Inception Racing claim two Endurance championship titles within the space of 24 hours

Not one, not two, but three championships titles claimed by Optimum Motorsport-run teams this weekend (1 - 2 October) as Inception Racing claim the IMSA Michelin GTD Endurance Cup and GT World Challenge Europe Gold Cup class titles, with Optimum Motorsport Junior Karter, Lewis Goff, claiming the JKC MiniMax championship at Ellough Park.

The Wakefield-based team put an exclamation point on a huge day by crossing the line at the 25th annual Motul Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, the season finale of the 2022 IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship in second place (GTD), claiming those all-important points to take the Endurance Cup championship win.

Brendan Iribe, Sebastian Priaulx and Jordan Pepper teamed up to take on duties State side, with American driver, Iribe taking on qualifying duties. It was a P11 class start for Inception, and after completing his double stint in order to make the transatlantic flight to Barcelona, he’d moved through the field to run in fifth.

As Brendan headed to Europe, Jordan and Seb took over. With points awarded at the four and eight-hour mark, Jordan sat in second after four hours and led at eight, claiming those all-important points to claim the championship title before the chequered flag had dropped.

The #70 Inception Racing McLaren 720S GT3 was pipped to the top spot on the podium by the #66 Acura NSX during a tense 30-minute battle until the 10-hour race ended under caution.

“We finished second in the 25th Petit Le Mans! What could’ve been if it wasn’t for the FCY (Full Course Yellow), dropping us from the lead,” said Pepper.

“A huge shoutout to my two super awesome and fast teammates Seb and Brendan for a job well done. It also goes without saying a big thank you to Ollie [Millroy] for what he did all season, this championship is also for you buddy” he added.

Meanwhile, over in Spain, the Gold Cup race may have been the most dramatic contest in any class this season.

Entering this weekend leading the championship, and with a 9-point lead over the TotalEnergies 24 Hours of Spa winners, Iron Dames, all the British squad needed to do to get the championship over the line was to finish ahead of the Ferrari.

The opening stages of the race saw Brendan spun by the #27 Gold Class Lamborghini, seeing all hopes of the title slip away as the #83 Ferrari headed the field. Well on their way to the win, the gearbox of the Iron Dames’ car gave out, handing advantage to the #7 Inception Racing McLaren.

A puncture during the final 30 minutes threw everything into doubt once again. The car ran eight, enough to secure the championship by one point, until the leading #911 Herberth Motorsport Porsche spun during the closing laps, effectively securing the crown for the crew on Brendan, Ollie and Frederik.

“We are GT World Challenge Gold Cup champions! What season with a rollercoaster of a race right at the end” said Millroy.

“Thank you so much to the whole Inception team, McLaren, Fred and most of all, to Brendan for this incredible opportunity. Also, a huge thanks to Seb [Priaulx] for your help this year at the 24 Hours of Spa” he added.

Over in the UK, it was a race that went down to the wire for Lewis Goff, but by a single point, he claimed the 2022 JKC MiniMax championship title.