Orlando Motorsport Services (OMS) is the newest team to join the dynamic realm of professional sports car racing, joining the ranks of SRO America’s Pirelli GT4 America series. Teaming up with McLaren Orlando, the new team will field the No. 80 McLaren Artura GT4 with Kaia Teo and Nick Longhi in the AM class, with the potential to add more entries as the season progresses. Alan Teo, father of Kaia, will possibly make an appearance in future SRO America rounds, and will also participate in the team’s 2024 testing program to prepare for the 2025 Artura Trophy America season.
Founded by Steve Parmee (Partner), Eric Burch (Team Principal), and Paul Holton (Operations Director), OMS will embark on a limited season, competing in the Sebring International Raceway, Road America, and Indianapolis Motor Speedway double-header race weekends. Parmee, a partner in McLaren Orlando and McLaren North Jersey, expressed his enthusiasm for this venture.
“I’ve been looking to form a professional race program for the last few years,” said Parmee. “I’ve known Eric and Paul for several years, along with the affiliation with McLaren Orlando the time felt right to set the wheels in motion. The Teo’s have been friends as much as anything else, so having their program on board to kick things off is a great way to launch our program.”
Eric Burch, Owner and President of P1 Groupe with 25 years of extensive experience in driver and team management in North American sports car racing, is optimistic about OMS's future.
“I’m very much looking forward to building this program with Steve and Paul into one of the top destinations for drivers looking to break into the professional level of motorsport with the McLaren brand,” said Burch. “Having a young driver like Kaia, who’s already shown a great deal of ability in her short career and paired with an experienced professional like Nick Longhi, allows OMS to hit the ground running as we look to put them in position to be successful this season and as we expand into 2025 with the addition of the Artura Trophy America championship to our offerings.”
Paul Holton, a former McLaren Factory driver, shares the excitement for this new chapter.
“This new venture with Steve and Eric is really exciting,” said Holton. “OMS has a strategic affiliation with McLaren Orlando that I feel sets us apart from most other race teams in the paddock. I’m super happy with my partners and looking forward to some cool projects in the motorsport space. For 2024, we have the Teo family racing with us. They’ve become good friends of mine over the past couple of years, and I couldn’t be more excited to have them onboard.”
Though still in their first season as a team, Parmee, Burch, and Holton are already laying the groundwork for a long and successful program, building a multi-car effort for the Artura Trophy America series for the 2025 race season. With several Artura GT4 machines on order, the effort is already well underway.
Their on-track debut is scheduled for rounds three and four of the SRO GT4 America championship at Sebring International Raceway, May 3-5. The series features competitors across three classes in thrilling 60-minute races each weekend.
Kaia Teo brings prior experience to the team, having raced in the 2023 season with a McLaren Artura GT4 at just 16 years old alongside co-driver Nick Longhi, a seasoned racer with extensive manufacturer experience.
DRIVER QUOTES
Kaia Teo: I am incredibly excited to be racing with OMS for our GT4 America races. As a new team this year, I'm looking forward to learning and growing together and am fully committed to bringing my best to the track and contributing to both my and the team's success. Here's to a season of challenges, triumphs, and amazing experiences. Let's see what we can do!
Nick Longhi: I’m feeling very lucky and grateful to be running with OMS and my teammates Kaia and Alan. Kaia is young, smart, and fearless and has the kind of energy that can drive a team forward. We’re looking forward to delivering results for everybody involved in this program: Our team, our partners and sponsors, and McLaren. Paul Holton and Ray Lee and I ran the McLaren 720 GT3 together a few seasons ago, so I know from experience that they are totally committed professionals. They’re also goo friends, and super easy to work with, so the team side looks great.
Alan Teo: I’m really looking forward to racing with Orlando Motorsports Services. I have a great relationship with Paul Holton, Steve Parmee, Nick Longhi and Eric Burch so it’s really exciting to see such a great team of highly motivated individuals come together with the goal of creating a McLaren focused driving program. Driving at a competitive level is hard enough; having a team that can handle all the other logistics involved with racing really keeps the drivers focused on the task at hand.