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.

British Youngster Joins United Autosports’ 2011 FIA GT3 Euro Campaign

·       Joe Osborne steps up for full European season to co-drive with Mark Patterson

·       “Sister” Audi R8 LMS entry remains unchanged for Zak Brown and Matt Bell

·       Audi’s only official Anglo-American “customer” team determined to build on maiden 2010 season

Exciting young British sportscar prospect Joe Osborne has been snapped up by the Anglo-American United Autosports team for a full FIA GT3 European Championship campaign next year.

Osborne, aged 21, embarks on his first full GT3 season next May* after sporadic outings in British GT4 and FIA GT3 Euro this year. He will co-drive an Audi R8 LMS with Mark Patterson, the American who tied equal second with 2010 United Autosports co-driver Michael Guasch (USA) in the FIA championship’s Audi Manufacturer's Cup.

Meanwhile United Autosports’ Chairman & Co-Owner Zak Brown (USA) continues for a second consecutive year driving the “sister” Audi with Matthew Bell, the Briton who celebrated his 21^st birthday last month (Nov 5).

Osborne won the 2004 British Junior Kart TKM Championship before moving in to single-seaters courtesy of a scholarship from Formula BMW UK but budget constraints obliged Joe to switch his attention to sports cars, winning the European GT4 Championship last year.

Joe, who was made a British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) Rising Star in 2009, made his FIA GT3 European Championship début this year, contesting three rounds and recording two top-five finishes (Silverstone & Jarama) in a Porsche 911 GT3R.

United Autosports has already announced a two-car Audi entry in the 2011 British GT Championship with Bell and Guasch linking up with Audi’s former British Touring Car Championship race winner John Bintcliffe (England) co-driving with fellow Yorkshireman Jay Palmer (England). Draper Tools will be a team partner for both the FIA and BGT campaigns.

* Assumes 2011 FIA GT3 European Championship begins in May.

Joe Osborne (GB). Age: 21. Born: Bedford, England. Lives: Olney, Buckinghamshire, England:

“I’m excited to be joining United Autosports and very much looking forward to racing the Audi R8 LMS. It was on the wrong side of the Balance of Performance calculations until the final four races this year so I’m hopeful we’ll be competitive from the first race next season. I will have a pre-season testing program for the first time in my career which I’m already itching to start.

“It was my intention to race with United Autosports in 2010 but couldn't raise the funds. However, seeing them in action this season confirmed what I already knew in that it is an ultra-professional outfit. I know many of the guys from my Ginetta days over the past three years and they have the same drive and passion to win as me – the single most critical thing.

“The European Championship is the premier GT3 series in the world and provides some of the best GT racing with so many manufacturers making it of huge interest to competitors and spectators. Racing on the very best European tracks in a series that offers ‘live’ television for sponsors just emphasizes the professionalism of the series.”

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

“The prospect of a second season in the European GT3 series with United Autosports thrills me. The series is loaded with good drivers, competitive teams, sexy looking race cars, a big league promotional organizer with an excellent sense of high profile marketeering [SRO] and an authoritative overseer in the form of the FIA. That’s a perfect skeleton, so throw in a series of new and established rock ‘n roll race tracks, there’s more than enough meat on those bones to have a racing party.  It’s serious, it’s fun and it’s very competitive.”

Matthew Bell (GB). Age: 20.  Lives: Barningham nr Richmond, North Yorkshire, England:

“2011 is shaping up to be a very busy year for me! A second consecutive full season in the European GT3 series as well as contesting the BGT will mean I am in the car a lot more often than I was this year which should help me build on my experience I gained in my first year of GT3 racing.

“I will be aiming for championship honors. Next season United Autosports and I will be a lot better prepared. I am currently doing the Formula Renault Winter Cup Series to gain as much experience as I can and that combined with a good pre-season testing schedule will be the perfect preparation for what I expect to be a very competitive and exciting 2011 campaign.”

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

“It’s great to have Joe joining us which completes what I believe will be a very competitive two-car line-up for us in the European series. Both cars have good driver combos and I’m expecting both to be fighting for podium placings. We’ve just finished what has been a fantastic début year and all credit goes to Richard and the team he's built. We had a very tough start to the 2010 season but it was amazing how quickly we improved and by midyear we were leading races and routinely on the podium. Race wins are just right around the corner.”

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

“Joe deserves this chance. I am a big fan of his after working with him when he won the 2009 European GT4 Championship. He will be a perfect ‘fit’ for Mark and indeed the entire team. Our FIA championship line-up for 2011 is very strong. Next season the combination of experienced, ultra-competitive second year drivers in Mark and Zak paired with two young, very quick, drivers in Joe and Matt is a perfect scenario. Our maiden 2010 was new in every way; team, cars, drivers, championship and circuits. Despite this we still managed front row and podium placings. 2011 promises to be very exciting as we will be better prepared from the green light in the opening race as well as highly motivated!”

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