Wakefield-based Optimum Motorsport has announced that it will enter a second McLaren 720S GT3 in the 2020 GT World Challenge Powered by AWS.
The team, who won the 2018 British GT Championship drivers titles with Flick Haigh and Jonny Adam, had previously announced a Pro line-up consisting of Ollie Wilkinson, Joe Osborne and Rob Bell.
The second McLaren 720S GT3 will feature the all-Australian Pro-Am driving trio of Nick Foster, Martin Berry and Yasser Shahin.
28-year-old Nick Foster has experience in the previously-named Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup, having driven alongside Clemens Schmid and kelvin van der Linde in the #55 Attempto Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 in 2019. Schmid and Foster finished 21st in the Endurance Cup drivers standings.
Martin Berry began his racing career by winning the 2017 Ferrari Challenge Asia Pacific – Trofeo Pirelli 458 series. Berry contested the 2019 Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup driving alongside Pierre Ehret and Jose Manual Balbiani in the #488 Rinaldi Racing Ferrari F488 GT3.
43-year-old Yasser Shahin will be competing in his first full season in a European championship. The Executive Chairman of The Bend Motorsport Park, has significant experience racing on Australian circuits. Shahin finished tenth in the Am Cup class in a one-off outing at the TOTAL 24 Hours of Spa.
Optimum Motorsport team Principal Shaun Goff is excited by the opportunity to campaign two cars in Europe’s premier GT3 competition.
“It was always our intention to field two cars in GT World Challenge Europe and to do this as part of the McLaren Customer Racing programme is a big step for us,” said Shaun Goff. “With entries in both the Pro-Am and Pro championship, I’m looking forward to to the season ahead where I believe our pre-season preparation will stand us in good stead. It’s a pleasure to welcome Yasser to the team; we aim to give him the best tools in the business to get the job done.”
“We’re continuing our Australian theme throughout 2020, so it’s really exciting to be in the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup and I’m looking forward to hitting the track in testing at Paul Ricard,” said Nick Foster.
“From my side, I’m stoked with the second race programme and continuing with Martin and Optimum Motorsport. It;s great continuity with both the British GT Championship and GTWC.”
The 2020 GT World Challenge Endurance Cup Powered by AWS gets underway at Monza on April 17 – 19.
