Optimum Motorsport confirms driver lineup for 2024 Lenovo Gulf 12 Hours

2023 Lenovo Gulf 12 Hours Pro-Am winners, Optimum Motorsport confirm Todd Coleman, Aaron Telitz and Frederik Schandorff aboard the #69 McLaren GT3 Evo for the end-of-season endurance race at Yas MarinaCircuit, Abu Dhabi.

The trio first joined forces with Optimum Motorsport back in September for Creventic’s Hankook 24H Barcelona, claiming overall pole position for the series’ twice-around-the-clock race.

The team showed front running pace, leading the field from lights out and throughout the night at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. This winter, the trio will look to build on their success from the European enduro and claim overall honours, entering in the 12-hour event’s Pro class.

“I’m super excited to be back in the Optimum McLaren for the Gulf 12 Hours and competing against some of the best GT drivers from around the world,” said Todd. “We immediately came together as a team and driver lineup in Barcelona. I’m looking forward to building on that experience as we take on the Yas Marina Circuit.”

“I’m really excited to go racing with Optimum at the Gulf 12 Hours,” said Aaron. “Fred, Todd and I worked really well together earlier in the year at Barcelona, so it’ll be fun to have the gang back together for the last race of the year. I’ve never done the Gulf 12 Hours before, but it looks like a fun race so I can’t wait to get going.”

Shaun Goff, Optimum Team Principal added:“It’s great to have Todd, Aaron and Fred racing with us again. They claimed pole position for their first race together back in September, so I’m eager to see what they can do this time around at the Yas Marina Circuit.”

This year, the weekend’s format will differ to previous editions of the 12-hour enduro. Starting with an eight-hour race, teams will battle on track from morning until sunset which will then be followed by a two-hour break. A four-hour sprint under the lights of Yas Marina Circuit will follow as over 20 GT cars across seven manufacturers will race until the chequered flag.

The action gets under on Friday 13th December with a 45-minute shakedown ahead of the official practice Saturday morning. Each of the three drivers will contest in a 15-minute qualifying session, with the average time taken from each of their best laps to determine their starting order for Sunday’s main event. Qualifying and both segments (eight and four hours) of the race will be shown live on Gulf 12 Hours’ YouTube channel from 9:00AM GST (6:00AM GMT).