United Autosports head to Portimao aiming to shine at the season finale in both the LMP2 and LMP3 classes of the European Le Mans Series.
After a dominating victory in Spa Francorchamps for the #22 crew of Phil Hanson, Tom Gamble and Duncan Tappy, they will be looking to close the three point gap to current second place holders the #65 Panis Racing and challenge for the win, a feat they achieved last year in the 2021 season finale.
Andrew Bentley, Kay van Berlo and Jim McGuire showed great race pace in Spa, with some impressive double overtakes by Bentley at the start of the race, bringing them home in P5, with important points gained aiding them in their ambitious top three season finish goal this weekend.
After an unfortunate premature end to their 4 Hours of Spa race, Finn Gehrsitz, Bailey Voisin and Josh Caygill are determined to finish their LMP3 campaign on a high around the undulating Autodromo Internacional do Algarve.
Phil Hanson
“Portimão is the most unique track on the ELMS calendar in my opinion. It’s famous for its rollercoaster-like hills and crests that make most of the corners in the middle sector blind. I prefer technical circuits like this as it often provokes better battles in and amongst traffic. As always, we will be trying to finish the year on a high, coming off a win in Spa and a win at Portimão last year, I see no reason why we cannot achieve the same again.”
Tom Gamble
“Portimão is one of my favourite circuits and one I’ve always had great success at. I won the final LMP3 race there back in 2020, securing the championship, and rounded out my first year in LMP2 last year with a win. I’m confident we can achieve the same this year, especially after winning last time out at Spa. Both the team and drivers are full of confidence going into the finale so I’m really excited to get going!”
Duncan Tappy
“After our success at Spa, I’m really looking forward to keeping the momentum going and finishing the season on a high. The Portimão circuit is pretty technical and probably one of the most physical circuits on the calendar so it’s always a challenge. It’s somewhere where I have been competitive at in the past so I can’t wait for the weekend!”
Bailey Voisin
“I’m excited to be heading to Portimão for the last round of the championship. I’ve never raced there but have tested. It’s a technical track and one that I do really enjoy. One of the main challenges I think will be traffic management. I hope we can get a good result as this season has had a lot of ups and downs so I would like to end it with a podium.”
Finn Gehrsitz
“I’m looking forward to a good result and ideally a podium especially after the bad luck we had at Spa when we were looking in a good position for a top result before a clutch problem. I raced at Portimão last year for the first time, and it’s a track I enjoy with its elevation changes. A perfect car set-up is especially important for this circuit. I’m feeling well-prepared.”
Josh Caygill
“I’ve not raced at Portimão but tested there with United last month. The track is great, modern but with character and flow. It’s a pretty physical circuit with the undulations and really special to drive. We’ve been quick all season but with no luck on our side – other than our initial podium at Paul Ricard so we’re looking for another top-three to end the year on a high!”
Jim McGuire
“It’s a bitter-sweet feeling for me in that Portimão marks the end of another season with United while at the same time I’m very much looking forward to the race and hoping for a good result. We were strong in the last race at Spa and hope to carry that form on in Portugal and finish the season on a high.”
Kay van Berlo
“Our aim is for a podium! We’ve pushed hard all season but suffered a couple of DNFs. Our speed has always been great. Andrew and I claimed some silverware at Imola but my ultimate goal is to do this with Jim as well. I raced at Portimão back in 2018 in LMP3. For me, it’s one of the best tracks in the world – elevation changes, blind corners, technical corners – low, mid and high-speed – it’s a rollercoaster! It’s technical and also pretty physical and suits my driving style.”
Andrew Bentley
“This season has been full of highs and lows but we’ve always had great pace which was shown with our win and Kay’s qualifying lap at Spa. Portimão is a tough and challenging track but I’m confident United Autosports will give us the best car possible so we can finish the season on a high.”
Source. United Autosports
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