United Autosports To Début In Rolex 24 Hours Of Daytona

·       1988 Daytona winner Martin Brundle tempted back into competition with former Le Mans 24 Hour race winner Mark Blundell

·       United Autosports’ Chairman & Co-Owner Zak Brown plus fellow American Mark Patterson completes “stellar” line-up

·       United Autosports teams up with Michael Shank Racing for Rolex 24

United Autosports gets its second year of racing underway in truly spectacular style by contesting the legendary Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona with a stellar driver line-up next month (January 29-30).

1988 Daytona 24 Hour race winner Martin Brundle (England) has been drawn back to the ultra-demanding Floridian race along with fellow former 24 Hours of Le Mans race winner and Grand Prix Formula One ace Mark Blundell (England) who makes his Daytona début.

Zak Brown, Chairman & Co-Owner of United Autosports, and fellow American Mark Patterson, complete the United Autosports with Michael Shank Racing entry which bids for success with a Ford-Riley Daytona Prototype in the 49^th running of the world famous Daytona race.

All four drivers will attend the “Roar Before the Rolex 24”, the official three-day test at Daytona next month (January 7-9), to acclimatize themselves to the challenging 3.56-mile, 12-turn combined speedway road course.

United Autosports only turned its first race in April this year, competing in 17 races in Belgium (twice), China, Czech Republic, England (twice), France, Macau, Portugal and Spain. The Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona therefore marks the first race on “home” soil for the American-owned team.

Brundle has become a highly regarded and multi-award winning Formula One commentator on British television since retiring from a Formula One career spanning 13 years (1984-96) and 158 Grand Prix starts resulting in 10 podiums.

Martin contested the Le Mans 24 Hours four times (1997-99/01) after his F1 career having won at Le Mans in 1990. Indeed Brundle has made 67 sportscar race starts, including World Sports-Prototype/World Endurance Championships and IMSA events, claiming 34 podiums (including 18 wins) and 11 pole positions.

He has driven Jaguar, BMW Sauber, Red Bull and Williams F1 cars in recent years for media events. In 2005, Martin competed in the Andros Ice Trophy (Renault Megane) and in 2008 drove in the Formula Palmer Audi Championship alongside his son, Alex, who was a series regular. He scored three top-eight finishes from the three races in which he took part.

Martin raced in two rounds of the Scirocco R-Cup finishing third (Hockenheim) and seventh (Brands Hatch) this year plus three Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo races co-driving with Alex resulting in two top four finishes.

1992 Le Mans 24 Hour race winner Blundell raced in Formula One (1991/1993-95) comprising 61 GP starts and three podiums before switching to the CART World Series (1996-2000) which featured 81 starts and three wins (Portland, Toronto, & Fontana).

Daytona “rookie” Mark, who continues to run 2MB Sports Management which includes handling Indycar driver Mike Conway, also became a Formula One television analysist (2001-08) and raced in major sports car races at Le Mans and Sebring following his single-seater career. Blundell finished third in class in the 24 Hours of Spa this year co-driven by United Autosports Co-Owners Brown and Richard Dean (England) plus Eddie Cheever (USA) – Mark’s first race since finishing second in the 2003 Le Mans 24 Hours.

Ultra-successful businessman and entrepreneur Brown has concentrated on GT racing in recent years after starting off in karting before spells in Formulae Three and Opel Lotus, Indy Lights plus Toyota Atlantics.

Zak, who recorded a front row start and podium finish in FIA GT3 European Championship races in Portugal this year, fulfills a personal dream by adding a third Continent – his “home” one – to United Autosports’ burgeoning profile by contesting the Rolex 24 assisted by regular Grand Am entrant Michael Shank Racing.

Patterson is by far the most experienced of the quartet in terms of Grand Am racing, boasting 66 starts (GT & DP) comprising six podiums. Mark races in the twice-around-the-clock Daytona race for the eighth time and is looking to go one better after finishing second in 2006 – one of four top-nine finishes Mark has achieved – all with Michael Shank Racing.

