United Autosports are preparing for their first race of 2022 as they head to America for the opening round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – the Rolex 24 At Daytona.
Jim McGuire, Phil Hanson, Guy Smith and Will Owen will join forces behind the wheel of the #22 Oreca 07 for the ROAR before the 24, held the weekend before the 24-hour race.
Jim and Guy, alongside Wayne Boyd, competed in three of the endurance rounds in 2021, the Sebring 12 Hours, the Six Hours of the Glen and Petit Le Mans.
United Autosports will return to Daytona for the first time since 2018, where they ran two Ligier JS P217’s, with Fernando Alonso headlining the #23 car. Joining Fernando was Lando Norris and Phil Hanson, with Paul Di Resta, Bruno Senna, Hugo de Sadeleer and Will Owen in the #32 Ligier. The #32 crew ultimately finished fourth after 24 hours.
This year’s 60th running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona begins with the ROAR before the 24, held on 22-23 January, with the Rolex 24 getting underway at 13:40 on Saturday 29 January.
The ROAR qualifying race, the Rolex 24 qualifying sessions and the full Rolex 24 At Daytona race will be available to watch live on IMSA.com in the UK.
Jim McGuire
“I can’t wait to get to Daytona in an LMP2 car with United Autosports. This will be my first Rolex 24 and to be able to run alongside accomplished drivers like Guy Smith, Phil Hanson and Will Owen is great. I think we have a really strong line up and I’m really looking forward to being competitive in this exceptional race, one of the biggest in the world.”
Phil Hanson
“I’m very excited to be going back to Daytona after four years. It’s great to be able to go racing in January and to kick my season off with a 24-hour race at such an iconic venue. I’m pleased to be racing with Jim, Guy and Will as well to kick start my 2022 IMSA programme.”
Will Owen
“I am so excited to get back with the team for Daytona. Getting back up to speed after being out of an LMP2 car for more than a year is going to be my initial aim, but I’m not overly concerned – I’m sure it will be like riding a bike. Daytona is always difficult since you are going for 24 hours on the first race of the year. We have all grown a lot since 2018 where we finished fourth and I know I can personally do a better job than I did back then. Best of all, our driver line up is great and I can’t wait to get to work with them all.”
Guy Smith
“I’m looking forward to returning to Daytona after many years away. It’s such a great event and a fantastic way to start the season. Having finished as a runner up in the past I’m excited to take on the challenge with United Autosports and my teammates to try and take a class victory. The Daytona 24 Hours is one of the biggest sports car races of the season so it’s exciting to take on the challenge and see how we stack up against some fantastic competition.”
Zak Brown
“The Rolex 24 is an awesome event and I’ve been so keen for United to return ever since our 2018 entry. I can’t wait to get out there and support the team.”
Richard Dean
“We are starting the year off well with such an awesome event. The whole IMSA organisation make us feel so welcome. The team have been over in the US getting the car ready, which last ran at Petit Le Mans in November. I’m sure Jim, Phil, Will and Guy will have a blast over the next two weeks and fingers crossed for a good result.”
Source. United Autosports
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