United Autosports signs Hanley as Albuquerque WEC stand-in
United Autosports has announced that Ben Hanley will fill in for Filipe Albuquerque in its World Endurance Championship line-up for two races next year.
Hanley will deputise for Albuquerque in both the Portimao and Monza rounds aboard United's #22 ORECA 07, as the Portuguese driver prioritises his IMSA SportsCar Championship duties for Wayne Taylor Racing.
The Briton will share driving duties with team regular Phil Hanson and one another yet-to-be-announced driver for the two six-hour events.
“Really excited to be joining United Autosports for two WEC races next season," said Hanley. "After a brief test in Portimao where everyone made me feel really welcome, I’m looking forward to working with the team again."
Hanley brings a wealth of LMP2 experience from DragonSpeed, with which he is a race winner in both the European Le Mans Series and IMSA, although he switched to Nielsen Racing for the 2022 ELMS season.
#21 Dragon Speed USA Oreca 07 Gibson: Ben Hanley
Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images
The 37-year-old is also confirmed to be a part of the Algarve Pro Racing-run CrowdStrike Racing effort for the four Michelin Endurance Cup races in IMSA next season.
United team boss Richard Dean added: “Ben is another top-quality addition to our team and shows the level of determination we have to win races in 2023.
"Ben brings speed, experience and a no-nonsense approach to his racing that I love. I have been trying to get Ben in a United race car for quite some time, so we are all delighted to finally have this opportunity to race together.”
United Autosports announced last week that ex-Formula 1 racer Giedo van der Garde will fill in for another member of the team's WEC stable Tom Blomqvist for the Portimao and Monza races in the sister #23 car. The Dutch driver will return to the WEC for the first time in two years and drive alongside Oliver Jarvis and Josh Pierson.
The 6 Hours of Portimao falls on the same weekend as IMSA’s Long Beach event, while WEC’s Monza has a scheduling conflict with IMSA’s visit to Canada.
Peugeot driver Duval warns against axing LMP2 class from WEC
Bahrain Full Access: Episode 4
Daytona 24, Hour 3: Cadillac leads Acura and Porsche
The #01 Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac leads the Acuras of Meyer Shank Racing and Wayne Taylor Racing after three hours of action in the 61st Daytona 24 Hours.
Hughes "happy to feel a nudge" over the line from Evans after Diriyah FE energy shortage
McLaren Formula E driver Jake Hughes says he was "happy to feel a nudge" from Mitch Evans in the Diriyah E-Prix, which pushed him over the finish line for fifth.
Daytona 24, Hour 1: Acura leads, BMW in trouble early
Tom Blomqvist lead the opening hour of the Daytona 24 Hours aboard the Meyer Shank Racing Acura, as BMW became the first of the GTP manufacturers to hit trouble.
F1 champion Button "definitely interested" in NASCAR road course outings
The 2009 Formula 1 World Champion Jenson Button says competing in NASCAR Cup races on road courses is something he is "definitely interested in".
Why the WEC should make space for modern garagistes in 2023
OPINION: There is plenty of excitement over the glut of manufacturers tackling the Hypercar class of the World Endurance Championship this season. The selection committee is set to face headaches over who it decides to admit and who gets turned away from the 2023 entry list, but history tells us that the smaller entrants have a place
Autosport writers' most memorable moments of 2022
The season just gone was a memorable one for many of our staff writers, who are fortunate enough to cover motorsport around the world. Here are our picks of the best (and in some cases, most eventful) from 2022
Is Qatar the price motorsport fans have to pay?
OPINION: Fresh from hosting a controversial 2022 football World Cup, Qatar has added its name to the 2024 World Endurance Championship calendar. Although questions may be asked about its presence on the calendar, is it simply the price to pay for having a healthy racing championship?
How Toyota defeated Alpine for the 2022 WEC title
Toyota #8 trio Brendon Hartley, Sebastien Buemi and Ryo Hirakawa outscored their rivals in the last season before the World Endurance Championship’s top class gets ultra-competitive. Here's how their Hypercar battle with Alpine and the remaining class tussles played out in LMP2, GTE Pro and GTE Am
The long road to convergence for sportscar racing's new golden age
The organisers of the World Endurance Championship and IMSA SportsCar Championship worked together to devise the popular new LMDh rule set. But to turn it from an idea into reality, some serious compromises were involved - both from the prospective LMDh entrants and those with existing Le Mans Hypercar projects...
How Porsche's Le Mans legend changed the game
The 956 set the bar at the dawn of Group C 40 years ago, and that mark only rose higher through the 1980s, both in the world championship and in the US. It and its successor, the longer-wheelbase 962, were voted as Autosport's greatest sportscar in 2020 - here's why
Why BMW shouldn't be overlooked on its return to prototypes
OPINION: While the focus has been on the exciting prospect of Ferrari vs Porsche at the Le Mans 24 Hours next year, BMW’s factory return to endurance racing should not be ignored. It won't be at the French classic next year as it focuses efforts on the IMSA SportsCar Championship, but could be a dark horse in 2024 when it returns to La Sarthe with the crack WRT squad
The problem sausage kerbs continue to cause
Track limits are the problem that motorsport doesn't seem to be able to rid itself of. But the use of so-called 'sausage kerbs' as a deterrent has in several instances only served to worsen the problem, and a growing number of voices want to see action taken
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.