Though he will not return to the FIA WEC following his GTE AM title win in 2023, the 2024 race season is shaping up nicely for Ben Keating stateside.
The Texan, who also won the IMSA LMP2 class title with PR1 Mathiasen last season, was hot property ahead of the 2024 IMSA entry list announcement. It therefore shouldn’t come as a surprise that a team with the pedigree of United Autosports would be so keen to obtain his signature for its maiden full-season campaign in LMP2.
The deal was done early, with Keating signed up in August, before having his seat fit with United at Bahrain in the paddock after the WEC season finale.
This year, Keating will defend his LMP2 title with Ben Hanley for the full season. The duo will be joined by Nico Pino for the endurance races and Pato O’Ward for Daytona. It’s a head-turning line-up, and one that should be a force all season long. Keating has already shown his capabilities in a United ORECA and Rolex 24 race week has only just begun, taking pole position for the 24 Hours yesterday in his first Qualifying session as a United driver.
“There are a lot of thoughts going through my head,” Keating says when asked about his thoughts on stepping away from WEC and focusing on a new programme with United.
“I got fed up with the politics of BoP and left GTD in IMSA specifically to come to WEC because I loved the way the GTE Pro and Am classes worked, as the Am class raced with the previous year’s GTE Pro cars so you always had an entire year of data to work with. It meant you didn’t have big swings in BoP, you were allowed to be a fast driver.
“That meant that I spent the last three years doing both IMSA and WEC, but doing LMP2 in IMSA because it’s basically a spec class.
“I’ve really enjoyed my time in WEC but the fact is that I have many businesses and a family. Right now I’m spending four months of my year at a racetrack. So I’m really looking forward to doing one full season this time.”
Despite Keating scaling back his efforts, following the end of the GTE era in the FIA WEC, he remains just as motivated to compete. This is evident by the surprise addition of a GTP programme with JDC-Miller to run alongside his LMP2 effort with United.
“Racing to me is the ultimate getaway,” he explains. “It’s like taking a sabbatical and going to the desert without cell phone signal. When you’re racing you don’t have any choice but to be present and concentrate on what’s in front of you.
“My phone might be ringing off the hook, people might be wanting my attention, but at a racetrack, I’m not looking at my phone or emails. You can’t be worried about anything else behind the wheel. Being focused on one particular thing for hours at a time, with one job to do, is relaxing!
“My personality is that if a little is good, then more is better. If I’m having a good time doing something I enjoy, I have a hard time limiting myself! My drug of choice is driving race cars, except it’s not illegal, it’s more socially acceptable, and I am lucky to be able to afford to do it.
“I’ve just had the most magical season you can imagine, winning titles in IMSA and the WEC. I get so tired by the end of the season, but by the time January comes around I am ready to go.”
So where did the relationship with United come from? Why did Keating decide to defend his title with a new team?
“I have been with PR1 for the past four years. I did a full season in 2021 and 2023, and won the title both years, then in 2022, I won the Endurance Cup with them. I have nothing but good things to say about the team, they are family to me.
“So, it hasn’t been easy to move on, but we won everything we set out to win. It’s difficult to make a change, but having said that because I have qualified on pole often, kept the car clean and brought the car back to the box in the lead in many races, I am the pretty girl everyone wants to take to the dance!
It hasn’t been easy to move on, but we won everything we set out to win
“At various points, teams like TDS and APR have asked if I will drive for them, and United did too. And in the past, I have said ‘I love where I am’ because of the relationship I have with PR1. They bring more money to the table, they make it cheaper for me to be there, which is attractive.
“But, Richard (Dean, co-owner of United Autosports) was smart, the smartest of all the suiters this past year because he found my motivation. My business is selling cars, and I teach to my salespeople that it’s key to find out what is important to the customer. And for me it’s Le Mans in 2024. At the time when we were talking, it looked impossible to earn an automatic entry in IMSA, and I knew LMP2 is only going to have 15 spots, down from more than 20.
“When I look at the teams most likely to get an entry, United is there. Richard came to me and said ‘hey, you’re on the fence about IMSA, but clearly PR1 isn’t going to get an entry to Le Mans. And even if they did they don’t have the structure to do well in Europe.’ So he said, ‘I can’t promise you an entry, but if I get one I will give you the first option on it?’ That’s what sealed it for me.”
As a result, Keating’s conversation with Bobby (Oergel, the owner of PR1) was tough. He explained the situation, that he wished to race at Le Mans for a 10th time in a row (in a ninth different car!).
Beyond his hopes of competing at Le Mans, Keating is really looking forward to the competition in IMSA’s LMP2 class during 2024. With LMP3 removed from the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, LMP2 has seen a boost in the number of entries. The full-season list is 11 cars strong and features an array of high-quality teams.
This is something that Keating feels will improve both the racing and the championship battle.
“The rules in IMSA are such that you get points even if you crash out, and because of the safety cars and the way they work, there isn’t much endurance racing, you just have to keep it clean,” Keating concludes.
“However, with more cars, it changes the dynamic of a season. Instead of having six cars in the race, we will have more than 10. When you have only six cars, you score for sixth place if you wreck your car, so the penalty isn’t that great. What I love about having more cars is that there’s a big penalty for a bad race, the points gap is big.
“So the key finally is that you must remain consistent. Winning the title will be more rewarding than ever before.”
Photo credits: IMSA, United Autosports
