Interview with United Autosports Team Principal Richard Dean

After success in many other championships, 2016 is the team’s first full season in the European Le Mans Series and is enjoying a successful start to the year, leading the LMP3 title race after the opening two rounds and finishing on the podium in the Round To Le Mans event last month.

We caught up with Richard Dean to get his thoughts on the start to the ELMS season and the next race in Austria at the magnificent Red Bull Ring.

With two victories at Silverstone and Imola, a pole position in Italy, leading the LMP3 championship after two races and a pole and podium at the Road To Le Mans event, would you describe this as the perfect start of the 2016 season for United Autosports?

My first thought was no; we should have done much better with the number three car at Imola but the long safety car period didn’t allow Wayne Boyd to race at all. His pole position lap there showed his pace and I am certain he could have delivered another podium position for that car by the end of his stint. Having said that, it’s not a bad start is it? And I am sure most people would swap places with us as of Imola.

What attracted United Autosports to compete in the European Le Mans Series?

Great circuits, tough competition, endurance races and the new affordable LMP3 class that gave us, and many others, the first real opportunity to put a competitive budget together to race at this level.

With 20 cars on the LMP3 grid, who do you see as your main rivals for the team title in 2016?

We do not underestimate anybody in this series. Our detailed analysis of the first two races tells us there are some very good teams and drivers out there who, when they get it together, with a little bit of luck will be tough to beat.

As an Anglo-American team was it always the plan to have British and American drivers in your line ups or did it just work out that way?

We worked hard to put the best driver line up together over the winter, it just so happened the combination of USA/UK drivers came together to form that line up. We have worked with four out of our six drivers before and the addition of Wayne Boyd and Alex Brundle has just added to the positive chemistry and fantastic ability in our team.

As a racing driver yourself, have you driven the Ligier JS P3-Nissan yet?  If you have how does it compare to the other cars you have raced over the years?

Yes, I have driven an LMP3 car for a day and they are just the perfect race car for a Pro/Am format. They are easy to drive but hugely rewarding. I raced an LMP1 Zytek at the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2010 and I would say that is the closest comparison I could make…without anything like the same sort of cost per km of course!

What are your thoughts on the next race at The Red Bull Ring?  Is it a track that will suit your drivers?

I expect us to be competitive, we have prepared well with a test there in June and our drivers love the circuit.

Which of the final four races of the season are you looking forward to the most?

The next one, always the next one! The ELMS rounds really can’t come fast enough for us, we are enjoying it that much!