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Paul di Resta gets additional Sebring and Watkins Glen IMSA outings

Ex-Formula 1 driver Paul di Resta will compete for the United Autosports team in another two IMSA SportsCar Championship endurance races this year.

Di Resta made his sportscar debut for the team at the Daytona 24 Hours last month, and will now drive United Autosports' Ligier JSP217 in the Sebring 12 Hours in March as well as July's six-hour Watkins Glen race.

He will team up with fellow ex-F1 driver Bruno Senna and LMP3 graduate Phil Hanson.

In his first LMP2 outing, di Resta was part of the United Autosports crew that finished fourth in January's at Daytona race.

"I'm massively excited to be taking on some more races in IMSA," said di Resta.

"After the success we had in Daytona and what could have been, I've really got the bug for doing more and why not be part of it with United Autosports where it all started.

"It's a new task for the team racing out in America and there's lots going on, but being part of that back in the car alongside Bruno and Phil is great.

"There's plenty of work to do and I'm looking forward to undertaking these two races and seeing what it leads to."

United Autosports team owner Zak Brown added: "It's great to have Paul back with the team for Sebring and Watkins Glen.

"He did a fantastic job at Daytona and really settled into sports car racing so to have him racing alongside Bruno and Phil will only strengthen our campaign out in America."

Di Resta's Sebring and Watkins Glen outings mean his 2018 IMSA campaign will comprise three of the four races that make up the series' North American Endurance Cup.

But he will miss the final race - October's Petit Le Mans - as it clashes with the Hockenheim season finale of the DTM series, where the Scot races for Mercedes.

Team-mate Senna also has a clash for that race weekend, as he is set to race for the Rebellion World Endurance Championship LMP1 outfit at Fuji - following the decision to move the latter event to accommodate new Toyota signing Fernando Alonso.

Zdroj: autosport.com