United Adds Sato, Ugran to No. 22 Lineup

United Autosports has added Marino Sato and Filip Ugran to its lineup for the No. 22 Oreca 07 Gibson in the European Le Mans Series.

Sato and Ugran will be teaming up with Ben Hanley for the six-round European series, which kicks off at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on April 14.

Japanese racer Sato remains with the Anglo-American squad for a second consecutive ELMS campaign, having taken three overall race victories in his debut season en route to second in the championship.

The 24-year-old will dovetail his ELMS commitments with a role in United’s FIA World Endurance Championship LMGT3 effort, piloting a McLaren 720S GT3 Evo.

“A big thank you to everyone around me for continuous support and to the team for believing in me,” said Sato.

“I’m very happy to be back in ELMS especially with United Autosports and super happy to add this to my calendar alongside my WEC campaign with United and McLaren.

“The field looks really strong with the few new teams and a lot of strong drivers but we are ready to give everything.

“We just missed out on winning the title last season so the target is really clear for us. Can’t wait to get this started!”

Ugran, meanwhile, returns to ELMS for the first time since he joined Algarve Pro Racing for the final two rounds of 2022.

This past season, he moved to join Prema’s LMP2 effort in WEC and took home a pair of fourth-place finishes in class alongside Bent Viscaal and Juan Manuel Correa.

“I am really excited to join United Autosports – they have such a strong track record in the European Le Mans Series,” said Ugran.

“My teammates Ben and Marino both have winning experience in the ELMS too, so I’m going to make the most of this opportunity, learn all I can from them and hopefully have a great season together in the No. 22.”

The complete lineup for United’s second Pro car remains yet to be confirmed, with Filipe Albuquerque the sole announced driver thus far.

“We finished 2023 in such a strong position, with three wins from six races,” said Dean. “But we missed out on the championship.

“That one really hurt, but now we are refocussed, re-energised and hungrier than ever to reclaim our title and I am confident these talented drivers can help us achieve just that.”