BELL AND PATTERSON IN LMP3 ATTACK

British GT ace Matt Bell will move into the European Le Mans Series this year to spearhead United Autosports’ assault on the LMP3 category.

Bell will be reunited with his former driving partner Mark Patterson to campaign the Anglo-american squad’s new Nissan-powered Ligier JS P3 in the full ELMS. Bell and Patterson last raced together full-time in British GT in 2013, when they narrowly missed the title.

The pair will be joined by an as-yetunnamed third driver, who will be silver-graded to match Bell’s gold and Patterson’s bronze status.

“It’s great to be back with United Autosports and Mark,” said the 26-yearold from Newcastle, the younger brother of Le Mans racer Rob Bell. “I started my career with the team in 2010 and we’ve had some great seasons together. I took UA’S maiden podium and their maiden win so I just need to win their first championship and I can complete the set!

“This will be my first foray into prototype racing and I’m excited to get my hands on a new type of car. Mark already has plenty of experience in prototypes [through racing in the Daytona 24 Hours] so I hope his knowledge can help to fast-track my learning curve.”

United Autosports managing director Richard Dean added that the search for the correctly graded third driver was still underway: “Mark and Matt are an incredible pairing. We are sorting through a list of exceptional drivers to select the right silver-graded driver to ensure we have the strongest possible LMP3 line-up.”