Optimum Motorsport to return to Donington for the first time since sealing the 2018 British GT Championship crown

Read time:
4
mins

Optimum Motorsport return to Donington Park next weekend (22-23 June), almost one-year after sealing the 2018 British GT Championship.Last year the Derbyshire based circuit held the season closing British GT round, but this year the circuit appears twice, marking the mid-way point next weekend and the season finale in September.

It is Optimum Motorsport’s first time back at the track since sealing the 2018 GT3 title, with former teammates Jonny Adam and Flick Haigh.

After enjoying a successful Silverstone 500 last weekend, the team head to Donington with a new-found wave of momentum. Following the post-race penalties, the #96 Aston Martin was promoted to fourth place, moving teammates Ollie Wilkinson and Bradley Ellis into the overall top three in the championship. The duo also remain at the top of the Silver Cup.

The GT4s also picked up some valuable points at Silverstone reviving their British GT season. Patrik Matthiesen and Mike Robinson finished the race in sixth overall and snuck into the top three in class during the last round. Jack Butel and Connor O’Brien also secured a strong top ten class finish in the #35 GT4 to cement all Optimum Motorsport drivers in their class top ten as the race concluded.

Optimum Motorsport Team Principal, Shaun Goff

"We’re looking on building on what was a good event for us last time out at Silverstone. The whole team performed faultlessly and it’s a track all of our drivers are looking forward too. As always our aim is to fight for the wins, but as a minimum we need to get more points in the bag. Donington holds so many good memories for us since we won the championship there last year, so we go into the weekend full of energy and hoping for a good result."

Bradley Ellis, #96 GT3

"I'm really looking forward to Donington as Ollie and I have some good memories there. Ollie has always performed well at Donington so I hope this performance continues. We have been unable to test there this year so we're keeping our fingers crossed that we can get the set-up correct in FP1 and FP2 so that we can have a good qualifying to put us in a good position ahead of the race."

Ollie Wilkinson, #96 GT3

“I’m looking forward to Donington. We had a good weekend in Silverstone all in all. Considering the issues we had in qualifying and with starting last, the race went really well with fourth place and we ended up third in the championship as well, so it’s definitely made it seem like we’ve got a lot more to play for again.

"Donington should be good for us, we’ve had minimal testing there, so we’re going into the weekend a little bit blind. It’ll be hard to try and get a good set-up in such a short period of time but we managed to do well in Silverstone with a similar story, so hopefully we’ll be there or thereabouts and we look forward to having a good race.”

Connor O’Brien, #35 GT4

"I'm really looking forward to Donington, we made a lot of progress at Silverstone both in the wet and the dry conditions. I think Donington will really suit the Aston Martin because it's so great with handling and braking. Hoping for a strong result and to keep the momentum going!"

Jack Butel, #35 GT4

"We're looking forward to going to Donington. The car has evolved a bit since Silverstone so every time we go out we're getting quicker and we're understanding it further. To get a sixth place last time out was good, so we're really keen to get to Donington and to see how get on. I think if we get into the top five, I think that's a reasonable aim. We have pace over a long distance so there's no reason that we can't have a similar result to Silverstone in Donington. We had a little spin in Silverstone which set us back a bit, so all things considered I think we can aim for a top five."

Patrik Matthiesen, #75 GT4

"I'm confident for this weekend because I know that we have the best mechanics and team in the world at Optimum. I'm looking forward to working with the team again, we had a great result in Silverstone and I know that we can show much more in Donington and maybe even take a podium finish."

Mike Robinson, #75 GT4

"We made some really great progress at Silverstone. The first two rounds have been really tough for the us but Optimum have been working tirelessly to give us a great car. Patrik and I were really pleased to repay the team for all their hard work and to be fighting consistently at the front all weekend. We still have some work to do on the car setup, but everyone is working around the clock to close the gap to the front running cars."We’re not far off now, and I think we’ll make more progress at Donington. I think it’s a circuit that will suit the new Aston Martin GT4, fast and flowing with not too many long straights seem to suit the Aston, but it’s also a relatively short circuit so the times are going to be really close. Qualifying will be extremely important, but Patrik and I are confident we can improve on our season best qualifying of eighth and push for the podium."

LATEST NEWS

View all news