JOTA will field a solo McLaren 720S GT3 in this year’s Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS with an all-McLaren Factory Driver line-up of Ben Barnicoat, Rob Bell and newly-promoted Ollie Wilkinson.
Kent, UK-based JOTA then returns to GT3 racing having last provided technical and engineering support for the R-Motorsport GT World Challenge/ Blancpain Endurance Series efforts in 2019.
The McLaren effort will take in the full Series encompassing both Endurance and Sprint categories, both of which qualify as points-scoring rounds for the overall championship.
Joining the established Mclaren GT factory drivers is newly promoted factory man Ollie Wilkinson.
He made his debut as a McLaren Professional Driver in 2020, scoring a string of outright and Silver Cup podium finishes, leading to a top ten placing in the standings alongside Lewis Proctor at McLaren Customer Racing team Optimum Motorsport.
In addition, he contested selected GT World Challenge outings with Bell and Joe Osborne in the Optimum 720S GT3.
Wilkinson will now join Barnicoat, fresh from his victory in the Gulf 12 Hour race with a McLaren Customer Racing team 2 Seas Motorsport 720S GT3 and is reunited with Bell, who finished third in the 2019 British GT Championship with the McLaren Customer Racing team Balfe Motorsport 720S GT3.
Ian Morgan, Director, McLaren Customer Racing: “It’s tremendously exciting for us to have JOTA onboard for 2021, with three McLaren Factory Drivers also involved in the programme. The team’s vast experience and success in endurance racing and professionalism will, I’m confident, allow them to compete at the highest level throughout 2021 in the 720S GT3. I’m also delighted to see Oliver Wilkinson step up to a full McLaren Factory Driver programme this year, supported by both Rob Bell and Ben Barnicoat, and I look forward to watching his progression.”
David Clark, Co-Owner, JOTA; “The last time I was involved with a McLaren motorsport programme was as a director of McLaren Cars from 1994- 97. It was the era in which we famously won the 24 Hours of Le Mans at our first attempt. We also took multiple race wins and two titles in the BPR Global Endurance championship. I am an enormous fan of the McLaren brand and thrilled to return with JOTA for the 2021 season. Both McLaren and JOTA have similar DNA in the sense of a great depth in engineering capability and a winning mentality. Both my partner, Sam Hignett, and I have worked enormously hard to make JOTA not just a winning team but also a fun one to be around, so I think the collaboration between McLaren and JOTA together with three Factory Drivers will become a major force in GT racing.”
Sam Hignett, Co-Owner, JOTA: “This is an exciting move for JOTA to be partnering in this programme with McLaren. We take great pride in our racing, so to develop this association at an international level with such an esteemed manufacturer as McLaren not only shows the ambition we have as an organisation but also our determination to continue our diversification within motorsport.”
Oliver Wilkinson, McLaren Factory Driver, McLaren Customer Racing: “I’m extremely happy with my new appointment as a McLaren Factory Driver. It’s been my goal since starting my driving career, so a big thank you to McLaren for believing in me. The season should be brilliant and I’m extremely excited about teaming up with JOTA.”
Ben Barnicoat, McLaren Factory Driver, McLaren Customer Racing: “I am really pleased to be confirming a full-season entry into the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS and to be racing with a team as successful and well-regarded as JOTA. I have watched the team score some amazing results over the years, including taking victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and it is great to be part of such a great outfit. I am also really pleased to be taking on this challenge with Rob and Ollie, who I have worked with and raced against, but we have never competed together.
“Rob and I worked extensively together on the development programme of the 720S GT3 and I raced against them both at the opening round of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe last year, but I think we have a really strong team in the car and in the pitlane. It has been a solid start to the season with the 720S GT3 for me, and I cannot wait to get back racing in Europe and challenge ourselves against the best of the best on some truly iconic circuits.”
Nathan McColl, Chief Engineer – GT, JOTA: “We are all really looking forward to beginning this new programme with McLaren because it will present itself as an excellent opportunity to showcase JOTA’s renowned engineering capabilities.
“The competition will be of an exceedingly high-standard this season, which we relish because JOTA is all about racing against the best and consistently improving in whatever discipline we are racing in.”
The Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS season gets underway at Monza in Italy on April 16-18.
pic credit Khyzyl Saleem
