PHIL HANSON TO RETURN TO IMSA WEATHERTECH SPORTSCAR CHAMPIONSHIP PADDOCK WITH UNITED AUTOSPORTS
United Autosports are pleased to confirm that Phil Hanson will join their IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship team for the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup races in 2022.
Phil will return to the IMSA paddock for the first time since 2018, when he raced at Daytona, Sebring and Watkins Glen. The 2018 Rolex 24 At Daytona marked Phil’s first race with United Autosports, as he raced alongside Fernando Alonso and Lando Norris in a Ligier JS P217. Since then, Phil has gone on to become a multiple race and championship winning LMP2 driver, winning across the globe in the FIA World Endurance Championship, the European Le Mans Series, the Asian Le Mans Series and the Le Mans 24 Hours.
Phil will be racing alongside Jim McGuire and Guy Smith in the #22 Oreca 07, with their fourth co-driver for Daytona to be announced later this week.
The opening round of the 2022 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is the Rolex 24 At Daytona, held at Daytona International Speedway on 29-30 January, with the ROAR before the 24 held the weekend before on 22-23 January. The series will then visit the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring in March, followed by the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen at Watkins Glen in June, finishing with the Motul Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta in October.
Phil Hanson
“I’m super excited to be returning to Daytona. It’s three years since I last raced there, and I very much have unfinished business with that race. Although we won’t be competing for the outright win, I’m still very excited to be able to race in January and to start the season off with the biggest race in US sportscars. I’m also excited to be returning to Sebring and Watkins Glen. They are two tracks I love racing at, and I haven’t been to for a few years, so it will be good to get back there. Petit Le Mans has been on my bucket list for a while now as well so it will be nice to finally tick it off the list. I’m looking forward to racing with Jim and Guy too. They have had a good year with United this year and I’m hopeful that next year we will be getting some solid results.”
Zak Brown
“I’m super excited to be returning to Daytona. It’s three years since I last raced there, and I very much have unfinished business with that race. Although we won’t be competing for the outright win, I’m still very excited to be able to race in January and to start the season off with the biggest race in US sportscars. I’m also excited to be returning to Sebring and Watkins Glen. They are two tracks I love racing at, and I haven’t been to for a few years, so it will be good to get back there. Petit Le Mans has been on my bucket list for a while now as well so it will be nice to finally tick it off the list. I’m looking forward to racing with Jim and Guy too. They have had a good year with United this year and I’m hopeful that next year we will be getting some solid results.”
Richard Dean
“I’m delighted that Phil will be joining our IMSA team for the endurance races next year. It has been a few years since he raced in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship but since then he has become a multiple championship winning driver and it had been fantastic to see him grow into the professional driver he is today. I’m sure that alongside Jim and Guy they will get some good results throughout the season.”
Source. United Autosports