FIA WEC: United Autosports with Ligier in the 2019/2020 WEC season

United Autosports have confirmed that they will enter the 2019/2020 FIA World Endurance Championship. The Anglo American team will enter the world-wide race series for the first time with Phil Hanson and Filipe Albuquerque behind the wheel of the team’s Ligier JS P217. 

Phil Hanson joined the team at the end of 2017 and has raced in the 2018 European Le Mans Series alongside Filipe Albuquerque, winning the final two races of the year. Phil also raced in selected rounds of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship at Daytona, Sebring and Watkins Glen. He is currently racing for United Autosports in the Asian Le Mans Series and scored his maiden pole position at Fuji in only his second LMP2 qualifying attempt. Phil is leading the championship with two rounds to go. 

Filipe Albuquerque joined the team for their LMP2 debut at the start of 2017, finishing second in the championship. This year, he raced alongside Phil Hanson in the #22 Ligier JS P217. Filipe has previously raced in the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2016 finishing second in the championship.

United Autosports will be strengthening their relationship with Ligier Automotive by fielding a Ligier JS P217 in the FIA World Endurance Championship. The relationship with the French manufacturer began in 2016 as they entered the European Le Mans Series with a pair of Ligier JS P3s. Since then, the UK based team have become exclusive UK agents for Ligier Automotive and expanded into the LMP2 class with the new generation of Ligier LMP2 sports car – the Ligier JS P217. Further cementing their relationship with Ligier, they also chose to race the first generation Ligier LMP2 car in the 2018/2019 Asian Le Mans Series, as well as remaining committed to the French manufacturer during their debut IMSA season in 2018.

© United Autosports

Phil Hanson, driver, United Autosports: “I’m really excited to be doing FIA WEC. I think it’s the obvious next step for us, having done the ELMS, Asian Le Mans Series and selected rounds of IMSA, including Daytona. I’m looking forward to continuing with United too. They have nurtured me and helped my development as a driver significantly in the last year so I’m looking forward to continuing with the team in a very professional environment. I’m excited to be driving on new circuits too such as Sao Paulo and Bahrain. They have definitely been on my radar of circuits I’ve wanted to race at. Sao Paulo has a lot of history and I’ve never been to Brazil so it will be exciting. I’m really looking forward to racing on a truly global platform.”

Filipe Albuquerque, driver, United Autosports: “I’m super happy to be back in the FIA WEC, I feel I have unfinished business there. I finished P2 in 2016 in LMP2 so now with Phil Hanson and United I think we really have the package to win. It’s two years almost to the day that I met Zak and Richard and I could never believe our partnership would have got to this point. I’m excited to be racing in the 2019 ELMS and then going into the FIA WEC with them. It’s a good relationship we have together and we have been winning some races so why not continue and let’s see where we end up.”

Zak Brown, Team Owner and Chairman, United Autosports: “We are pleased to be able to announce our entry into the 2019/2020 FIA World Endurance Championship. It has been the aim for United Autosports to enter the world championship for a while, but everything needed to fall into place so we could do it at the right time. We feel that now is the right time. We have developed a great relationship with Phil and Filipe and they make a fantastic pairing. We are still working on the third driver but for now, we are excited for what 2019 brings.”

Richard Dean, Team Owner and Managing Director, United Autosports: “It’s been no secret that we have been trying to put a deal together to race in the FIA World Endurance Championship for some time now. It has relied on a lot of factors fitting together but I think it is the perfect time for United Autosports to make the next step in sports car racing. We have two great drivers in Phil and Filipe. Filipe really has brought Phil on in only one year of working with him, so I’m confident that will only continue into the coming years. We have ultimate belief in Ligier Automotive and relish this opportunity to take on a world championship with their full support. The championship visits some fantastic circuits too – some we have been to before and some will be new to us, but I’m looking forward to the new challenge ahead.”

Gérard Neveu, CEO WEC: “This is a very good way to start 2019. We are really delighted to welcome a team of the calibre of United Autosports to the WEC, and are confident they will make a very positive contribution to the LMP2 category and to the championship as a whole. We know the team well from the European Le Mans Series and of course at Le Mans, and it’s very rewarding to see the progression they have made – and success they have attained – over the past few years. I am certain the whole WEC paddock will join me in welcoming United Autosports for the 2019-20 season.”

Asian LMS: Victory for Algarve Pro Racing in Fuji

With very light snow falling as the grid formed up for the second round of the 2018/19 Asian Le Mans Series, the race was set to be run in very frosty conditions. The action on track however was hot right from the start!

