Joe Osborne the Olney based racing driver got the perfect start to his 2012 season with a victory in the prestigious Dubai 24 hour race this weekend.   Osborne (22) had been sharing his driving duties with 3 team mates and was driving a very familiar car, the British built Ginetta G50 in which he won the European GT4 championship in 2009.

The winning car of the SP3 class in the 2012 Dubai 24 Hour

There were over 70 cars on the grid as Joe started the race at 2pm, the mercury had risen to 32c and a cockpit temperature hitting the mid 50c’s. With 20 cars in the same class and 40 faster cars in other classes the challenge facing Osborne and his team was significant!  As the lights turned to green on the 7^th running of the Dubai 24 hour race, Joe made up 8 places on the first lap putting him on the rear bumper of the class leader the Lotus Evora GT4. The next 5 hours proved to be a real roller-coaster ride where the car was involved in two accidents which were fortunately not significant and the team managed to repair very quickly with some great work.  At the worst point in the race the car had dropped to 55^th place overall and 10^th in class.

With these incidents behind them Osborne and the other 3 drivers started to put in some quick consistent lap times and slowly the no 116 Ginetta G50 started to climb the timing screens.  By the early hours the remarkable climb had seen the car establish a 6 lap lead in class and claim 20^th position overall.  The Optimum Motorsport run car continued to run faultlessly with pits stops every 1hour and 45 minutes for a driver change and refuelling.  As the car finished its 560^th lap of the Dubai Autodrome to claim victory by 11 laps over the 2^nd placed Black Falcon BMW M3, 19 laps over the 3^rd placed GC Automobile squad and take an impressive 14^th place overall.

“I can’t quite believe it. We really have caused a bit of an upset here, a small team with a unproven car over 24hours. This win is defiantly a team effort, the guys did an amazing job with the repairs that kept us in the race. I don’t think they made one mistake in any of the 15 pit stops.  The other drivers have been perfect.  A win is a perfect catalyst to kick start my 2012 season”  Said a jubilant Osborne.

From right to left George Murrels, Lee Mowle, Gary Simms and Joe Osborne

Osborne now switches his attention to his already confirmed 2012 British GT deal. “I’m looking forward to getting in the Porsche GT3 RS, it really is one of the best cars I’ve ever driven. I’m driving with good gentleman driver in Steve Tandy.  I will be coaching Steve on plenty of track days to get Steve 100% ready for the season.” added Osborne.  Joe will take the wheel of the Porsche for the first time in the middle of March when his team Trackspeed Racing head to Spain to start their winter testing campaign ahead of the 1^st round at Oulton Park (Cheshire) on the 7^th of April.

British Youngster Joins United Autosports’ 2011 FIA GT3 Euro Campaign

• Joe Osborne steps up for full European season to co-drive with Mark Patterson
• “Sister” Audi R8 LMS entry remains unchanged for Zak Brown and Matt Bell
• Audi’s only official Anglo-American “customer” team determined to build on maiden 2010 season

Exciting young British sportscar prospect Joe Osborne has been snapped up by the Anglo-American United Autosports team for a full FIA GT3 European Championship campaign next year.

Osborne, aged 21, embarks on his first full GT3 season next May* after sporadic outings in British GT4 and FIA GT3 Euro this year. He will co-drive an Audi R8 LMS with Mark Patterson, the American who tied equal second with 2010 United Autosports co-driver Michael Guasch (USA) in the FIA championship’s Audi Manufacturer’s Cup.

Meanwhile United Autosports’ Chairman & Co-Owner Zak Brown (USA) continues for a second consecutive year driving the “sister” Audi with Matthew Bell, the Briton who celebrated his 21st birthday last month (Nov 5).

Osborne won the 2004 British Junior Kart TKM Championship before moving in to single-seaters courtesy of a scholarship from Formula BMW UK but budget constraints obliged Joe to switch his attention to sports cars, winning the European GT4 Championship last year.

Joe, who was made a British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) Rising Star in 2009, made his FIA GT3 European Championship début this year, contesting three rounds and recording two top-five finishes (Silverstone & Jarama) in a Porsche 911 GT3R.

United Autosports has already announced a two-car Audi entry in the 2011 British GT Championship with Bell and Guasch linking up with Audi’s former British Touring Car Championship race winner John Bintcliffe (England) co-driving with fellow Yorkshireman Jay Palmer (England). Draper Tools will be a team partner for both the FIA and BGT campaigns.

(ends)

* Assumes 2011 FIA GT3 European Championship begins in May.

Joe Osborne (GB). Age: 21. Born: Bedford, England. Lives: Olney, Buckinghamshire, England:
“I’m excited to be joining United Autosports and very much looking forward to racing the Audi R8 LMS. It was on the wrong side of the Balance of Performance calculations until the final four races this year so I’m hopeful we’ll be competitive from the first race next season. I will have a pre-season testing program for the first time in my career which I’m already itching to start.

“It was my intention to race with United Autosports in 2010 but couldn’t raise the funds. However, seeing them in action this season confirmed what I already knew in that it is an ultra-professional outfit. I know many of the guys from my Ginetta days over the past three years and they have the same drive and passion to win as me – the single most critical thing.

