Team: United Autosports

Class: LMP2

Cars/Drivers:

#32 ORECA 07-Gibson driven by Alex Brundle, Job van Uitert and Will Owen

Background

Without any karting experience, Job began racing at the age of 14 in club races before moving into single-seaters in 2015. "I did three seasons in F4. The first with Provily Racing, then with the Swiss team Jenzer Motorsport in the German and Italian championships. I started winning races in 2016, and the following year I was fighting for the championship. I lost by very little against Markus Armstrong who is in F2 this season. Later on, I wondered what I was going to do. I knew we didn't have the budget to go into F3/GP3 at the time, and endurance racing quickly became the answer. Also, when I was younger, I was fascinated by Le Mans. It was a dream of mine to participate. In single-seaters, I rapidly understood that without karting experience and substantial financial backing, my chances were next to nothing. There were more opportunities in endurance and that is why I chose it."

Achievements

He made his first appearance in endurance racing with British team RLR Msport in the European Le Mans Series and Michelin Le Mans Cup in LMP3. "Going from single-seaters to sports cars can be rather complicated for certain drivers, but I felt comfortable right away. I love long races. I don't make many mistakes, which is a plus. I'm not saying I'm more confident than my colleagues, but I think twice before I head into any maneuver. In endurance racing, it helps to have that mindset." LMP3 champion for his first season at that level, he was noticed by defending champion G-Drive Racing and promoted to LMP2. He reached the top step on the podium in his second race, the 4 Hours of Monza. Though he didn't win the title at the end of the season, he did make his mark at Le Mans for his first 24 Hours. "We lost six hours at the end with a mechanical problem, but otherwise in terms of feeling and atmosphere, it is my favourite racing memory. It was my first night race and my first in front of so many spectators. The Parade was fantastic, with such an enthusiastic crowd. It was crazy. We won't have that this year, and it's really frustrating."

Ambitions

Though the native of Dongen in the Netherlands regrets the absence of spectators this year, he is still determined to win then LMP2 class. "We have a very good group. My teammates Alex (Brundle, Ed.), Will (Owen, Ed.) and I weren't terribly lucky in the last two rounds of the ELMS, but the sister car (#22 ORECA 07-Gibson driven by Albuquerque/di Resta/Hanson, Ed.) got the job done. I think we will be quite competitive and victory is the objective. If we get to the finish with no problems, we can hope for a top 5. Even a podium finish if the Rebellions take too many risks going after Toyota. We'll see, but the number one goal is winning the LMP2 class!" And eventually go after the overall win.