Juan Pablo Montoya Heading To Le Mans With United Autosports

Juan Pablo Montoya has won the Monaco Grand Prix. He’s won two NASCAR Cup races, the Indianapolis 500 (twice), and the 24 Hours of Daytona three times. He even won the Race of Champions last year. So what’s next for the Colombian driver?

The 24 Hours of Le Mans, that’s what. United Autosports has just announced the highly accomplished driver for its lineup this year. This in addition to his drive with Acura Team Penske in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

He’ll be sharing the team’s #32 Ligier JS P217 with Will Owen and Huge de Sadeleer upon his debut in the famous French endurance race. But they won’t be competing in the top class: instead they’ll be challenging for victory in the LMP2 category.

“I’m very excited about the opportunity to experience Le Mans and I’m looking forward to joining United Autosports after they had such a strong finish at Le Mans last year. I’ve always watched the race so I’m very happy to finally be part of it. Hopefully we can have a shot at a win.”

The team is part-owned by McLaren chief Zak Brown, who added: “Juan Pablo has been around racing for a long time now and he knows what it takes to win. I’m sure he will bring experience and speed to the team, which is exactly what we need for such a demanding race as Le Mans.”

If they do manage to overcome the top-tier entries, Montoya would become the only living driver to secure the elusive Triple Crown of Motorsport, adding to his Indy and Monaco trophies. It’s an achievement that Jacques Villeneuve just barely missed when he finished second at Le Mans with Peugeot in 2008, just behind the winning Audi.

To date, only Graham Hill has won the unofficial accolade, but he died in a plane crash in 1975. Montoya won’t be the only driver pursuing the honor at this year’s race, though. Two-time F1 champ Fernando Alonso will be driving Toyota’s LMP1 hybrid in the race this year, pursuing the second part of the triple crown while he entertains the prospect of racing at Indy again.