  

Like Brown, Patterson has raced a United Autosports Audi R8 LMS in the FIA GT3 European Championship this year, placing joint second in the Audi Manufacturer’s Cup, and claiming fourth in class in the Spa 24 Hours.

The #23 United Autosports with Michael Shank Racing Ford-Riley entry topped the unofficial time sheets in a two-day open test at Homestead-Miami Speedway recently (Dec 1-2).

Mark Blundell (GB). Age: 44. Born: Barnet, England. Lives: Royston, England.

Daytona History: None. Daytona 24Hr: Début. Other 24Hr races: Le Mans, France (1989, 1990, 1992/1^st, 1995/4^th, 2001, 2002, 2003/2^nd); Spa, Belgium (2010/3^rd in class).

“The Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona is one of the most recognized races in the world and it will be my first attempt at this great event – I’ve never been to Daytona even as a spectator. I’d not driven a DP until last week at Homestead but it’s essentially similar to a Le Mans sports-prototype with much less downforce.

“The team and car has huge potential. This aligned with the fact that I will be co-driving with my very close friend, Martin Brundle, to finally fulfill a dream that the pair of us have had to drive the same car as part of the same team, is fantastic. The icing on the cake is that I will also be sharing driving duties with my good friends Mark [Patterson] and of course Zak [Brown].

“My last race in the US was the Sebring 12 Hours in 2003. Before I raced in the CART World Series [1996-2000], oval courses were alien to me coming from Europe although I enjoyed racing on them and won the Marlboro 500 at Fontana. I’ve not raced on a banked/infield combination like I’ll face at Daytona but I’m looking forward to that challenge. I raced with United Autosports in the 24 Hours of Spa last summer and Daytona is another of those very big races that, for whatever reason, I didn’t get a chance to do previously but am very excited to be doing so now.”

Zak Brown (USA). Age: 38. Born: Los Angeles, California, USA. Lives: Carmel, Indiana, USA.

Daytona History: Four 24Hr races. Daytona 24Hr: Début 1997. Number of Daytona 24Hr race appearances: 4. 1997/8^th o/a, 2^nd GTS, 1999, 2000 (GT), 2010 33^rd/20^th (GT). Other 24Hr races: BritCar, Silverstone, GB (2^nd o/a, 1^st in class); Spa, Belgium (2010/3^rd in class).

“As chairman and co-owner of United Autosports, to have my team name on the entry list at the Daytona International Speedway for the legendary 24 Hour race is awesome. Twelve months ago our team didn’t exist. We made our race début at the end of April in Britain and in our first season we raced throughout Europe at legendary tracks like Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps and last month in Asia at Zhuhai [China] and Macau as Audi’s official “customer” team in the GT3 sportscar category.

“So now to be racing in my native USA, at the world famous Speedway venue, in North America’s only twice around the clock motor race, makes me extremely proud in what we’ve accomplished in a very short space of time. It’s the first time Richard [Dean] and I have partnered with Michael Shank Racing. His team is first class and he’ll give us everything we need. Richard [Dean] will be ever present on the pit wall with the Michael Shank Racing boys to learn about Grand Am racing while our driver line-up is about as special as it can get.

“My first race at Daytona was in 1997 but I spend a lot of time there nowadays. I have an office in Daytona Beach and my company, Just Marketing International [JMI], has brought in sponsorship from UPS, Crown Royal and DirecTV to Daytona International Speedway. The 24 Hours will be my first ever race in a Daytona Prototype. I tested a Coyote DP earlier this year which was organized by Eddie Cheever, who drove for my team at Spa, and tested a Michael Shank Racing Ford-Riley at Homestead last week (Dec 1) with Mark. I can’t wait for the official test days and then the race week in January!”

Martin Brundle (GB). Age: 51. Born: King’s Lynn, Norfolk, England. Lives: Gayton, Norfolk, England.

