Jay Palmer and Joe Osborne join forces in all-new McLaren one-make series

Optimum Motorsport are delighted to announce the expansion of their European plans, adding the all-new Trophy Series to their 2023 calendar. Former McLaren Factory Driver, Joe Osborne, will partner with Am Driver, Jay Palmer in the McLaren Artura GT4, as the pair begin final preparations for the championships’ inauguration.

The new series will join the Fanatec GT World Challenge powered by AWS bill, featuring five race weekends at iconic Grand Prix circuits such as Paul Ricard, Hockenheim, and Barcelona. The McLaren Trophy Europe Series will also feature at Spa-Francorchamps in support of the famous CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa, Fanatec GT’s blue riband event.

Race weekends will commence with two 60-minute sessions, giving drivers and teams opportunity to prepare for the two races that lie ahead. Each race day will follow the same format, a 15-minute pre-qualifying session, 15-minute qualifying and 50-minute race with mandatory pit stops for driver changes.

For Pro-Am pairings, the Am driver will take on qualifying duties, putting them at the centre of the action as the green flag drops.

The series gets underway on May 22 with the official one-day Prologue at Circuit Paul Ricard, France, with rounds 1 and 2 at the former F1 circuit on June 2-4.

McLaren Trophy, Europe 2023 Calendar

Paul Ricard, France: 2 - 4 June

Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium: 29 June - 1 July

Nürburgring, Germany: 28 - 30 July

Hockenheim, Germany: 1 - 3 September

Barcelona, Spain: 29 September - 1 October

Shaun Goff, Optimum Motorsport Team Principal: “It’s great to add yet another series onto our 2023 calendar and it’s a very exciting one for not just us as a team, but also for McLaren as a manufacture. To be able to host a brand new one-make series just goes to show how much interest there is in the car and we’re proud to be on the grid for the series’ inauguration.

“Jay, Joe, and the team have clocked up the miles since testing began at the start of the year and we’re confident with the car. We’ve seen success in the Artura GT4 with our British GT crew, so let’s see how the guys get on when the Trophy Series gets underway next month.”