The #2 United Autosports ORECA, driven by Phil Fayer, Hunter McElrea, and Mikkel Jensen, claimed LMP2 class victory at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, a first win at the event for the United Autosports USA team.
After a disappointing 10th-place finish in class just weeks ago at Daytona for the #2 crew, the team bounced back with a come-from-behind victory, expertly navigated both by their drivers and strategy team.
Starting in eighth, the first stint of the race with Bronze driver Phil Fayer at the wheel was uneventful after a clean start, until a poorly timed caution caught them out just as they made their first scheduled stop of the race.
Rather than adding the emergency splash of fuel and taking the customary drive-through penalty, the team opted for more than emergency service and was handed a ‘Stop +60-seconds’ penalty as a result.
Things went from bad to worse for the #2, which was also penalised for speeding in the closed pit lane, with a separate stop-and-go penalty to serve. All of that sent them to the bottom of the LMP2 standings, laps down from the leading pack for the following three hours of the race.
The team turned a corner, unlapping themselves during the two cautions around the four-hour mark by staying out twice and not pitting alongside the LMP2 leaders.
Fayer put in the majority of his mandatory drive time while laps down. Hunter McElrea began cutting through the field after coming in for his second stint in the car, moving up into the top five.
A full-course yellow with four hours remaining put the team back on the lead lap and on a comparable strategy with the leaders in fifth position, and with Sebring veteran Mikkel Jensen at the wheel, it took less than twenty minutes to close up to the leading #99 AO Racing car.
Two pit cycles later, it was McElrea steadily challenging for the lead, with the other United Autosports USA car of Rasmus Lindh never far behind.
During the short yellow caution from the #16 Myers Riley Motorsports car wrecking with an hour and a half on the clock, Jensen took the wheel once again for the final run up to the checkered flag. Paul Di Resta in the #22 United Autosports was 2.7 seconds back of Jensen when the race went back to green.
In the final hour, the United Autosports cars were in a league of their own, matching lap times and never more than three seconds apart in the top two positions. There were several close calls during the ensuing battle, including some contact.
When the LMP2 field made their final pit stops, the #22 fitted a new rear clip and tyres, at a cost, as the #2 retained the lead after refuelling.
Despite coming out of the pits with debris attached, Di Resta in the #22 wasn’t out of contention just yet. With the late caution, the two cars were back in touching distance, but Jenson ultimately bested the sister car, winning by 1.2 seconds in the end.
“I loved every minute of it,” said Phil Fayer in the post-race press conference. “The race started a little bit difficult, but I loved every minute behind the wheel. Sebring is such a special track.”
The Canadian driver made his IMSA debut just last year at his home track, Mosport, after 20 years away from racing. This marks his first victory in the series in his second race with this new #2 car driver lineup.
Mikkel Jensen is an established Sebring juggernaut in IMSA, winning back-to-back races here in the 2021 and 2022 seasons with PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports, and taking three consecutive podiums in the last three years with TDS Racing, the most recent two being alongside teammate Hunter McElrea.
“Winning Sebring is amazing, to be with Hunter, we did it in the past years together, but now we’re here with Phil. It’s just a good win on top of a tough Daytona,” said Jensen.
“The track just gets different every year, more bumps arriving. It gets fixed in places, some not. You always experience new bumps when you go off the line passing a GT,” he says. “It’s always a challenge at night at the end when you have to find your way through traffic and find your competitors at the same time.”
Suffice it to say, the #2 car did alright for itself amongst traffic in the dark hours late in the race, keeping its nose (mostly) clean with no major damage as it fought with the #22 car.
“Endurance has been a new journey for me, something that obviously I wasn’t used to. I probably understand I’m in a very lucky position to have won almost half the races I’ve done in IMSA. It’s probably not normal (smiling). Just lucky to be beside such a strong driver to learn from,” said Kiwi Hunter McElrea, who began his career down the IndyCar and open wheel route, before transitioning to compete in the Michelin Endurance Cup with TDS in 2024 and 2025.
“On top of that, to be next to Phil, too, without him none of us would be sitting here. First Sebring, first win. It’s not possible without him making zero mistakes, executing his stints, giving us a good car.”
The #22 United Autosports USA car finished second after the prolonged inter-team battle, a fantastic result for the team on both sides of the garage.
“Yeah, team effort. Obviously hats off to United. The car came alive right when we needed it to. Very happy to be sitting here and finally get this win.”
It will be a while until we see the ORECA LMP2 07s again, with three GTP and GT-only events to follow Sebring. The battle for the class championship picks up at Watkins Glen International on June 25-28 for the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen, where the United Autosports team will look to defend their victory last year with the #22 car.
Pics Jack Webster/ DSC
