United Autosports has confirmed former 24 Hours of Le Mans class winners Ben Keating, Filipe Albuquerque and Ben Hanley for the team’s #23 Oreca 07 LMP2 Pro/Am entrant at this year’s race on 15-16 June.
United Autosports will field two Pro/Am Oreca 07 LMP2 entries at the 92nd running of the historic 24-hour race, in addition to their two LMGT3 McLaren entries which compete as part of the FIA World Endurance Championship.
Their full-season #2 IMSA SportsCar duo of Keating and Hanley will be joined by Albuquerque, who achieved LMP2-class victory with the Wakefield-based team in 2020.
The Portuguese driver replaced the spot of Nico Pino who was originally in the trio on the original entry list.
Between the trio, they share four Le Mans class victories as they look to stand out against their five Pro/Am competitors within a 16-car LMP2 field.
“Another year, another Le Mans with United Autosports,” said Albuquerque ahead of his eighth consecutive Le Mans appearance with the team.
“It’s just amazing … I’m super happy to be racing with this great team that I’ve been racing with for the last eight years.
“Ben Hanley … we raced together when we were in go-karts, and now we meet again.
“And Ben Keating … he is a superstar of LMP2.
“For sure, he has more miles than me. And he knows Le Mans really well.
“He has one more victory than me. I have immense respect for him and his drive to keep pushing harder and harder.
“I’m pumped for it, let’s go for the win.”
Keating is the reigning IMSA LMP2 champion having won Le Mans in the former GTE Am category in 2022 and 2023.
Although this year marks his 10th Le Mans start, it will be his first with United Autosports.
The Bronze-graded Texan said: “The Pro/Am field in LMP2 is looking very strong with a lot of winners taking the wheel.
“This is really fun for me. I can’t wait to tackle this challenge with United Autosports, Filipe and Ben.
“We all have a lot of experience and that makes a big difference in this race.”
Hanley celebrated Le Mans LMP2 Pro/Am victory in 2021 for DragonSpeed when he partnered with Henrik Henman and Juan Pablo Montoya.
“It’s awesome to be going to Le Mans again”, said Hanley.
“The race is always tough but with our lineup and the team’s history, we will be aiming for the win.”
The team’s other #22 Pro/Am driver line-up will be confirmed ahead of the French classic in June.
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