United Autosports USA delivered a landmark performance in the Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) class at the 12 Hours of Sebring, executing a commanding one-two finish led by the No. 2 ORECA LMP2 07 of Hunter McElrea, Mikkel Jensen and Phil Fayer.
In a dramatic run to the flag, Jensen guided the No. 2 entry to class victory by a margin of just 0.510 seconds over the sister No. 22 United Autosports machine, driven in its closing stages by Paul Di Resta. The result secured a breakthrough Sebring triumph for the No. 2 crew and underlined the team’s strength with its first-ever one-two finish in IMSA competition.
The victory marked a significant milestone for both McElrea and Fayer, with the pair celebrating their maiden Sebring wins, while continuing a strong run of form for McElrea and Jensen. The duo has now claimed victory in three of the last four LMP2 races, stretching back to their time competing together in 2025 before joining United Autosports for the 2026 campaign.
“You come back every year, you want to repeat this thing,” said Jensen, who now boasts three Sebring class victories from seven starts. “It’s an amazing race. There’s so much going on out there.
“It’s unbelievable how the GTs are trying to use us to play their game against the competitors. It’s actually the hardest thing here, I would say.
“Then 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. 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.
“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.”
Rounding out the LMP2 podium was the No. 8 Tower Motorsports ORECA LMP2 07 of Tristan Vautier, John Farano and Sebastian Alvarez, which remained a consistent contender inside the top five throughout the race.
In the GTP class, Earl Bamber came agonisingly close to a podium finish in the No. 31 Cadillac Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R, falling just half a second short after a hard-fought 12-hour contest. Sharing the car with Frederik Vesti and Jack Aitken, the trio remained firmly in podium contention throughout but ultimately had to settle just outside the top three in a tightly contested finish.
Fellow Kiwi Scott Dixon crossed the line in fifth place in the Acura Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-06 alongside co-drivers Tom Blomqvist and Colin Braun, with both crews competing in the highly competitive GTP category.
The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship continues next month with the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 17–18, while LMP2 competitors return to action at Watkins Glen International on June 25–27.
Header Image: United Autosports USA
