- Swede trials United Autosports LMP2 car in Portugal
- Multiple single-seater winner enjoys first taste of prototype racing
Joel Granfors completed a successful maiden test in sports car racing this week with a run for Anglo-American outfit United Autosports at the Portimão circuit in Portugal.
Granfors slotted into the team’s ORECA 07 LMP2 car, which took victory in class at the legendary Le Mans 24 Hours earlier this year, as the Swede acquainted himself with prototype racing for the very first time.
A race winner and championship contender in British Formula 4, GB3 and America’s USF Pro 2000 series alike, 19-year-old Granfors has a pedigree background in single-seater racing that also includes winning the Scandinavian Formula Nordic and Aquila Formula 1000 championships.
Eager to explore further career opportunities after sitting on the sidelines so far in 2024, Granfors proved quickly up to speed in the closed-cockpit, 600-bhp LMP2 car as well, completing a series of encouraging runs at the Algarve International Circuit as he began exploring the traits of sports car machinery.
“I’ve really enjoyed my first test in LMP2, and in sports car racing at large,” says Joel Granfors. “I haven’t done any racing this year as we’re evaluating the next steps in my career, so getting this run with United Autosports has been a great experience.
“It was good to be back behind the wheel and I think it went really well. It basically drives like a single-seater – although it’s hotter inside! – and it only took my a few laps to get comfortable and up to speed.
“I really want to thank the team for this opportunity to explore sports car racing, which is a new world to me but certainly something I’d love to try out in the future.”
Co-owned by McLaren CEO Zak Brown and former racing driver Richard Dean, United Autosports is a sports car team competing globally in various championships across the world, including the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), European Le Mans Series (ELMS) and America’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
The team has won numerous championship titles and races, notably taking two Le Mans 24 Hours class wins (in 2020 and 2024) in the LMP2 category. In its 15-year existence, it has fielded drivers such as Fernando Alonso, Lando Norris, Paul di Resta and Juan Pablo Montoya.
GALLERY: Joel’s test in pictures
“Joel was impressive during his first run in the ORECA LMP2 car,” says United Autosports managing director Max Gregory. “It didn’t take him many laps at all to get down to a competitive lap time – all at a circuit that was new to him and in a totally new car. His approach to the test was mature beyond his years and we hope to see him back in a United Autosports LMP2 soon!”
After dominating the domestic junior categories in his native Sweden, Joel Granfors began his voyage in international motorsport in 2021, instantly becoming a race winner in British Formula 4.
A year later, as a rookie, he finished second overall to Britain’s Luke Browning in the 2022 GB3 Championship. In 2023, he contested a partial season in USF Pro 2000 in the USA, winning at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and finishing second in his first-ever oval race.
Granfors, whose younger brother Linus clinched this year’s GB4 Championship title in Britain, continues to evaluate options for the next steps of his racing career.
Further information:
United Autosports