- Anglo-American team ever-present since team formation in 2010
- Macau marks UA’s 94th race of the season over 31 weekends
- Danny & Richard out to score UA’s fifth consecutive podium
The Anglo-American United Autosports team will make a fifth consecutive appearance in the GT Cup race at Macau in November. Incredibly, the 12-lap race on Sunday 16 November will mark the Leeds-based team’s 94th race of the season.
United’s Macau regulars Danny Watts and Richard Meins return to contest the GT event first run in 2008 at the annual “Grand Prix” meeting that is staged for the 61st time around the ultra-demanding 3.85-mile “street” circuit.
Watts and Meins race the brace of McLaren MP4-12C GT3 sports cars that they swept to second and sixth positions respectively in last year’s corresponding event.
Watts races the McLaren that Zak Brown raced in the 2013 British GT Championship with Meins in the team’s second 12C. The McLarens began the voyage from Southampton yesterday (2 October) and are due to dock in Hong Kong on 7 November.
Since its launch in 2008, the Macau GT Cup, an invitational race for GT3 class sports cars, has become one of the most eagerly anticipated fixtures on the motorsport calendar. It attracts the world’s biggest automotive names and some of the most successful international GT specialists.
This season United Autosports has contested the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Michelin Ginetta GT4 Supercup, Avon Tyres British GT Championship and GT Cup Championship as well as other “one-off” prestigious motorsport events including Tour Auto (F), Historic Grand Prix of Monaco (MC), Mille Miglia (I), Le Mans Classic (F) and the Bathurst 12 Hours (AUS) covering 31 weekends of action.
#23 Gulf Marine Lubricants / Noble Group – McLaren MP4-12C
Danny Watts (GB)
Age: 34. Lives: Thornborough nr Buckingham, Bucks, GB:
Macau History – 2002: 1st Formula Asia 2000; 2003: 10th F3 Grand Prix; 2004: 12th F3 GP; 2005: Retired F3 GP; 2006: 1st Porsche Carrera Cup Asia; 2007: 5th Porsche Carrera Cup Asia (finished 1st on road but given 25secs penalty for yellow flag infringement); 2008: 2nd Macau GT Cup; 2009: 3rd Macau GT Cup; 2010 3rd Macau GT Cup (Audi R8 LMS); 2011 3rd Macau GT Cup (McLaren MP4-12C); 2012 3rd Macau GT Cup (McLaren MP4-12C); 2013 2nd Macau GT Cup (McLaren MP4-12C).
“I was in Macau earlier this year when I bungeed off the Macau Tower while my last race was actually last year’s GT Cup race in the McLaren at Macau when I finished second. Previous to that, I raced at Le Mans with Strakka Racing and won the LMP1 privateers race in June 2013.
“It’s been frustrating year as all I want to do is race but I’ve learnt to be patient and it makes you even hungrier and motivated to get back out racing. I had a 10-lap shakedown on the Silverstone National circuit last month to get the feeling back with the McLaren.
“The Macau track is notoriously difficult to overtake around as it’s so tight, twisty and narrow, so a good qualifying position will be absolutely key to a good race result. That said, I came through from eighth to second last year and the McLaren’s strength is its consistency and ease to drive.”
#25 Gulf Marine Lubricants / Noble Group – McLaren MP4-12C
Richard Meins (GB)
Age: 59. Born: Beckenham, GB. Lives: Hong Kong & Chiddingfold, Surrey, GB:
Macau History – 2000: Retired Guia Race (Ford Focus); 2001: Retired Guia Race (Ford Focus); 2002: 12th Guia Race (Ford Focus); 2003: 6th Guia Race (Ford Focus); 2004: Retired Guia Race (Honda Integra); 2005: 2nd (Class B) Porsche Carrera Cup Asia; 2007: 1st (Class B) Porsche Carrera Cup Asia; 2008: 8th Macau GT Cup; 2009: 11th Macau GT Cup; 2010: Retired Macau GT Cup (Audi R8 LMS); 2011: 7th Macau GT Cup (Audi R8 LMS); 2012: 11th Macau GT Cup (McLaren MP4-12C); 2013: 6th Macau GT Cup (McLaren MP4-12C).
“Like Danny, I had a run in the McLaren at Silverstone a couple of weeks ago. This year marks my 14th racing at Macau. I achieved my best result last year, although I was sixth in a Touring car race there many years ago. Last year’s achievement was a great result in such a competitive field.
“I’ve been doing lots of different things this year including racing an Aston Martin in the GT4 Challenge at Oulton Park, an Audi TT at the Nürburgring, a Ford Mondeo Super Tourer in the Silverstone Classic, a Lola T70 at Silverstone, Zandvoort and Spa, an E-Type Jaguar at the Goodwood Revival, and a Ford GT40 at Goodwood and Spa so it’s been an enjoyable and busy year.
Richard Dean, Team Owner and Managing Director, United Autosports:
“United Autosports is really looking forward to going to Macau for the fifth year in a row where we’ll be aiming for our fifth consecutive podium finish. Macau is a great event and we go really well there. We have a great driver line-up again in Richard [Meins] and Danny [Watts] so we are feeling positive going into the event. Even though the logistics of getting our two McLarens and team crew out to Macau are tricky, it’s definitely worth it once we get there. It’s one of the highlights in our team calendar.”