United Autosports will be making their 40th racing appearance at Spa-Francorchamps in the European Le Mans Series LMP3 class. The British based team made their debut at Silverstone in 2016 with a Ligier JS P3, finishing first and second on their debut.
Over the past seven seasons United Autosports has been the most successful team in the ELMS LMP3 category, securing three championships in 2016, 2017 and 2020.
We spoke to United Autosports Team Principal Richard Dean on the importance of LMP3 to the team’s business model and to their driver development programmes.
Q: This weekend marks the 40th ELMS race for United Autosports in the LMP3 category.In that time the team has won three ELMS LMP3 titles, what have been the top memories of those races for you?
Richard Dean: “Forty races have gone quickly, haven’t they? Especially when we're only doing six a year. It only feels two minutes ago that we were at Silverstone 2016 for our debut. I think that's probably the highlight because we finished first and second on our debut and it's a feat we've never actually repeated; we've never had a first and second again. So, I think we set the bar pretty high, and we've been striving to repeat that since.The three titles have been also pretty special, each of them special in their own right.”
Q: What are the main advantages that LMP3 offers United Autosports for both professional and amateur drivers?
RD: “LMP3 is the first rung on the ladder for prototypes and endurance racing. It's been amazing for us, as we've been progressing up to LMP2, it's almost like our own little college and university, everything from the logistics, planning and marketing team, all the people involved from mechanics, data engineers, race engineers, and we've seen a lot of these people progress through from Michelin Le Mans Cup LMP3 to ELMS LMP3 and on to LMP2.
“Sadly, we've seen one or two of them progressive even higher, and we've lost them to Hypercar or even Formula One.Which is a loss for us but also satisfaction for us that it's been a really good trading ground, not just for the drivers, who were the forefront, but for all the team behind the scenes.”
Q: United Autosports also fields LMP3 cars in the Michelin Le Mans Cup and other series such as the Asian Le Mans Series.How does LMP3 fit in with the other championships that United Autosports race in?
RD: “We are a business, but we love the sport; we see it as a sport. I came in initially as a fan and I'm a still as a fan of the sport. But underneath that it's a business and we have to balance the books. What LMP3 has done for us, it's given us a car and investment in that car that we can then use in multiple championships in the same format with the same regulations. So, we can spread that investment out over the life of the car and over fifty-two weeks rather than just six weekends in ELMS and the Michelin Le Mans Cup. But then we can go into Asian Le Mans and we've been to some amazing places with our LMP3 cars.”
Q: Looking forward to the future, how do you see LMP3 in a few years’ time?What would you like to see introduced or improved?
RD: “We have a saying in the UK, and I'm sure it's the same everywhere, and that’s ‘if something's not broken, don't try and fix it.’ So, I wouldn't change much.We have to be always mindful of budgets.Around this paddock here in Spa this weekend, if you asked people what their current concerns or anxieties are, it will be about rising costs, it's always the same, motor racing is expensive.So, whatever we can do to control those costs I think is probably the important thing.
“We ought to keep an eye as well on the driver gradings and how that works, because we see a lot of drivers that have come through and then get to a grade move from silver grade to gold grade and it's up puts them out of an opportunity in the European Le Mans Series LMP3. You can, of course, use a gold grade driver but perhaps not in its most competitive format.
“So, little tweaks and just mindful of how the regulations adjust, and cost really, but, in the main, there's not a lot wrong with LMP3.”
Q: Spa-Francorchamps has seen a few successes for United Autosports.You still have a mathematical chance in both the LMP2 and LMP3 of winning the titles, what are your thoughts on this weekend?
RD: “Well, firstly, we love Spa.Even when it's raining here, there is something special about this this place.We've had a really good run here and we've had huge successes. We've enjoyed amazing moments here and we hope to have another amazing moment this weekend.
“We're always striving to win the races and we're trying not to focus too much on the championship. We've got a mathematical chance, there's always a chance but you know, if you win enough races, you're going to stay in with a shout. Our goal is to go to Portimão still with that chance to win the championship.”
