The 19-Year-Old Has Already Achieved Success at Daytona and Le Mans
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – United Autosports today named teenage phenom Nico Pino to join full-season drivers Ben Keating and Ben Hanley in the team’s Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) entry for the 2024 IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup races.
Alex Quinn was originally set to be the add-on driver for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship endurance races, but when his FIA driver categorization increased to a Gold level, it opened the door for the Silver-rated Pino to fill the role alongside Keating and Hanley for the five longer events.
Pino, the 19-year-old from Santiago, Chile, has driven in six WeatherTech Championship races to date, all in the Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3) class. This past season, he won the Motul Pole Award in qualifying for the Rolex 24 At Daytona and the IMSA SportsCar Weekend at Road America, with his Sean Creech Motorsport team finishing second in the race both times.
“Nico has been one of the standout drivers in both the IMSA and ELMS (European Le Mans Series) in recent seasons,” said Richard Dean, United Autosports CEO. “As a young driver with so much success already and the potential to win so much more, we are delighted to have him at United Autosports for our first full season in IMSA next year.”
In addition to his runner-up finish at the Rolex 24 in LMP3, Pino has also recorded podium results at the 24 Hours of Le Mans (LMP2 this year) and Motul Petit Le Mans (LMP3 in 2022). He’s eager to add more prestigious results with Keating and Hanley in 2024.
“United Autosports, a team with a prestigious history and reputation in motorsport, is for sure the best place to progress my career,” Pino said. “I am confident that alongside Ben Keating and Ben Hanley we can fight consistently for the top positions. I can’t wait to start working with the team to prepare the first race of the season, the 24 Hours of Daytona.”