United Autosports LMP2 podium at 2024 Twelve Hours of Sebring
Today, the #22 crew of Daniel Goldburg, Paul di Resta and Bijoy Garg secured our first podium of the 2024 WeatherTech IMSA SportsCar Championship in the 72nd Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.
The LMP2 duo started at the front of the pack, with Daniel Goldburg (#22) in P2 and Ben Keating (#2) in P3. The United Autosports USA cars were strong from the start, with Goldburg and Keating collectively leading the first 21 laps at Sebring International Raceway - where United Autosports took LMP2 class victory in the opening round of the 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship.
Over the course of 12 hours - punctuated by 12 Full Course Yellows - there were thrilling on-track battles, high-speed pit stops and a total of 93 laps (almost one third of the race) with a United car leading the way. However - as is often the case in the Sebring 12 Hours - the closing moments proved to be decisive on the infamously bumpy track.
With 20 minutes on the clock, the #2 crew dramatically fell from P3 to P10 after heavy contact during one of numerous restarts. Meanwhile, the #22 moved up to P3 with two minutes to go, crossing the line just five seconds behind the leading LMP2 car and securing our place on the #Sebring12 podium.
The next round of the WeatherTech IMSA SportsCar Championship is Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen on Sunday 23rdJune. Stay up to date with the team in the meantime on social @unitedautosports.
#2
QUALI P3 | RACE P10 | CHAMP P8
Ben Keating: “We had a good car today. The result did not show the performance of everyone on the team. We deserved better than our finish showed, but then again the race doesn’t owe you anything, ever. Today was a tough one.”
Nico Pino: “The start of the race was clean – we looked strong, we had a good gap and we were, more or less, controlling the pace. It was a very nice first six hours. With two hours to go, I was leading but I had to defend a lot. I had a moment with one of the GTs and that’s when the second and third LMP2 cars managed to get by me, but I stayed with them and brought the car back for Ben [Hanley] for the last hour and a half. At the end of the race, we had massive contact … it’s unfortunate that this is how it ended.”
Ben Hanley: “At the end, it was really messy in the restarts – people were being very aggressive, and we got hit, causing us some damage. From there, it was damage limitation … and that’s it really. The start of the race was okay and we were in a decent position leading up to the end but in Sebring, it’s all about the last couple of hours with the Safety Cars. You need track position more than anything. It’s almost a detriment if you’re in the top three and those Yellows start happening because you’re not really in a position to take a gamble, whereas other people who are back in the pack can afford to take a gamble because they have less to lose. So yeah … if you don’t have track position, it can be tricky at the end and unfortunately that’s what happened to us today.”
Daniel Goldburg, Paul di Resta and Bijoy Garg
#22
QUALI P2 | RACE P3 | CHAMP P5
Daniel Goldburg: “Third place is a great result – it feels even better after Daytona, which ended rather disastrously for us. Personally, I have felt great all week … I’ve been building with each session and I was really calm going into the race. I’m really happy with the result – this is setting the tone for the season, this is how I want us to perform. Paul [di Resta] was flying at the end … unfortunately there was only 20 minutes after the final Full Course Yellow, but we’ve got a lot of good stuff going!”
Paul di Resta: “It’s always good to be on the podium. It’s been a hard race – with ups and downs, but we were very strong at the end … just a bit out of position. Overall, I’m satisfied – off the back of Daytona, bearing in mind the lack of experience we got together in that race, we had a lot to work on in Sebring. I’m looking forward to the next race, which is quite a long time away … there is lots of work to do in the ELMS and WEC beforehand. But it’s good for the team, you can see it lifts spirits … and it’s good to be racing in Sebring again. Most importantly when you’ve had a weekend in immense heat, with effort from every single member of the team, a podium makes it a lot easier to pack up.”
Bijoy Garg: “At the start of the race, we were in a very good position. Dan got through the start without any crashes or incidents, and I was very happy when I got into the car. The restarts were quite fun – I really enjoyed the battles on track with the Golds and the Platinums. At the end of the race, things could have gone our way a little more … but third is a good result. I’m really happy.”
MANAGING DIRECTOR
Max Gregory: “Congratulations to Daniel, Paul, Bijoy and the #22 crew – it’s fantastic to see United Autosports on the Twelve Hours of Sebring podium. Unfortunately, the ending wasn’t so happy for the #2 car after contact and an unplanned trip to the pits in the final, critical laps – however, today was, once again, a demonstration of our speed, strategy and the strength of our driver line-up. We were race leaders for a significant part of the 12 hours, we have secured our first podium of the season and we have a lot to be proud of in our performance. The team have worked through incredibly testing conditions in Sebring this week, with a long race in hot conditions, so thank you to everyone. Now, we look forward to Watkins Glen - we are fully focussed on our first IMSA victory.”