“The European Championship is the premier GT3 series in the world and provides some of the best GT racing with so many manufacturers making it of huge interest to competitors and spectators. Racing on the very best European tracks in a series that offers ‘live’ television for sponsors just emphasizes the professionalism of the series.”

Mark Patterson (USA). Age: 58. Born: Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Lives: Bronxville, N.Y., USA:
“The prospect of a second season in the European GT3 series with United Autosports thrills me. The series is loaded with good drivers, competitive teams, sexy looking race cars, a big league promotional organizer with an excellent sense of high profile marketeering [SRO] and an authoritative overseer in the form of the FIA. That’s a perfect skeleton, so throw in a series of new and established rock ‘n roll race tracks, there’s more than enough meat on those bones to have a racing party. It’s serious, it’s fun and it’s very competitive.”

Matthew Bell (GB). Age: 20. Lives: Barningham nr Richmond, North Yorkshire, England:
“2011 is shaping up to be a very busy year for me! A second consecutive full season in the European GT3 series as well as contesting the BGT will mean I am in the car a lot more often than I was this year which should help me build on my experience I gained in my first year of GT3 racing.

“I will be aiming for championship honors. Next season United Autosports and I will be a lot better prepared. I am currently doing the Formula Renault Winter Cup Series to gain as much experience as I can and that combined with a good pre-season testing schedule will be the perfect preparation for what I expect to be a very competitive and exciting 2011 campaign.”

Zak Brown (USA). Driver, Chairman, Co-Owner United Autosports:
“It’s great to have Joe joining us which completes what I believe will be a very competitive two-car line-up for us in the European series. Both cars have good driver combos and I’m expecting both to be fighting for podium placings. We’ve just finished what has been a fantastic début year and all credit goes to Richard and the team he’s built. We had a very tough start to the 2010 season but it was amazing how quickly we improved and by midyear we were leading races and routinely on the podium. Race wins are just right around the corner.”

Richard Dean (GB), Managing Director & Co-Owner of United Autosports:
“Joe deserves this chance. I am a big fan of his after working with him when he won the 2009 European GT4 Championship. He will be a perfect ‘fit’ for Mark and indeed the entire team. Our FIA championship line-up for 2011 is very strong. Next season the combination of experienced, ultra-competitive second year drivers in Mark and Zak paired with two young, very quick, drivers in Joe and Matt is a perfect scenario. Our maiden 2010 was new in every way; team, cars, drivers, championship and circuits. Despite this we still managed front row and podium placings. 2011 promises to be very exciting as we will be better prepared from the green light in the opening race as well as highly motivated!”

(ends)

* A comprehensive library of Editorial Copyright Free photographs can be downloaded at www.flickr.com/unitedautosports

Date of issue: Monday December 6 2010

For further information, please contact:
Martyn Pass, Communications Director
United Autosports
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Joe Osborne the current European GT4 Champion and BRDC Rising Star achieved an impressive maiden qualifying and race result in the first round of the FIA GT3 European Championship this weekend at the new Silverstone Arena Circuit.  The 21 year old signed a late deal with Belgian based Muehlner Motorsport and drove the new Porsche 911 GT3 R for the first time on Friday morning.  With less than 25 laps of testing Osborne went on to dominate the first qualifying session occupying pole position for the majority of the session.  With a rapidly drying track Joe reclaimed pole with less than a minute remaining only to have his last flying lap compromised by traffic and to finish 4^th.  Muehlner Motorsport boss Bernhard Muehlner was full of praise for his new driver saying “Joe has really impressed me and the whole team by his professional and mature approach.  I am delighted to have such an exciting young driver on board.  If this weekend is anything to go by we have a real chance of competing for the championship this season”. Osborne is to be partnered with experienced FIA GT3 pilot Gilles Vannelet who had his qualifying run affected by a red flag and finished in 18^th for race 2.

Osborne made a confident start to race 1 and quickly settled into the race matching the experienced Porsche Supercup driver Siso Cunill.  Despite intermittent traction control problems Osborne drove a faultless first stint and handed the car over to his French team mate in 3^rd place.   The experienced Vannelet was quickly on the pace but came under pressure from the 18 Corvette and the 87 Ferrari.  He drove a great defensive race but was eventually passed by both cars and bought the car in for an impressive 5^th place finish.  Osborne commented “I am really pleased with the result; everything has gone really well so far.  The team, car and team mate have been great and coming into the weekend we were looking for a top 10 finish so I am very happy with 5^th place”.

Vannelet made good progress in race 2 and was soon making progress from 18^th on the grid and handed over to Joe in 13th.  After a delayed pit stop Osborne was quickly continuing Gilles good work and was setting some of the fastest lap times on track and had climbed to 9^th with around 10 minutes remaining.   With a 6^th or 5^th place looking possible Osborne suffered a puncture and managed to get the car back to the pits for a new tyre.  Although Osborne was straight back on the pace time was running out and had to settle for a frustrating 16^th place.  With the 10 points from race 1 the Anglo-French pairing are 7^th in the championship.

