British GT - Optimum Motorsport

Like TF Sport - Optimum Motorsport have also decided to attend an open test day today at the Oulton Park circuit rather than attend the British GT Championship's Media Day event just down the road at Donington Park.

Similarly to TF Sport, they too are all change for 2019 and will be running one example of the new Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT3 as well as two examples of the new Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT4 in this season British GT Championship.


Only last week did the Wakefield based team confirm that their 2018 International GT Open pairing of Ollie Wilkinson and Bradley Ellis would step up to conduct a near parallel race programme in both International GT Open and the British GT Championship aboard their new V8 Vantage GT3 - we say near parallel as there is a clash between the two programmes at the BGT Silverstone round and the GT Open round at Spa Francorchamps.


This pairing (who did race last year with the team in GT Open in their Audi R8) have at least had the chance of a day and bit of initial shakedown testing with their new car in part one of the GT Open winter test from Paul Ricard the week before last. Some good times came back from the duo on day one before a 'new car gremlin' cut them back in track time on the second day.


Two new Vantage GT4's for the team this year as well with three new team members and one stepping up from the teams Ginetta GT5 series entry of 2018. Connor O'Brien takes that monumental step up the race car ladder to GT4 with the team he knows and in a car that he will share with former LMP3 racer Jack Butel. We understand that this pair have only last week collected their car from the Prodrive factory with the second car still outstanding in time to be used at this test.

The second GT4 car was announced last week of including former BGT GT4 Champion Mike Robinson who will be racing with experience GT4 racer Patrick Matthiesen.


So with only one full day of testing under their belts in GT3 and no GT4 testing so far this year, it will be imperative for the team to get in some good track time between now and the start of the season in April - something that they feel that they cannot achieve at the restrictive running of the Championship's Media Day.

Sad for us but perfectly understandable for them!

At least we know about all the liveries!!

Photo credits - Optimum