Have a FaceBook, Twitter, or other social networking account?

Link them to your fanatic account!

Add An Account

TAKE ME TO...
Grand Am
GRAND-AM: United Autosports Teams With Shank At Daytona
American-owned FIA GT3 team partners with Michael Shank Racing to field star-studded Daytona Prototype lineup for the 2011 Rolex 24 At Daytona.
Media Release  |  Posted December 09, 2010   Brownsburg, IN
UA and MSR have a legitimate shot at winning the Rolex 24 in their first outing together. (UA)
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 49th 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).


Enter to win !
media_release's avatar

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Media Release

MORE BY THIS AUTHOR
Advertising | Jobs | Feedback | FAQ | Terms of Use | NEW Privacy Policy | Ad Choices | Site Map
Fox Sports | FUEL TV | FX Network | National Geographic | IGN | AskMen
The Motor Sports Authority, SPEED and associated logos are registered trademarks of Speed Channel Inc.
All Rights Reserved © Speed Channel, Inc. 2012

All external links will open in a new browser window. SPEED.com does not endorse external sites.