United Autosports Collects Its Audis
And Signs Mark Patterson

The newly-formed United Autosports has become the first team to receive its two 2010-spec Audi R8 LMS and has also announced a revised driver lineup for the FIA GT3 season.

The 2010 car features numerous revisions over the highly-successful 2009 version: Certain details of the chassis and suspension have been revised. The capacity of the engine’s cooling system has been improved even further so that the R8 LMS can also be used in extreme ambient temperatures without any problems. The complex electronics as well as the exhaust system have been optimized for use in racing. The newly developed six-speed racing transmission is particularly maintenance-friendly. It allows wearing parts to be inspected through an opening in the housing. The transmission does not have to be dismantled for this purpose.   
 
"During our evolution project we primarily focused on service life and maintenance-friendliness," explained Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. "All the experience we gathered last season with the help of our partners has been fed into the evolution-version. We’re convinced that we’re handing over a reliable and easy to handle vehicle to our customers that embodies the high quality standards of the Audi brand."

With Henri Richard now unable to join the team in Europe due to business commitments, team owners Zak Brown and Richard Dean have found a very useful and experienced replacement in the form of Grand-Am veteran Mark Patterson, who pairs up with Michael Guasch.
 
“I’m very excited to be driving for this incredible new US team,” said Patterson, who has signed a two-year deal with United Autosports. “The FIA GT3 European series features competitive, spectacular looking cars with Audi heading the field.

“My knowledge of US tracks is deep but in Europe, except for Spa, it’s quite shallow. So getting up to speed on these challenging tracks will be exciting. I’ve been peddling a 2,250 lb, 500 hp, sequential shift Daytona Prototype around for the past five years so I can currently only imagine the luxury of a meticulously built and beautifully balanced Audi R8 LMS with paddle shifters!”

“Mark is a strong addition to United Autosports," said Brown. "With his impressive background in sportscar racing, he will make great contributions to our 2010 campaign. I’m thrilled to have him as a team-mate and I look forward to racing with him.”

“Being an American and extremely accomplished in both a race car and in business, Mark is the perfect profile for United Autosports and our FIA GT3 Championship programme,” added Dean. “To achieve at this level in both arenas is an obvious sign of a competitive nature. Mark is a proven winner in Grand Am and has now set Europe and the FIA series as his next personal challenge.

Patterson (r) and Ozi Negri celebrate winning the Supercar Life 250 at New jersey Motorsports Park in 2008

“Henri had to pull out due to work commitments, which was a great shame, but we’ve come out of this very well with the signing of Mark. There is huge interest around our new team and the Audi R8 LMS which meant we had a long list of candidates to choose from.”

Audi Sport, meanwhile, has announced that the 2010 production run of the R8 LMS has already sold out. United Autosports will be joined on the FIA GT3 grid by Audis from German teams Black Falcon and Team Rosberg.