Keating “wants time in the car to count” in LMP2 – Sportscar365

Ben Keating is unsure whether to continue his tenure in the LMP2 class of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship next year, saying he “wants his time in the car to count” after a challenging season with United Autosports , where he finished fifth overall.

The bronze medal-winning Texan driver scored a win at Road America alongside season-long co-driver Ben Hanley, but otherwise posted a best finish of fourth place at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.

It was the first time Keating had missed out on the title since competing full-time in LMP2 machinery in the WeatherTech Championship. He previously won championships with PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports in 2021 and 2023.

The 53-year-old expressed his dissatisfaction with how his LMP2 season was going, stating that he “wants his time in the car to count” after his performances behind the wheel of the No. 2 Oreca 07 Gibson often failed to produce strong results.

“I love racing in LMP2, I love racing on the IMSA tracks, I love the people of IMSA,” Keating said.

“The main problem I have is that I have been at the top in every race so far this season in LMP2 and we have had a podium all season.

“Yeah, it’s beneficial to bring it forward, bring it home with a lead, keep the car clean, all that, But what I want are race results.

“Indy is a good example. I started with P3. I ran forward and [in] In this particular case we got a DNF. But I can look at this race and say: I did a great job.

“I was very happy with my performance. But I travel home and there is no joy because we had a crap race.

“I do this for fun. I want to enjoy the joy of the results and want my time in the car to count. And my main concern is that I love the car and the tracks and love the series, but I want my time in the car to count.”

Keating’s complaints about his season in LMP2 come alongside increasing interest in the LMGT3 class of the FIA ​​World Endurance Championship following a one-off outing at the Circuit of The Americas last month.

It is understood the Texan will take part in its Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R program as part of a return to TF Sport in 2025.

“I haven’t signed any contracts for any series yet,” Keating said. “I’m confident I’ll be at Daytona and I’m confident I’ll be at Le Mans.”

When asked whether he would be able to drive LMP2 machinery again at the Rolex 24 at Daytona in January, Keating replied: “That’s still uncertain and we’ll see.”

“I’ve done two cars in eight of the last ten years. I hope that works for Daytona. But we’ll see. Nothing has been done yet.”

Keating’s problems with LMP2, as he explained, go beyond the lack of results for him and Hanley, with the current class splitting process during the Full Course Yellows a particular cause for concern.

As Keating explained it, the passarounds eliminate slower traffic between LMP2 competitors, negate the effect of penalties, and also open up the opportunity for other LMP2 runners to “push you out of the way” on restarts.

“As it is now, I have no problem with what they call the race,” he said.

“But that’s what I’m saying, Beaux [Barfield] He doesn’t mind racing hard and everyone knows it. So when I restart I would like to start fifth.

“I don’t want to start at the front because you don’t have anyone around you except other LMP2 cars and everyone knows they can just push you out of the way and move up one place.

“And that’s why it was particularly frustrating for me this year because I put the car in the lead and we kept getting pushed out of the way.

“And I mean, I’m not shy. The main reason I chose Ben Hanley as my co-driver this year was because he pushed me out of the way twice last year.

“I knew he was comfortable with it. I knew he knew how to do it, and unfortunately that’s one of the most important things on this show right now.

“If we didn’t have class division, there would be fewer of them.

“It would be a big deal to have a small gap, a big enough gap that you could get away without someone completely crashing on a restart in Turn 1.”

Keating further emphasized that he has not yet made a final decision on where he will race in 2025, but explained that choosing a program is “not about the money, it’s about the fun.”

“I mean, it’s a little uncomfortable for me to say this, but there are a lot of teams across the series that don’t know what they’re going to do for the driver lineup next year and I feel like the pretty girl at the dance ” he said.

“Everyone comes to me. It’s nice and I got really good deals, really cheap deals compared to what I paid for the race.

“But it’s not about the money for me. I want the results. I want to win. It’s all far too expensive if it’s not fun. It’s no fun not being at the front. That’s what I care about most.”