Daytona History: Two 24Hr races. Daytona 24Hr: Début 1988. Number of Daytona 24Hr race appearances: 2. 1988: 1^st (Jaguar XJR-9); 1990: 2^nd (Jaguar XJR-12); Last raced at Daytona 1990. Other 24Hr races: Le Mans, France (1987, 1988, 1990/1^st, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001; Spa, Belgium (1983, 1984); Willhire, Snetterton, GB (1980/1^st in class).    

“I’ve raced at the Daytona International Speedway on just two occasions and have been fortunate to win [1988] and finish second [1990] in the 24 Hours. From what I remember about those two races, they were physically the hardest ones of my career. I’m very much looking forward to returning to the Speedway and will no doubt see many old friends to exchange tall stories with.

“Mark [Blundell] and I were team-mates in Formula One at Brabham [1991] and Ligier [1993] but we’ve never actually shared a racecar together. We’ve been close friends since the first time we met on the pit wall at Montreal in 1990 while I’ve known Zak [Brown] through the business of F1 for a number of years and greatly admire his determination and sheer energy. So when the opportunity arose to race at Daytona with these guys, it was an easy decision.  

“In recent years I’ve been closely following my son Alex’s motor racing career but I’ve been aching to race again. Now that I’ve cleared my diary of several other obligations, Zak’s invitation to do Daytona was perfectly timed. My last race in North America was an IMSA race when I finished fourth at Del Mar [October, 1991]. Until the official test at Daytona early next month I won’t have driven a Daytona Prototype.”

Mark Patterson (USA). Age: 58. Born: Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Lives: Bronxville, N.Y., USA. 

Daytona History: Seven 24Hr races. Daytona 24Hr: Début 2004. Number of Daytona 24Hr race appearances: 7. (2004 38^th/13^th SGS, 2005 23^rd/14^th (DP), 2006/2^nd, 2007/9^th, 2008/6^th, 2009 41^st/16^th (DP), 2010/7^th). Other 24Hr races: Spa, Belgium (2009 17^th o/a, 2010/4^th in class).   

“My first time at the Daytona International Speedway was during a Skip Barber race weekend in the Southern Series [Formula Dodge]. I was in absolute awe the first time I drove out onto the track in a rental car. The scale of it and the steeply banked corners literally took my breath away.

“I drove my first 24 Hours of Daytona with some friends in a SGS class Corvette in 2004 with my first run in the 24 Hours driving a Daytona Prototype a year later. This will be my seventh Daytona 24 in a DP. Competition is very tough – on drivers and the cars. The top-10 cars approach this as a ‘sprint’ race nowadays. The international latticework of seriously competent IndyCar, NASCAR, Formula One and just about every serious series of drivers, is one of the great thrills of contesting this race. I remember movie legend Paul Newman amongst the race line-ups and of course in recent years NASCAR’s multi-year champion Jimmy Johnson and the likes of Juan Pablo Montoya.

“Grand Am's two class racing [DP and GT] normally means that after 15mins or so, the different classes are all mixed up, so you're pushing yourself to the maximum on each corner, trying to time GT passes as efficiently as possible. Over a 24 hour duration that’s pretty intense.”

Mike Shank (USA), Team Owner of Michael Shank Racing:

“We have a driver line-up that has both speed and experience and that’s very important at Daytona. As long as we can stay out of trouble, accumulating laps and keep the car out of the garage, we should be confident of a good finish. No matter what your pace is like, the main objective is to be out there, putting in the laps day and night so that when it comes down to the last two or three hours of the race, we have a car that can fight for a podium or even better. It’s a fantastic race and I’m delighted to be involved with United Autosports’ first outing at Daytona and am looking forward to working with Zak [Brown], who I have known and admired for a long time, and Richard [Dean].”

