Josh Pierson: “Endurance is a big challenge for me”

At just 16 years old, Josh Pierson had an extremely strong race at the 4 Hours of Abu Dhabi this Saturday. For his first race with United Autosports, the young American left his rivals behind from the start by starting from pole position before remaining in the car for more than three hours, leaving his place to Paul di Resta only for the last 51 minutes until the checkered flag. Although he was initially supposed to spend a majority of the racing time in the Oreca 07-Gibson in order to gain maximum experience, the various neutralizations and interruptions of the event considerably lengthened his stint. Especially since his partner Paul di Resta was limited to the very exact duration of 1h18 due to his Platinum pilot status. “It was a very good race, confided Josh Pierson during his post-race interview. With the yellow flags, the safety car and the red flag, I stayed in the car for a long time between the start and the moment Paul got into the car to finish the race. He did a great job. The car was fantastic all week and I can't wait to race again tomorrow (Sunday)"

This Sunday, for the second round of the 4 Hours of Abu Dhabi, United Autosports will once again start in pole position thanks to the time recorded by Paul di Resta this Saturday in qualifying. Josh Pierson also mentioned the role of mentor that the 35-year-old Briton, formerly of the Formula 1, could have at his side: “Where I progressed the most today is in communicating with the team. Paul taught me a lot, especially on this. And even after the race, he explained to me how to express myself more clearly on the radio about certain things. L'Endurance is a big challenge for me coming from the junior categories in car, especially to get used to the driving changes. I saw that I had progressed since Daytona (where he was with PR1/Mathiason Motorsport. Editor’s note) and the more I'm in the car, the better I get. I'm just thinking about gaining more and more experience for now. » At 16 years old, this first victory is perhaps the first of a long and successful career for the young man from Oregon.

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