Optimum Motorsport confirm Wilkinson and Ellis for 2019 British GT Championship title defence

Having made their debut with Aston Martin Racing machinery in 2018 and subsequently gone on to record an emphatic drivers’ championship with Flick Haigh and Jonny Adam, Optimum Motorsport are pleased to announce that alongside its GT4 commitments, the team is returning to the GT3 class with the all-new Vantage to be driven by Ollie Wilkinson and 2007 Champion Bradley Ellis.

The Wakefield-based team know both drivers well from the International GT Open campaign last year, where the partnership of Bradley and Ollie secured two victories and a further two podium positions. The team’s record in the British GT Championship is even more impressive with the drivers’ outright GT3 title in 2018 and GT4 titles in 2016 and 2017. Now the team are looking forward to the next challenge with this new Silver-Silver partnership.

“2018 was superb for us as we adapted to and showed our engineering strengths from the very start of the season,” stated Team Principal Shaun Goff with reference to the sensational victory at Oulton Park. “We went up against some very tough competition running the same equipment as us and over the season, our consistency and speed paid dividends.

“2019 brings a new chapter for us with the new GT3 car and again we expect it to be a very tough battle in such a competitive championship,” Goff continued. “It’s a new championship for Ollie and we can’t forget that this is just his second full season at this level and that he’s still learning. Together with Bradley – who has a tasted championship success in British GT - they have already proved to be a winning combination in GT Open, so even with the Silver-Silver disadvantages in terms of ballast, we look forward to the new season with optimism.”

The 2019 British GT Championship starts in earnest at Oulton Park over the Easter weekend in April. Prior to that the team will test the new package extensively.

‍Ollie Wilkinson

‍"To be making my British GT debut partnering a former champion is an exciting prospect in only my third year of racing. The more I drive in top level competition the more I learn, so taking on this top championship in the new Aston Martin Vantage GT3 as a Silver-Silver pairing for the first time will be a mega new challenge."

‍Bradley Ellis

‍"I am looking forward hugely to returning to British GT. This paddock is always welcoming but the friendly atmosphere is just a big cover up for how fierce the competition is. Myself and Ollie are under no illusion on how tough it’s going to be, especially with the Silver Cup additional ballast to slow us down, but we are looking forward to the season ahead."