Richard Dean (GB), Managing Director & Co-Owner of United Autosports:

“Michael Shank Racing’s excellent team is providing the experience and expertise to ease United Autosports into the Grand Am arena and the Daytona 24 Hours in particular giving me an opportunity to closely monitor the event from another perspective. Having contested the 1997 and 2010 24 Hour races, this time around I’ll see how the event works from the team organization side and from the pit gantry. I will be on hand to help where possible but it will be mainly as the driver assist and provide United Autosports a presence in the pit lane.

“I remember going to watch the 24 hours back in the 1980s with my father [Tony] who also lived in Southern Florida. I have photographs of me proudly shaking hands with Brian Redman, David Hobbs and other greats at this world famous event. Dad raced there in the 1970s and always had great stories of the race – it has such history and is one of those ‘must do’ events!

“Looking back at United Autosports’ first year, the races, our drivers, the Continents we’ve been to and the historic and prestigious events we have contested, it is quite amazing. And so to start off 2011 with us on the grid for the Daytona 24 Hours and with the great driver line-up we’ve assembled, makes me very, very proud.”

Ford-Riley

Roush-Yates prepared V8 Ford 5 liter modular engine, 4 cam, 4 valve, producing over 500hp. Rear-wheel-drive. Continental Tires. Weight: 2275lbs; 5 gears, paddle-shift gearbox. The Riley Technologies MK XXII is the most successful Daytona Prototype of all time.  

United Autosports

Co-owned by Zak Brown and Richard Dean, the US-owned, UK-based team was formed in 2010 and contested the FIA GT3 European Championship with a brace of Audi R8 LMS sports cars. Also competed in the 24 Hours of Spa (3^rd & 4^th in GT3 class on team’s 24 race début), Intercontinental Le Mans Cup at Zhuhai, China (3^rd in GTC) and Macau (3^rd GT Cup). Competes in the 2011 FIA GT3 European and British GT Championships plus 24 Hours of Spa and Macau.

Michael Shank Racing

Since moving full-time to the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series, Pataskala, Ohio-based Michael Shank Racing has taken three overall wins and 19 podium results, including second overall in the 2006 Rolex 24 At Daytona as well as monopolizing the front row for the 2008 Rolex 24.

* Comprehensive Blundell, Brown, Brundle and Patterson biographies plus team profiles on United Autosports and Michael Shank Racing are available on request.

* Interviews can be arranged on request, either in advance or at the “Roar Before the Rolex 24” itself (January 7-9).

* The Editorial Copyright free photographs included in this email are the only ones currently available. A comprehensive photo library will be available after the Daytona test (January 7-9) on www.flickr.com/unitedautosports.

United Autosports Finalizes Driver Line-Up For Second Audi Entry At Zhuhai

·       Danny Watts, Richard Meins and Frank Yu to make début for American team in Chinese 1,000km race

·       Two-car entry for Watts & Meins confirmed for prestigious Macau GT Cup race 

·       First race appearance for Audi R8 LMS in China and Macau 

 United Autosports achieved third (pictured) and fourth places in GT3 on the team’s maiden 24 Hour race at Spa (Jul 31-Aug 1)

Danny Watts (England), Richard Meins (England) and Frank Yu (Hong Kong) will race a second United Autosports Audi R8 LMS GT3 sports car alongside already confirmed Alain Li (France) and Henri Richard (France) in the third and final round of the inaugural Intercontinental Le Mans Cup at Zhuhai in China on Sunday November 7.

The trio will be making their début for the American-owned team while none of them have previously raced an Audi R8 LMS. Watts, who has been United Autosports’ on-event driver coach this season, does have experience of Zhuhai having represented Great Britain in A1GP practice in 2007. Meins tested a Ferrari at the Chinese venue last year while Yu has scored numerous podium placings at Zhuhai in the many GT3 races he has contested there.

