Herbert joins United Autosports for Spa 24 Hours

Former Grand Prix winner Johnny Herbert will make his Spa 24 Hours debut this summer having joined United Autosports’ star line-up for the twice-around-the-clock Belgian endurance race.

The British driver, who won races with Benetton and Stewart during a 12-year career in Formula One, joins fellow ex-F1 racers Mark Blundell, Stefan Johansson and Eddie Cheever for the event in United Autosports’ three-car Audi R8 LMS entry.

Although he has never raced the Spa 24 Hours before, the 46-year-old has driven regularly at Le Mans, winning the race outright for Mazda in 1991 and finishing second in 2002 and 2003 with Audi and Bentley. Last season he competed in the Superstars International Series and also reached the podium in a one-off drive in the VW Scirocco R Cup.

He recently tested one of the team’s Audis at Snetterton, and will sample the car again in a further test at Spa later this month.

“To get the opportunity to do a 24 hour race again is wonderful and especially as it’s at Spa which has always been one of my favourite race tracks,” said Herbert.

“I’ve never competed in the Spa 24 Hours so I’m really looking forward to that aspect as well as competing for United Autosports for the first time and reacquainting myself with Audi.

“I raced an Audi sports-prototype for a number of years. I attended last year’s race for TV and it was good to see my old F1 buddies Mark, Stefan and Eddie all driving again. They did brilliantly well and it’s an absolute privilege for me now to be involved and joining up with these guys.

“On my first test for United Autosports at Snetterton, I sampled the team’s Audi R8 LMS for the very first time and it was just like driving and sitting in my favourite armchair – so smooth and easy to drive and with such nice power delivery. I’m very much looking forward to Spa.”

Meanwhile, United Autosports has also confirmed that Matt Bell, Henri Richard and Richard Meins will also join the driver line-up at Spa this year.

Bell drove for the team in the FIA GT3 European Championship last year and remains with the squad in that series and the British GT Championship in 2011, while both Richard and Meins represented the Anglo-American outfit in the inaugural Intercontinental Le Mans Cup in Zhuhai and China last November.

With Blundell, Cheever, Johansson, Alain Li and Mark Patterson already confirmed to race along with team co-owners Zak Brown and Richard Dean, just one place remains on the United Autosport driver roster for Spa.

“I have known Johnny since we were 13 and racing karts together – I didn’t get the chance to beat him too often – just the once I recall over a 6 year period!” said Dean. “So the opportunity to have him on our side rather than racing against us is a massive relief. If you talk to anybody who has worked with Johnny, or raced in the same team as him, they will tell you he is probably the most naturally talented driver they have ever seen. Adding a British former GP winner to the United Autosports Spa driver line-up underlines our serious desire to improve on our 2010 performance at Spa.

“I am delighted to welcome back Richard and Henri in to our team. They drove together for United Autosports in the Zhuhai Intercontinental Le Mans Cup last November and were immediately on the pace and worked well with the team. They both have 24 hour race experience and so add strength to our line-up.

“Matt is a very exciting prospect. This marks his first 24 hour race but he is intelligent, fit and very fast. I am not concerned whatsoever about his lack of Spa experience as Matt – he will race there in the British GT Championship three weeks before the 24 hour race. He is part of the long term future of this team and I am sure it will become evident why Zak and I rate him so highly.”

Watch the Spa 24 Hours on Motors TV in 2011.


Andy Wilkinson

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