United Autosports are preparing for round two of both the European Le Mans Series and the Michelin Le Mans Cup in Monza, Italy this weekend (11-13 May).
All three teams are hoping to build on what they learnt at the opening round at Paul Ricard last month.
Over in the Michelin Le Mans Cup team, Jim McGuire and Matt Bell are hoping to continue their strong form from Paul Ricard in the #22 Ligier JS P3. The pair were named as ‘Spirit of the Race’ winners by the championship organisers following the opening round. Richard Meins and Christian England are also hoping to build on their performance too, after a slow puncture during Christian’s race stint hampered their promising progress. Naj Husain will be joined by full season team mate Colin Braun for the first time at Monza, after making a great start to his Le Mans Cup campaign, qualifying 15th in his maiden outing.
Jim McGuire (US), driver car #22, United Autosports:
Born: New York, USA. Lives: San Francisco, USA. Age: 57
“I’m really excited to get back to Monza! It’s one of the most iconic circuits in the world and it will be awesome to be there again with United Autosports and Matt Bell. The Michelin Le Mans Cup is super competitive this year and we will definitely have to put it all together to fight towards the front in our beautiful AERO painted Ligier.”
Matt Bell (GB), driver car #22, United Autosports:
Born: Newcastle, UK. Lives: Stamford, UK. Age: 28
“Paul Ricard was a tough weekend for track time due to the changeable weather conditions, hopefully we can have some more consistent weather in Monza and get some meaningful testing done before the race. I had a great battle for the majority my stint during the race but just missed out on a top 10 as a result despite really good pace, so we’ll be looking to leave Monza with some points, I’m aiming for a top-six finish!”
Richard Meins (GB), driver car #23, United Autosports:
Born: London, UK. Lives: Surrey, UK. Age: 63
“Springtime in Monza. It's got to be one of the best things about motor racing. This is a track I have got to know and love over the past few years and it's great to be going back there with the Ligier LMP3 car which will be in its element on this superfast track. Last time out at Paul Ricard, I was really pleased with my pace and Christian and I were unlucky not to make the top ten, so we will be doing our best to be at the forefront of the United attack on this race. This is a brilliant prelude to the next race, the big one at Le Mans and racing at Monza is yet another of the privileges that comes with being part of United's Michelin Le Mans Cup squad.”
Christian England (GB), driver #23, United Autosports:
Born: Barnsley, UK. Lives: Huddersfield, UK. Age: 36
“I can’t wait to get back in the car at Monza for the next round of the Michelin Le Mans Cup. It’s hard to pick a favourite out of the circuits we visit during the year but Monza has to be right up there. We had some incredible pace in last year’s ELMS race so I’m hopeful we can follow that through into this year. A slow puncture hampered my race stint at Ricard last time out after Richard drove an incredible first stint with fantastic pace so we are looking forward to pushing hard for a good result this time out.”
Naj Husain (US), driver car #32, United Autosports:
Born: New Jersey. Lives: Virginia. Age: 55
“I am excited to drive at Monza with Colin, a track I have always wanted to race on. The first race in Paul Ricard was exciting and I learned a lot about the series, competition and the team. Colin and I had a great test in Portimao with United and we will work hard to improve race by race. I believe the Ligier will be fast at Monza and I am super exited to learn a new track.”
Colin Braun (USA), driver car #32, United Autosports:
Born: Texas, USA. Lives: North Carolina, USA Age: 29
“I am very excited to kick off in Monza with Naj and United! I think Naj and I had a great test in Portimao earlier in the year and we were both very impressed with the team and engineering staff. It was tough to miss the first race of the year in Paul Ricard with my conflict in Long Beach, but it sounded like Naj did a terrific job in his first event. With all that being said I feel like we have a lot to build on going into Monza. I think the Ligier car will be strong as well with all the quick corners that reward the downforce it seems to make. I am looking forward to adding an iconic track to my experience!"
Zak Brown, Team Owner and Chairman, United Autosports:
“I’m looking forward to seeing how we got on in Monza. We had a tricky start to the year but our team will keep working hard to get the results we know we can.”
Richard Dean, Team Owner and Managing Director, United Autosports:
“We had a difficult start to the 2018 ELMS season, and the level of competition has gone up dramatically. We are more focussed than ever on the championship battles in both LMP2 and LMP3. Our Michelin Le Mans Cup team performed really well at Paul Ricard. I have high hopes for all three driver lines ups in 2018.”
