It was scheduled to be a rare weekend off from GT3 racing for Optimum Motorsport, but with option to go racing in the Michelin Le Mans Cup, the British-based team jumped at the opportunity to return to Monza this coming weekend (9-10 October, 2020) for the penultimate round of the championship.
It’s very much a tester for the 2021 season as the team returns to the series it last raced in 2017, fielding the McLaren 720S GT3 for Brendan Iribe and Ollie Millroy, stalwarts of the 2020 International GT Open Championship.
The driver pairing started the season expecting to compete in the GT4 category in the British GT Championship, but with the revised Covid-19 calendar, they opted instead to race the GT3 McLaren in GT Open. It’s been a super-busy schedule for the team, while also a successful campaign for the Pro-Am pairing with five class podiums from the eight rounds to date.
Friday is given over to practice, with qualifying and the race taking place on Saturday.
Shaun Goff, Optimum Motorsport Team Principal
“We’re happy to be running the McLaren for Brendan and Ollie and it’s great to be returning – even as a one-off – to Michelin Le Mans Cup. We raced in the series in 2017 with Flick Haigh and Joe Osborne and we have recently raced at Monza in the GT Open Championship. We are analysing options for the 2021 season and this race fitted in with our race calendar well, so we’re looking forward to being back in that paddock!
“It’s the same Michelin tyres that we ran in GT Open, we’re not sure what the Balance of Performance will be in Le Mans Cup, but we’re expecting it to be in line with what we raced recently, so we’ll see how the weekend goes as we plan for next season.”
Ollie Millroy
“We had the opportunity to race at Monza again, this time in a new championship, so we have grasped the opportunity. Brendan is in just his second year of racing and first in GT3 cars, so while testing is important, we’re getting to a level now where we want as much race mileage as possible. It will be good for him to qualify and run for the first hour of the race, very much with eyes forward.
“Le Mans Cup is a championship we’re looking at for next year, along with GT Open and with the carryover between the two championships in terms of the Michelin tyres, we’re looking forward to the weekend at Monza whilst looking at options for 2021.”