Having completed its maiden FIA GT3 European Championship campaign in Belgium earlier this month (Oct 10), the team’s brace of Audi sports cars were air freighted out of London last Thursday (Oct 14) having been stripped and rebuilt to the same specification as raced in the Spa 24 Hours (Jul 31-Aug 1) in which the Audi “official” customer team scored third and fourth placings in the GT3 class.

Watts finished first in the LM P2 class (5^th overall) at the 24 Hours of Le Mans as well as claiming pole-position and the fastest lap, plus runner-up in the Le Mans Series LM P2 after six class poles, three class and an one outright race win with Strakka Racing. Danny’s last race in a GT sports car was in last year’s Macau race when he finished third (Porsche 997 GT3).

Hong Kong-based Englishman Meins regularly races a variety of historic single-seaters and sports cars racing throughout Europe including a Ford GT40, Lola T70, March 762 and McLaren M23.  Richard also contested the 2001 British Touring Car Championship.

Yu has raced Ferrari and Aston Martin GT3 machinery extensively throughout Asia and has experience in long distance events from the Dubai 24 Hours, with Richard Dean and Merdeka 12 Hours at Sepang.

Two weeks after the inaugural Zhuhai ILMC event, the team’s brace of R8 LMS sports cars will revert to the same specification as raced this season in the FIA GT3 European Championship for the GT Cup race around the temporary, ultra-demanding 3.81-mile “street” Macau circuit on Sunday November 21.

Watts, who competed in the 1999 Formula Palmer Audi single-seater series, first raced at Macau in 2002, when he won the Formula Asia single-seater race. After competing in the F3 Grand Prix for three years, he switched to sportscars and won the Carrera Cup Asia round in 2006, repeating the win in 2007 before a penalty dropped him to fifth. He has competed in the GT race on both occasions (2008 & ’09) since its inception and both times finished on the podium.

Meins will be racing in Macau for the 10^th time having made his début there in 2000. Richard contested the Guia Touring Car race (2000-4), the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia (2005-7) and the GT race since 2008. His best result was sixth place in the Guia race in 2003 (Ford Focus) and won the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia Class B Division in 2007. Last year, Meins qualified sixth and went on to finish 11^th (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup).

The Macau GT race is now in its third year and has been a catalyst for the growth of GT racing in Asia. Watts and Meins will face drivers from the Asia GT3 series while this year’s entry includes Aston Martin, Ferrari, Ginetta, Lamborghini and Porsche sports cars.

For United Autosports Co-Owner Richard Dean it will be a case of re-visiting a venue he first attended 16 years ago when the Briton, contesting the Formula Three Grand Prix, broke a bone in his right hand following an accident.

Richard Meins (GB). Age: 55.  
Born: Beckenham, England. Lives: Hong Kong:

“I tested a Ferrari at Zhuhai a couple of years back in preparation for Macau. It's tight with some short straights and heavy braking so it should get pretty busy with the LM P1 cars out there too. It's shaping up to be a great event and it is attracting a lot of interest in Hong Kong so I expect a good crowd of people will be making the short trip over to attend.

“The GT Cup event marks my 10^th Macau race on the island. Macau is without doubt my favorite race circuit but at the same time it’s also the one I have the most respect for. There is no room for error and to put together a good lap is one of the most satisfying experiences you can get from racing. Macau has everything from very fast straights, ‘blind’ 130mph plus corners and a very demanding narrow twisty back section where you never know what will be round the next corner!

“I race a lot of Historic GT cars and own two Ford GT40s – one of which is a prototype and one of the first 5 cars built. I raced a Porsche at last year's Macau event and was happy with a sixth in qualifying and am eagerly looking forward to racing the Audi R8 LMS at Zhuhai then at Macau for United Autosports.”

Danny Watts (GB). Age: 30. 

Lives: Thornborough nr Buckingham, Buckinghamshire, England:

“I’ve been United Autosports’ driver coach this year for its maiden FIA GT3 European Championship campaign and have been thoroughly impressed with its professionalism so I’m delighted to actually be racing for them at Zhuhai and Macau. I’ve practiced an A1 GP single-seater at Zhuhai while this year marks my ninth Macau visit and is a race I look forward to the most every year along with Le Mans.

