United Autosports have announced that they will enter a pair of McLaren MP4-12C in the 2013 Avon Tyres British GT Championship.
The Anglo-American team will switch focus to the British championship after what they describe as an “unrepresentative” season thus far in the Blancpain Endurance Series with the GT3 spec McLaren, the car in its first full season of competition. They will not compete in any further Blancpain Series races this year.
Team co-founder Zak Brown and Richard Meins were revealed as drivers for the season, both men regulars behind the wheel of UA's previous entries, Brown having competed in selected British GT rounds in both 2010 and 2011 while Meins – an experienced historic racer – has joined United Autosports at Spa-Francorchamps and Macau in previous seasons.
Portuguese Alvaro Parente will also continue with the team in 2013, with a further pro driver to be announced, further strengthening their assault on the championship.
After withdrawing their entry from this weekend's Total 24 Hours of Spa United Autosports will spend the remainder of 2012 focussing on testing and development. However, their previously planned entries in the GT races at Abu Dhabi, Macau and Bathurst remains unchanged.
Furthermore the squad will enter McLarens in the remaining rounds of the British GT Championship. Up to this point United Autosports have competed in the British series with Audi R8 LMS. With drivers Matt Bell and Michael Guasch they narrowly missed out on the title in their first full season in 2011. 2012 drivers Bell and Charles Bateman lie 13th on the championship following the introduction of the latest specification Audi R8 LMS ultra at the most recent round at Brands Hatch.
