka Racing team's assets, which included all of their race team equipment, race cars, trucks and their race team premises close to Silverstone circuit, for an undisclosed sum.[49]
2019
United was placed fourth in both LMP2[50] and LMP3[51] in the European Le Mans Series Teams Championship, but 2019 marked an important milestone as the team made its full FIA World Endurance Championship entry, with an Oreca 07, for Phil Hanson, Filipe Albuquerque and Paul Di Resta.[52] Podium finishes in Japan and China then a maiden WEC LMP2 class victory in Bahrain[53] saw United close out the year second in the standings with the series continuing into 2020 with three more races, culminating at Le Mans for the 24 Hours in September.
The team signed Formula 1 legend and two-time world champion Fernando Alonso,[56] 2018 McLaren F1 test and reserve driver Lando Norris[57] and ex-F1 and former DTM champion Paul di Resta[58] for the 2018 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. The latter, along with Hugo De Sadeleer, Will Owen and Bruno Senna, finished fourth overall.[59]
Hugo de Sadeleer, Will Owen and Juan Pablo Montoya[60] achieved a third-place finish at Le Mans in their Ligier JS P217[61] while in the ELMS, United recorded fourth (LMP2)[62] and third (LMP3)[63] in the final Team's standings. The Anglo-American team made its début in the 2018-19 Asian Le Mans Series, winning the title outright with LMP2 runners Phil Hanson and Paul Di Resta and claiming second in LMP3.[64]
2017
United Autosports made the team's first appearance in LMP2 by entering a Ligier JS P217 in the 2017 European Le Mans Series.[65] Filipe Albuquerque, Will Owen and Hugo de Sadeleer scored two race wins[66] - three podiums in total - to finish runners-up in the championship standings.[67] In June, the trio also combined to make United Autosport's Le Mans 24 Hours début, finishing fourth in the LMP2 class (fifth overall).[68] The team also returned with their two Ligier JS P3 sports prototypes and successfully defended its LMP3 ELMS title, courtesy of John Falb and Sean Rayhall (USA).[69][70]
The UK-based team also entered a brace of Ligier LMP3 cars in the Michelin Le Mans Cup, while in support of its Ligier UK business,[71] United Autosports also helped to launch and then raced in the Henderson Insurance LMP3 Cup Championship.[72] American drivers C. J. Wilson and Andrew Evans, along with Tony Wells and United regular, Matt Bell raced the team's Ligier JS P3 sports prototypes.
2016
United Autosports made the team's début in the European Le Mans Series at Silverstone in April with a pair of Ligier JS P3 sports cars and drivers Alex Brundle, Mike Guasch,[73] Christian England, Mark Patterson, Wayne Boyd[74] and Matt Bell. The team won the first three races and scored eight podiums throughout the year, winning both the team and driver championships with one round remaining.[75] The team also entered the inaugural Road to Le Mans race - one of the support races to the Le Mans 24 Hours - with former F1 driver Martin Brundle pairing up with Christian England.[76] Brundle took pole position.[77] American duo Guy Cosmo and Mike Hedlund were behind the wheel of the second Ligier,[78] with Guy Cosmo scoring the fastest lap of the race and setting the LMP3 lap record round the Circuit de la Sarthe.
2015
The team returned to the GT Cup Championship in 2015 with the Audi R8 LMS ultra and driver Phil Burgan.[79] They also put plans in place to move into prototype racing with two LMP3 cars in the European Le Mans Series.[80]
2014
The new season saw United Autosports branching out into new territory, and contesting the British Touring Car Championship with a pair of Toyota Avensis Touring Cars and drivers James Cole and Glynn Geddie.[81] The team also entered the 2014 Ginetta GT4 Supercup support race with Luke Davenport and Carl Breeze,[82][83] winning the Team title at the end of the year.[84]
United Autosports contested the GT Cup Championship in 2014[85] and won the overall and GTO Championship with Jim Geddie in his McLaren MP4-12C GT3.[86] They also continued with their Audi R8 LMS ultra in the British GT Championship.[87]
2013
In 2013, United Autosports once again entered the British GT Championship with two McLaren MP4-12C GT3 cars and their one remaining Audi R8 LMS ultra.[88] Matt Bell and Mark Patterson came second in the championship after scoring three podiums and a win at the final round at Donington Park.[89] They missed out on the title in their Audi by only half a point. However, this was the season when the team won its first championship title, with Jim and Glynn Geddie in their McLaren MP4-12C GT3 as they stormed to victory in the European Supercar Challenge.[90]
2012
In January the team made its début in the Dubai 24 Hours (2012 Results) with two Audi R8 LMS cars.[91] The team also became one of the first customers for the McLaren MP4-12C GT3 and raced two examples in the Blancpain Endurance Series for drivers Zak Brown, Mark Blundell, Mark Patterson, Álvaro Parente, Matt Bell and David Brabham. Although still racing the Audi R8 LMS in the 2012 British GT Championship, they switched to McLarens for the final few rounds of the UK national series. United Autosports gave the McLaren MP4-12C GT3 the model's first win at Snetterton in the British GT Championship with Matt Bell and Charles Bateman behind the wheel.[92] Further British GT Championship wins came for Bell and Bateman at Silverstone and also at Donington Park for Zak Brown and Álvaro Parente.[93]
2011
United Autosports secured the 2020 ELMS LMP3 Championship with drivers Wayne Boyd, Tom Gamble and Rob Wheldon
They also contested the FIA GT3 European Championship with Matt Bell, Zak Brown, Joe Osborne and Mark Patterson.[96] That year they also entered 2011 Petit Le Mans, with drivers Mark Patterson, Stefan Johansson and Zak Brown.[97]
2010
United Autosports secured the LMP2 class win in the Le Mans 24 Hours, delayed from June until September 2020, and thereby also took the WEC LMP2 title