- Six race wins, 18 podiums, two lap records and six fastest laps
- Leaders of the GT Cup standings with the McLaren MP4-12C GT3
- Current leaders of the Ginetta GT4 Supercup Series
- British GT Audi R8 LMS ultra shows plenty of pace but suffers bad luck
- United Autosports halfway through maiden BTCC season
United Autosports have reached the halfway stage in their various 2014 campaigns.
We lead the Ginetta GT4 Supercup team’s championship, after two stunning wins for Carl Breeze at Croft and a win for Luke Davenport at the first round at Brands Hatch. Added to that, the team have notched up a further five podiums, three fastest laps and two lap records. The next Ginetta GT4 Supercup round is at Snetterton on 2-3 August.
The team are also leading the GT Cup championship with Jim Geddie behind the wheel of a McLaren MP4-12C GT3. Jim started the year with three second-place finishes at Donington Park, following that up with three more second places at Brands Hatch. The first three wins came at Silverstone during the third round of the championship meaning the team now lead the series by 26 points over nearest rival Iain Dockerill. The next GT Cup round is at Snetterton on 19-20 July.
The Audi R8 LMS ultra has been ultra-competitive in the British GT season after finishing the 2013 season on top form. A fourth-place finish in race one at Oulton Park set us up for a good start but Mark Patterson was hit from behind while leading the second race of the weekend, causing a retirement for the Audi. A DNF at Rockingham after contact with a GT4 Aston Martin, and a second DNF at Silverstone, after Mark was driven into by the car following him into the pits, put us out of championship contention. On both occasions we had been aiming for a top-three result, which was within reach due to our fast pace and consistency. The next British GT round is at Spa on 10-12 July.
Our debut year in the British Touring Car Championship was always going to be a challenge with new cars and new drivers, but the team have suffered a run of bad luck since the opening rounds at Brands Hatch. The team’s best result came at Oulton Park, where Glynn Geddie scored a 12th place finish and James Cole set the fastest lap of the race. The Toyotas performance during practice shows the pace the cars have, meaning the team are now looking at working on their qualifying pace in the lead up to the next round at Snetterton on 2-3 August.
The historic side of the team are still keeping busy having visited Le Mans, Mille Miglia, Tour Auto, the Monaco Historic Grand Prix and Goodwood. We are now looking forward to the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion in August.
Richard Dean, Team Owner and Managing Director, United Autosports:
“We have had a great year so far, with the highs of the GT Cup and Ginetta wins but tempered with the lows of the bad luck the British GT and BTCC teams have been having. It’s frustrating with the Audi as we know we have the pace, probably the best pace we have ever had. The BTCC campaign needs some work but once we iron out the issues we are having, I am sure we will be up at the right end of the grid. The Ginetta programme is fantastic. Now Carl and Luke have got their heads round the cars we are regularly in the top five, and it is a testament to them that we are now leading the team championship. Our aim for the second half of the year is to get both Carl and Luke further up the drivers’ championship standings and to keep challenging for the wins. I’m thrilled we are leading the GT Cup championship too. It’s a great series and Jim is enjoying himself, which is the main thing for us. Hopefully we can continue our good form throughout the rest of the year.”