- LMP2 and LMP3 teams ready for final IMSA race of the 2021 season
- McGuire, Boyd and Smith team up for third time this year in #22 Oreca 07
- Kruetten, Meyrick and Gamble to race #2 Ligier JS P320 LMP3 car
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United Autosports are preparing for their next race this weekend – the Motul Petit Le Mans, the final round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
The team are heading back to America to race in both the LMP2 and LMP3 classes with the #22 Oreca 07 for Jim McGuire, Wayne Boyd and Guy Smith and the #2 Ligier JS P320 for Niklas Kruetten, Andy Meyrick and Tom Gamble.
Jim, Wayne and Guy will be entering their third race of the 2021 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship at Road Atlanta this weekend after previously racing at the Sebring 12 Hours and the Six Hours of Watkins Glen, where they finished third. They will be aiming to finish the year on a high in Atlanta.
Niklas Kruetten first joined the team at Watkins Glen but will have new teammates for Petit Le Mans, racing alongside United Autosports drivers Andy Meyrick and Tom Gamble. The trio are aiming to hit the ground running for their first race together and will have their sights firmly fixed on the top step of the podium.
The Motul Petit Le Mans 10-hour race will get underway on Saturday 13 November at 12:10 local time.
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Jim McGuire:
“I can’t believe we will be racing at Petit Le Mans this weekend. And what an amazing effort and achievement from United Autosports to turn up after three weekends in a row already, Portimao, Bahrain, Bahrain and then Petit Le Mans all back to back. It speaks volumes to the capability of the team. I’m really excited to be there, we’ve had a great run this year in IMSA. We’ve used it as an add on series for us, so we’ve been a bit on the back foot with no testing but we are still charging hard and hoping for a good result. It’ll be great to be back with Wayne and Guy and see everybody. I can’t wait.”
Wayne Boyd:
“I’m really excited for Petit Le Mans and to get back into the LMP2 car for the first time since Le Mans. I’ve raced at Road Atlanta once before. It’s such a good track, one of my favourites. We were on the podium last time at Watkins Glen, so we’ll be pushing to be up there again and on the top step this time.”
Guy Smith:
“Petit Le Mans is one of the classic endurance races in America, alongside Sebring and Daytona. It’s always such an exciting race and at one of the best circuits in North America so I’m looking forward to being back there. It’s a long time since I’ve raced there but it’s a circuit that’s always been kind to me and I’ve had some good successes there. Never managed to quite win it but I’ve been on the podium four or five times and come second a few times, so I’ve been close. It’ll be great to try and get back on the podium again with Jim and Wayne. So far this year we’ve done well at Sebring and Watkins Glen, so we are looking to continue that. It’s always difficult coming into a championship after being out the car for so long, but I did the Road to Le Mans race with United and Jim which has helped. Road Atlanta is great when it goes from daytime racing to nighttime so I can’t wait to be back.”
Niklas Kruetten:
“I can’t wait to be back with United Autosports in America and to be teaming up with Tom and Andy. Petit Le Mans is one of the biggest races in America and I think we can achieve a great result for us and the team.”
Andy Meyrick:
“I can’t wait to race at Petit Le Mans again. I think we’ve got an excellent line up and fantastic team. I really want to thank Zak and Richard for the opportunity. I love racing in America and to return after so long away is great. I’ve got two excellent teammates so I can’t wait to get going.”
Tom Gamble:
“I’ve never raced in America before so I’m excited that Petit Le Mans is my first race in IMSA. We’ve got a strong line-up and I’m confident we can challenge for the win. It’ll be great to work with Andy given his experience in America and his role as BRDC SuperStars Director. Niklas has had a great season in the ELMS too so we should be strong out there. There’s not a great deal of practice time so I’ll have to get up to speed quickly to learn the track, but the circuit looks awesome. Can’t thank United Autosports enough for the opportunity.”
Zak Brown:
“The final IMSA race of the year for United is one of the great classic races out in America. I’m hoping both our LMP2 and LMP3 crews can bring home some silverware.”
Richard Dean:
“It feels like it has been a long year and it’s not even over yet. But what a race to be at – Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta. A fantastic circuit and great event. I’m really looking forward to it. Jim, Guy and Wayne were on the podium last time we entered an IMSA race so hopefully we can have a repeat of that. Our LMP3 line up is strong with Niklas, Tom and Andy so again, we should have a good race. The team have done well over this last four weeks racing back-to-back across three different championships on three different continents so I’m hoping we can get some good results for them.”