- LMP2 and LMP3 teams aiming for top-three championship positions
- Le Mans Cup team hoping for more podiums to end the season on a high
- Both Le Mans Cup and ELMS races held on Sunday in Portimao
Start Of The 4 Hours Of Portim...
United Autosports will make their way to Portimao, Portugal for the final rounds of the 2021 European Le Mans Series and Michelin Le Mans Cup this weekend (22-24 October).
The LMP2 team had a tough weekend at Spa after contact at the first corner for the #22 dropped them a lap back and an accident in qualifying for the #32 meant the team had to fully rebuild a new car overnight to enable them to race. Phil Hanson, Tom Gamble and Jonathan Aberdein drove a brilliant recovery drive in the #22 Oreca 07, showing their pace that could have won them the race, unlapping themselves and ultimately finishing eighth. The trio can still finish second in the ELMS Championship. Job van Uitert, Manuel Maldonado and Nico Jamin started the last race from the back of the LMP2 grid and quickly made their way to the front of the pack to lead the race in the rebuilt #32. They ultimately finished in fifth place after a solid effort from the whole team.
The LMP3 team are aiming to bring home third in the LMP3 championship battle this weekend as Wayne Boyd, Edouard Cauhaupe and Rob Wheldon are searching for the win that has been eluding them all year in the #2 Ligier JS P320. Jim McGuire, Duncan Tappy and Andrew Bentley in the #3 AERO Ligier are also hoping for a good result to finish the ELMS season on a high.
The United Autosports Michelin Le Mans Cup team has had its best year to date this season, with the #22 Ligier of Gerry Kraut and Scott Andrews winning the third round at Monza and finishing second at Barcelona at the start of the year. John Schauerman and Wayne Boyd in the #23 have also had a great year, finishing second at Barcelona and third at Paul Ricard. The two crews now lie fourth and fifth in the championship standings. Daniel Schneider and Andy Meyrick have had a less fortunate year in the #32 Ligier, scoring two DNF’s and missing one round due to illness for Daniel. They will be aiming to end the year on a high after narrowly missing out on a podium at the Road to Le Mans event in August.
This weekend, both the Michelin Le Mans Cup and European Le Mans Series races will take place on Sunday 24 October, with the Le Mans Cup race beginning at 09:25 and the ELMS race starting at 13:00 local time. Both races and their qualifying sessions will be available to stream live on both the Le Mans Cup and ELMS websites, Facebook pages and on YouTube.
Phil Hanson:
“We are going into Portugal off the back of what was a very disappointing weekend in Spa. Having not stood on the top step of the podium this ELMS season, Portimao is our final chance to get the result we deserve.”
Tom Gamble:
“I can’t believe it’s already time for the final round of the 2021 European Le Mans Series. We’ve had a tough year so far so I’m really hoping to finish the season on a high. We’ve had the car underneath us to do the job all year but just haven’t had things go our way yet so I’m hoping myself, Jonathan and Phil can pay the team back for their hard work this year with a win. Let’s do this."
Jonathan Aberdein:
“It’s time for the final round of the year in Portimao. Vice champion is still on the table so we will be looking to secure that with a strong result.”
Job van Uitert:
“Portimao is always an exciting track, I’m looking forward to racing there again after scoring pole position there last year. We’ve got nothing to lose, so we will go all out for the win.”
Manuel Maldonado:
“I’m looking forward to ending the season with a good result as it’s been a really difficult season for me, but regardless a lot has been learnt.”
Nico Jamin:
“I am very excited for the last round in Portimao. It is a track where I have very good memories from the past and I always enjoy racing there. This season has been a very difficult one for our car, but we are eager to finish 2021 on a high.”
Wayne Boyd:
“The only thing on our minds for Portimao is to win. Our car and line up have been so fast all year, but lady luck just hasn’t been there at times. We’ve always been strong here the last few seasons so let’s finish the year on the top step. Big thanks for everyone’s hard work this year.”
Edouard Cauhaupe:
“I can’t wait to be at Portimao for the last race of the season. We’ve been waiting for a victory since the beginning of the season, and we want to finish the year on the highest step of the podium. We will do all our best to achieve this objective.”
Rob Wheldon:
“I’ve got to say it's been a hard year this year and the defence of our European title definitely hasn't gone to plan through no fault of the team, just plain bad luck. As with all the races this year, I think we should be challenging for a minimum of a podium and who knows, if lady luck comes to join us for the last round at Portimao a win might not be out of reach. We certainly want to sign off 2021 with a result that reflects all the hard work and efforts of the team.”
Jim McGuire:
“I really can’t believe it’s the last race of the season, it’s absolutely flown by. It’s been a tough season for Andrew, Duncan, and I. We’ve just not been able to catch a break. Hopefully we can repeat how we ended last year at Portimao with a fourth place finish. It’s been another fantastic year with everyone at United Autosports and can’t wait to continue the journey with them.”
Duncan Tappy:
“I’m excited to head back to Portimao. Last year we had our best result of the year so I’m hoping we can repeat that and finish the season on a high with Jim and Andrew.”
Andrew Bentley:
“Coming off the back off our best result this year in the ELMS and finishing the year off at the track where we had our highest placed finish last year, we are all hoping we can keep that momentum and improve even more."
Gerry Kraut:
“For me, the past year has been a wonderful experience with of course, the highs and lows of a typical race season. It’s hard to believe it’s coming to an end.”
Scott Andrews:
“I can’t believe it’s already the last race of the season. Portimao is a great circuit and Portugal is a lovely part of the world so I’m really looking forward to it.”
John Schauerman:
“I am super excited for the final 2021 Le Mans Cup race at Portimao. This is a great track that is physically demanding on the driver and the car. We have had an excellent season and will be looking for a podium at this final event. We still have a chance at the championship, although a lot of things need to go right for that to happen. Hats off to my co-driver Wayne Boyd who has been fast, consistent, and a great coach all year. Also special thanks to my engineer and all of the team for providing such a well set-up car for us to compete with.”
Wayne Boyd:
“I think John and I have had a fantastic season. We’ve had strong, consistent results including two podiums leaving us fifth in the championship coming into the final round. John has driven so so well this year and the team have always given us a mega car. Our aim is to finish the season on a high, we’ll pushing for the win at Portimao.”
Daniel Schneider:
“It wasn’t exactly the championship I was aiming for, but we had some good results throughout the season. Knowing that we have the pace is really helpful, but we have to work on the consistency for the next season. The idea is to put it all together in Portimao to finish on a high.”
Andy Meyrick:
“I’m excited for the race but disappointed that it’s going to be the final race of the year. It feels like the Michelin Le Mans Cup season has gone by so fast, so we’ll be fully focused on trying to get a strong result to end the season on a high. It’s been a tricky season for us in some ways, but we’ve also been able to show a lot of pace and performance that unfortunately we’ve not been able to convert into as many good results as we would have hoped to. I want to change that at Portimao and finish strongly with a smile on my face.”
Zak Brown:
“The final round of the European season is upon us and I’m excited to see what the team can do. It’s been a difficult year, but it was never going to be as perfect as last year, but we have a strong team and finishing the season well is the aim.”
Richard Dean:
“I can’t believe another year in the ELMS is almost done and we are ending our sixth season in the championship. We have had an up and down year across both our LMP2 and LMP3 teams. Our LMP2 team has been on the podium multiple times but after the stunning year we had in 2020, it’s obviously a bit on the disappointing side. We are hoping to end the year on a high though and come home with some great results heading into the Winter break.”