Juan Pablo Montoya will make his 24 Hours of Le Mans début in June, sharing the wheel of United Autosports’ #32 Ligier JS P217 with Will Owen and Hugo de Sadeleer.

The Colombian has solid experience of both formula and endurance racing. He claimed the Champ Car title in 1999 before winning the Indianapolis 500 for the first time the following year, and then spending six years in Formula One (entering 95 Grand Prix for Williams BMW and McLaren Mercedes). He won a total of seven Grand Prix, including Monaco in 2003. He then returned to the United States where he competed in Nascar (one win) and the IndyCar Series, clinching the Indianapolis 500 for a second time in 2015.

Although he will be making his Le Mans début, Montoya is no novice when it comes to endurance. He is already a three-time winner of the 24 Hours of Daytona, triumphing in 2007, 2008 and 2013. He is also involved in the Acura programme in this year’s WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with Team Penske. The 42-year-old is delighted to join the 24 Hours of Le Mans adventure. “I’m very excited about the opportunity to experience Le Mans and I’m looking forward to joining United Autosports after they had such a strong finish at Le Mans last year. I’ve always watched the race so I’m very happy to finally be part of it. Hopefully we can have a shot at a win.”

Richard Dean, Team Owner and Managing Director of United Autosports is equally thrilled to have the Colombian on board. “I watched Juan Pablo race against us at Daytona this year and was so impressed by him through the traffic; he definitely hasn’t lost any of his speed or determination. He’s a great character so I have no doubt that he will fit into the team well at Le Mans. Although it will be his first Le Mans venture, he has a vast amount of racing experience, including wins at the Monaco Grand Prix and the Indy 500. I’m looking forward to welcoming Juan Pablo to the team.”

United Autosports finished fourth in LMP2 at the 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans. The outfit, also competing in the European Le Mans Series, is entering two Ligier JS P217s in this year's race. The #32 of Montoya, Owen and de Sadeleer will be joined on the grid by the #22 in the hands of Phil Hanson and experienced former Audi works driver Filipe Albuquerque. The third driver is yet to be confirmed. 

Quotes courtesy of team press release

Photo by MPS Agency/Pascal Saivet