2016/17 Champions Algarve Pro Racing are back to their winning ways, with current drivers Andrea Pizzitola and Harrison Newey claiming a hard fought victory in the 4 Hours of Fuji. 

Starting the race in the #24 Ligier JS P2 Judd, Harrison Newey took the lead into the first corner. He held the lead until a well-timed pit call from the United Autosports team saw the pole sitting #22 Ligier JS P2 Nissan with Phil Hanson behind the wheel get the jump on the #24. 

The battle between the pair continued throughout the race before a safety car period with just 30 minutes to go bunched the field up. At the restart the #24 with Andrea Pizzitola behind the wheel was just in front of Paul Di Resta in the #22 and the battle just intensified. It was Andrea and Algarve Pro Racing that held on to claim the victory, with Paul and United Autosports team in second.  

In third place, and taking the win in LMP2 Am was ARC Bratislava in a impressive comeback drive. Early in the race the #4 ARC Bratislava Ligier JS P2 dropped back after an incident saw Miro Konopka tangle with another competitor. Ling Kang put in a solid middle stint to help the team climb up the order. After the safety car, and with Darren Burke driving, they closed the gap to the class leading #23 United Autosports Ligier JS P2 Nissan. After another tight battle, Darren caught and passed the #23 to claim 3rd place outright and the LMP2 Am trophy win. 

In LMP3, just as in the Agile 4 Hours of Shanghai, it was the #65 Viper Niza Racing Ligier JS P3 of Nigel Moore that got the jump on the field again, running as high as 3rd outright in the opening stages of the race.

Ultimately the battle for the LMP3 class victory came down to the final moments of the race. After leading the class towards the end of the race thanks to a well-timed pitstop to change to slick tyres, the safety car proved to be poorly timed for Martin Hippe in the #13 Inter Europol Competition Ligier JS P3. After the race resumed, he had the #3 United Autorsports Ligier JS P3 of Kay van Berlo right on his tail. The battle between the two once the racing resumed was tight, with Kay getting the jump early, but Martin refused to give up, fighting for the position until the end of the race. 

In the end it was Kay that took the victory by just 3.5 seconds, with Martin taking second. In third place was the #79 Ecurie Ecosse / Nielsen Racing of Antony Wells and Colin Noble. The pair put in a very strong effort to come back from starting at the rear of the grid to claim the final place on the LMP3 podium.

Hometown heroes, Car Guy claimed a very popular victory in front of the Japanese fans in their #11 Ferrari 488 GT3. After contact in the opening stages of the race, the team made an unscheduled pitstop, dropping them well behind the GT field.  Takeshi Kimura, Kei Cozzolino and James Calado all drove strongly during the race, ensuring Car Guy claimed their second GT class victory from the opening two Asian Le Mans Series races. 

In second place was the #51 Spirit of Race Ferrari 488 GT3 driven by Alessandro Pier Guidi, Ozz Negri Jr and Francesco Piovanetti. They also had a challenging opening phase of the race after dropping to the back of the order, before fighting their way back, making their second place all the more impressive. 

In third place was the #66 Tian Shi Racing Team, Audi R8 LMS of Xu Wei, Max Wiser and Zhang Ya Qi. They were also the top GT Am entry.

The Asian Le Mans Series now has a month’s break now before the teams head to Thailand for the 4 Hours of Buriram on 12 January, 2019. The race there will be held on the Saturday to coincide with the very popular Children’s Day in Thailand.  

Race results

Le Mans: 2019 Entry list to be announced in two stages

Next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans will be the grand finale of the FIA WEC 2018-19 Super Season and the culmination of the championship from now on. The names of the teams to line up on the grid – sixty slots plus ten reserves –will be announced in two stages, on 11th February and 1st March 2019. 

The Super Season is the reason for the change in announcement of entries for the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2019, the culmination of the 2018-2019 season which started this May in Spa, paid a first visit to Le Mans on 16/17th June before races at Silverstone, Fuji and Shanghai in 2018. As the calendar turns to 2019, the championship will also be visiting Sebring and Spa once again, before concluding in the Sarthe region of France.

Among the 60 competitors will be the full-season entrants of the WEC, plus the traditional recipients of invitations given to reward championship results in the European Le Mans Series (4), the Michelin Le Mans Cup (1), the Asian Le Mans Series (4), the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (2), and of course at the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2018.

Teams wishing to take up one of the remaining places on the 2019 Le Mans grid will be able to apply from 20th December until 31st January 2019. 

The ACO will announce first fifty teams on 11th February, followed by another ten teams on the grid and ten reserve teams on 1st March.