“My first Macau visit in 2002 was also my first ‘long haul’ flight – I had never heard of the Macau Grand Prix and didn’t know what to expect. I’d beaten Jamie Green and Lewis Hamilton to the Formula Renault UK Championship title so arrived with some confidence. Tim Huxley, who had organized the trip, and my engineer Barry Forth, warned me this would be the most difficult circuit I would ever race on and how right they were!

“I was competing in the Formula Asia 2000 race and had a 30mins practice session, a 30mins qualifying session before the 10 lap race. Despite being instructed by Barry to go gently and most importantly, learn the track in first practice, I crashed causing a lot of damage. With my ears still ringing after a major telling off, I dug deep the next day and took pole and went on to win the race.” 

Frank Yu (HK). Age: 47. 

Lives: Hong Kong:

“Having raced Ferrari and Aston Martin GT3 cars, I can’t wait to drive the Audi R8 LMS all over different circuits in Asia. I’ve raced at Zhuhai on countless occasions in GT3 cars with many podiums. I shared a car with Richard in the Dubai 24 Hours earlier this year so know that United Autosports will be a very professional and competitive team. To race in the prestigious inaugural Intercontinental Le Mans Cup race at Zhuhai will be a tremendous privilege.” 

Zak Brown (USA). Driver, Chairman, Co-Owner United Autosports:

“I still keep having to pinch myself in what we [United Autosports] have achieved in our first year. Having raced on some legendary tracks like Paul Ricard, Silverstone and Zolder in the FIA series plus Spa, to now be looking ahead to us racing in China and Macau is just awesome. We’ve already had Emil Assentato, Matt Bell, Mark Blundell, Eddie Cheever, Mike Guasch, Stefan Johansson, Alain Li, Mark Patterson, Richard [Dean] and myself flying the flag for United on-track and so to now be welcoming Danny, Frank, Henri and Richard, to the fold shows that we are a professional and competitive outfit that drivers want to be associated with.”  

Richard Dean (GB), Managing Director & Co-Owner of United Autosports:

“It’s a great line-up for both races and I’m very excited about the prospect of us racing in China and at Macau. Danny is just plain fast, he’s world class and knows the Le Mans Series well and has raced in A1GP at Zhuhai. Richard and Frank both have track knowledge so we will have one of the few complete driver line-ups who know the track. Frank and I were team-mates in Malaysia for a 12 hour race in 2009. He manages to take his racing seriously while being a hugely popular character in the pits. Frank had a great top-six finish in the Merdeka 12 hours this year, is a massive motorsport enthusiast and will make an important contribution to the team’s success in China. Richard is very experienced at Macau. Asia is an important market for Audi and our sponsors while Macau itself needs little introduction with the GT Cup race steadily growing in importance.”

Audi R8 LMS (Sportscar according to latest 2010 FIA GT3 regulations)

V10 5.2-liter engine, 4 valves per cylinder, petrol direct injection, emission control by two racing catalytic converters, rear-wheel-drive, traction control (ASR), sequential pneumatic activated 6-speed sport gearbox with shift-paddles, Audi Space Frame (ASF) made of aluminum with bolted steel roll-cage, carbon-fiber composite/aluminum bodywork, Michelin radial tires. Start weight 1,335kg. Limitation at 8500rpm for every gear. Developed by Audi Sport with cooperation from quattro GmbH. Won FIA GT3 European Championship, ADAC-GT Masters and Belgian GT Championship plus Nürburgring 24 Hours and Spa 24 Hours class victories in début 2009 season scoring a total 23 victories. United Autosports achieved third and fourth places on the team’s 24 hour race début in the 2010 Spa 24 Hours.

* A comprehensive library of Editorial Copyright Free photographs can be downloaded at www.flickr.com/unitedautosports.