The team head to the Czech Republic for rounds 3 and 4 on the 22/23^rd May.

Photo credit: Jakob Ebrey

After leading the championship all season Joe finally managed to secure the GT4 European title with a race to spare.  With yet another car change Joe was driving a brand new Ginetta G50 which had only done 10 shake down laps before being transported down to the Algarve circuit.

As with all of the circuits that Joe has raced at this year the Algarve was a brand new circuit that had to be learnt in double quick time.  Fortunately he was being supported by two great engineers from the Ginetta factory Paul and Simmy and with further back up from life time friend and mechanical genius Johnny Nabbs.

After an impressive qualifying session which netted a 2^nd and a 1^st on the Saturday, the first part of the task was complete.  Race 1. On the rolling lap the task became a lot easier as the main challenger experienced electrical problems and failed to make the start.  Joe had a great start and maintained 2^nd place behind the BMW M3.  The pressure was still on as the next closest rival was in 3^rd place in the impressive Aston Martin.  With a successful pit stop completed the news came though that the Aston Martin had a mechanical problem and was out of the race.  This now meant that it was possible for Joe to win the championship in the first race, all he had to do was finish one place behind in the BMW.  With no immediate pressure from the 3^rd placed car Joe was able to stop pushing so hard and concentrate on bringing the car home safe and sound which he did in 2^nd place to win the 2009 championship.

Zolder – Belguim 22^nd August

Following a perfect start to rounds 9 & 10 by securing two pole positions the race results didn’t live up to expectations but despite this Osborne left the Belguim circuit at Zolder still leading the championship by 6 points. Joe was sharing the Team LNT Ginetta G50 with a new driver partner works Ginetta driver Nigel Moore. The pair had raced together last season in British GT to great effect scoring a first at the Thruxton round. The race problem was with the starts as in race 1 Nigel was jumped by the rest of the grid and was running in 8^th after the first lap. Both drivers put in great performances and managed to recover to an impressive 4^th place. In race 2 Joe made a great get away only to suffer brake problems into turn 1 and as in race 1 dropped places to around 8^th.

Yet again both drivers put in stunning lap times and recovered to 5^th place by the end of the race. These results secured a vital 9 points which combined with his rivals suffering reliability problems leaves Joe ahead in the standings as the GT4 European Cup grid heads off to the Algarve for the final 2 rounds and the chance of finally securing the European championship.

Rounds 7 & 8 in Belgium at the 7 km Grand Prix Circuit of Spa were always going to be tough as the Ginetta G50 would struggle against the heavier but more powerful competition such as the BMW M3, Porsche 911 and Aston Martin N24. The two races at Spa were a damage limitation exercise and to end the weekend with the 7 point lead maintained which was a great result.

Our new team GCR performed really well and worked really hard over the weekend to ensure that the car ran without problems. Saturday’s race was full of twists and turns right to the end with the two BMW M3’s running in first and second as they started the last lap. Fortunately from a points position there was a coming together resulting in a DNF for both drivers.

A final position of 4^th and a 7^th place in race two were enough to secure a vital 7 points from the weekend and maintain the all important championship lead. On to Zolder with races on the 21^st & 22nd August.

As the cars formed on the grid for Race 1 the dark clouds decided to empty their contents. Scenes of frantic activity ensued as the teams prepared the cars for a tyre change. Joe as the pole sitter elected to stay on slicks as did the car in second place, where as the majority of the grid went for wets. With the rain stopping Joe and the team were confident the track would dry before the half way mark leaving the slick runners with the advantage. Dropping to 12^th on the first lap Joe battled with difficult conditions and a track that was refusing to dry. The team and driver opted to take the pit stop at the earliest opportunity in order to maximise any improvements in the drying track. Finally with 25 minutes of the 40 minute race gone Joe’s lap times finally started to fall. Moving rapidly through the wet shod cars Joe managed to progress through to 6^th setting the fastest lap of the race on the way. Unfortunately time was not on our side and this was to be the final position for Osborne’s number 52 Ginetta G50. Despite the disappointing result the points situation was looking much better as Joe’s closest rival finished 5^th gaining only 1 more point. Joe commented “I couldn’t believe how slowly the track was drying as in free practice on Friday with a similar amount of rain it took about 10 minutes to dry. Once the track started to dry my times really stated to improve but we needed another 5 minutes.”

Joe’s 100% record of qualifying on pole was maintained this weekend at rounds 5 and 6 at Oschersleben in Germany. Despite the Ginetta G50 being given even more penalties in order to slow the car down Joe still managed to out qualify an impressive field including current GT3 leader Maxime Martin in a Porsche 911.

Another great race in the G50Z. With 10 laps to go I’d managed to get the car up to to third behind the Mosler and Ascari. It was neck and neck but with 5 laps to go I dived up the inside of the Mosler at the hairpin. A few laps later I lunged into the last corner and past the Ascari. Depite the Ascari’s pace on corner one I held on to the lead for my second vistory of the weekend.

Update: I’m pleased to announce I’ve been awarded the Sunoco Driver of the Weekend award!