Ford Koch joins Optimum Motorsport alongside Joe Osborne for Barcelona GT Open Round

‍Former GT Open champions, Optimum Motorsport, will field American racer Ford Koch, who steps up to GT3 machinery for his European debut, in International GT Open, at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya next weekend (24th & 25th October 2026). The end-of-season entry sees Optimum stalwart, Joe Osborne, reunited with the team for the first time since 2023, with the duo set to campaign a McLaren GT3 EVO in GT Open's Pro class. 

The pairing combines Osborne’s extensive history with Optimum Motorsport with Koch’s experience across several competitive North American racing series. The event will mark an important milestone for Koch, who makes his European racing debut - also stepping onto the international GT3 stage for the first time.

Joe Osborne has enjoyed a long-standing relationship with Optimum Motorsport, which began back in 2007, when he joined the Wakefield-based squad for their first ever campaign - contesting a Ginetta G20 in the Texaco Havoline Ginetta Championship. Since then, Osborne has returned to the team many times since, including as a McLaren factory driver, and has contributed to many of the teams’ successes over the last two decades. His experience in the International GT Open includes a particularly memorable Barcelona campaign in 2020, when he partnered Nick Moss to victory at the season finale in the McLaren 720S GT3. 

20-year old Koch arrives in Europe with an impressive racing resume built through competition in the United States. He has gained valuable experience and podium finishes in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, racing Toyota GR Supra GT4 machinery, as well as in single-make series’ such as Toyota GR Cup North America and Porsche Sprint Challenge North America.

Working alongside Osborne and Optimum, Koch will look to translate his stateside experience into a strong first outing in Europe.

The team heads to Barcelona encouraged by its most recent outing at the Catalan circuit. Mikey Porter, who contested the full GT Open season in 2025 with Optimum Motorsport, alongside Guilherme de Oliveira, took class victory in Barcelona just a few weeks ago, at the final round of GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup - a well-deserved win to conclude Optimum’s Sprint Cup debut season.

Having been regulars in the GT Open paddock since 2017, next weekend’s outing will be the team’s second appearance this season. Earlier this year, the former GT Open champions claimed a Pro-Am podium with their full-season British GT pairing, Ben Barnicoat and Morgan Tillbrook. The team previously secured the Pro-Am title in 2021 under the Inception Racing banner, before claiming the overall championship in 2023 with Sam de Haan and Charlie Fagg.

For Osborne, it represents a reunion with a familiar team and circuit; for Koch, it is the beginning of an exciting new chapter in European racing.

“I’m excited to be coming over for my first taste of European GT3 racing with Optimum in McLaren’s GT3 machinery - switching up from my normal IMSA GT4 platform! I’m thrilled to be with Optimum, as they come highly recommended by many accomplished drivers and their global success speaks for itself. I have known Joe for several years; he’s a safe pair of hands in the car that can also help me develop myself as a driver and hopefully together we can achieve a solid result in Barcelona!” - Ford Koch, #23 Optimum Motorsport McLaren GT3 EVO

“It’s mega to be back in a championship I love, with a team I love, and a car I love. I met Ford when he was 15 years old, ice driving on a McLaren Experience event, where I was his coach. He didn't have a driving license, but he had a race license, and I allowed him to drive.

We had lots of fun, and I saw the immense talent that he possessed. From that point he's gone on and used it, racing well in the States in IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, and now bringing that skillset to Europe - and stepping up into GT3. It’s going to be a good weekend!” - Joe Osborne, #23 Optimum Motorsport McLaren GT3 EVO

“Joe is part of the Optimum family and has been from the start, so there’s great trust between us. We’re delighted to give Ford his European debut - and his GT3 debut too. We’re confident that they'll be a force to be a reckoned with among the GT Open grid in Barcelona. We recently had a sprint win there with our GT World Challenge Europe crew a few weeks ago, so the team is highly motivated to replicate their performance. Having been very successful within GT Open in recent years, we’re looking forward to returning to the paddock for the second time this year. It's a great series, and definitely the best one for Ford to step up into GT3.” - Shaun Goff, Optimum Motorsport Team Principal

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