United Autosports are preparing for round four of the European Le Mans Series and round three of the Michelin Le Mans Cup at Monza, Italy this weekend.
The team are currently joint leaders of the Michelin Le Mans Cup championship with the #23 Ligier JS P320 of John Schauerman and Wayne Boyd. The pair are aiming for their third podium of the season this weekend to maintain their championship lead. The #22 Ligier of Gerry Kraut and Scott Andrews lie fourth in the championship after a disappointing DNF last time out at Paul Ricard. The #32 Ligier of Daniel Schneider and Andy Meyrick are also hoping for a podium visit in Italy after a tricky start to their second season with the team.
The European Le Mans Series LMP2 team returns to the scene of their 2020 championship win, when the #22 crew scored their third race win of the season to clinch the championship win a round early. This time, the #22 crew of Phil Hanson, Tom Gamble and Jonathan Aberdein are aiming for the win to stay within reach of the 2021 championship. They currently lie third in the #22 Oreca 07. The #32 line up of Job van Uitert, Manuel Maldonado and Nico Jamin are also aiming high after finishing third last time out at Paul Ricard.
The LMP3 team are also hoping to return to the podium once again as the #2 Ligier JS P320 of Wayne Boyd, Edouard Cauhaupe and Rob Wheldon aim to improve on their third-place finish at Paul Ricard. Jim McGuire, Duncan Tappy and Andrew Bentley in the #3 AERO Ligier will also be hoping for a strong finish, heading into the second half of the 2021 season.
The Michelin Le Mans Cup race will begin at 17:00 on Saturday 10 July, with the European Le Mans Series race beginning at 11:00 on Sunday 11 July.
Phil Hanson
“I’m excited to be going back to Monza especially with the memories of having won both the race and championship there last year. Heading into the second half of the season my eyes are still firmly set on the championship. I think we have been in the running to win races throughout this season but managed to trip ourselves up along the way. I think if we can have a clean race we can win.”
Jonathan Aberdein
“We are third in the championship heading into the Monza weekend, so our aim will be looking to close down that gap to the first two teams in the championship.”
Tom Gamble
“I’m really looking forward to heading to Monza for the fourth round of the European Le Mans Series. The #22 won there last year so we know we have a strong package. We had a really positive last race last time out at Paul Ricard too, so I’m confident that this time we can go one step higher on the podium. Let’s go.”
Job van Uitert
“I’m looking forward to keeping the momentum of United’s double LMP2 podium in Paul Ricard going. I’m sure we will have a good package for the Temple of Speed. A fun track with great racing…oh and pizza!”
Manuel Maldonado
“I’m looking forward to racing in Monza. The races there are always fun and we are hoping to make it a good one for the #32 crew after our podium in Paul Ricard.”
Nico Jamin
“Monza is such an iconic track with so much history. It’s always fun to race there. I’m very excited to try and build a momentum after our podium at Le Castellet.”
Wayne Boyd
“I’m looking forward to Monza, it’s one of my favourite tracks on the calendar. We were on pole there last year so hopefully we can do the same again this year. It’s been quite a difficult year so far, we have been so unlucky with the results but I feel with our line up and car we are more than capable of winning so hopefully we can get back on the top step.”
Edouard Cauhaupe
“From the beginning of the year in ELMS we have not had a great result. I’m hoping this time we will have a good result. Last year I went well at Monza and I’m hoping to be better this year. We will be doing everything to be on the first step of the podium.”
Rob Wheldon
“We are hoping to finally be on the top step of the podium at Monza this weekend. We have the car and the team to win and have been unlucky so far this year. We just need it all to come together to win on Sunday.”
Jim McGuire
“I cannot wait to get back behind the wheel of the AERO LMP3 with Andrew and Duncan and United Autosports. I love Monza. There’s so much history there. I can’t wait.”
Duncan Tappy
“Heading back to the temple of speed is always epic. The circuit is steeped in history and I love driving around there. I can’t believe we’re already at the halfway point of the season. As always it goes far too quickly. I know everyone working on the #3 AERO United car will give 100% to give Jim, Andrew and myself the best possibility of having an even stronger second half to the season.”
Andrew Bentley
“It’s great to be back at the temple of speed, you know you’re racing somewhere with a lot of history when you’re there so it certainly adds something to the weekend. We’ve all had great pace this year but not yet had the results we hoped for but we’ll keep pushing hard and aiming for the top.”
Le Mans Cup
Gerry Kraut
“I literally love Monza. I’ve raced there twice so it’s not new to me. And the Italian hospitality makes it all that more enjoyable. After a truncated race at Paul Ricard, I’m looking forward to a contact free and fast race. I know United will provide a perfect car. I need to utilize it to the best of my ability.”
Scott Andrews
“I always love going to Monza. It’s one of my favourite circuits and towns in the world. Paul Ricard was a little unfortunate with the DNF as we were on for another strong result. Gerry and I have been to Monza before so we hope to hit the ground running.”
John Schauerman
“Racing at Monza is a huge highlight of the Le Mans Cup and we can’t wait to compete here again. Wayne and I started the season strong with two podium finishes and plan to add to our streak at Monza. The atmosphere at this circuit is really great with its rich racing history, challenging track and enthusiastic fans, and makes racing here really fun. With Wayne driving so well, and the team continuing to make the correct strategy calls and providing such an excellent car, we should have a great weekend.”
Wayne Boyd
“It’s fantastic to be going into Monza as joint championship leaders. John’s been doing an absolutely brilliant job this year and hopefully we can continue that momentum into Monza. We were strong in Monza last year so hopefully we can continue where we left off and push for a podium, if not the win.”
Daniel Schneider
“I’m really excited and looking forward to getting back to the temple of speed.
After the first two rounds at Barcelona and Paul Ricard, I’m confident that Monza has the potential to be the turning point in the championship.”
Andy Meyrick
“I’m really excited for the race. It’s always eventful racing at Monza with the challenges of the circuit and the highspeed nature of the track. It always makes for good racing so I’m really looking forward to it. We are hoping for a good result.”
Zak Brown
“I’m hoping for some more good results this weekend in Monza. It would be great if our Le Mans Cup team could leave Italy still leading the championship, but we will see what happens.”
Richard Dean
“It’s already round four of the ELMS season so we need to be scoring highly this weekend with both our LMP2 and LMP3 teams. The Michelin Le Mans Cup team has been performing so well this year and I’m excited to see what they can do at Monza in preparation for the Road to Le Mans event next month.”
Source. United Autosports
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