Paddock Motorsport showed the sort of potential that breeds podium finishes during British GT’s showcase weekend at Silverstone, even though a place on the rostrum ultimately slipped away. Paddock Motorsport’s McLaren Artura GT4 shared by British GT rookies Blake Angliss and Alex Walker was a standout competitor in a packed GT4 entry, with both drivers fighting on the fringes of the class podium throughout before being denied by an unlucky penalty late on that would leave them fifth. The McLaren GT3 crew of Mark Smith and Martin Plowman put on a stunning show early in the race, with American driver Smith thriving in the rain and going toe-to-toe with some of the best GT drivers in the world in tricky conditions. Soon after though, the car would fall foul of bad luck on its strategy, leaving the pair fighting against the odds to make up time. Ed McDermott and Matt Cowley’s Mercedes-AMG GT4 impressed with its speed, but was hamstrung early on by first electrical troubles and then ABS failure. Regardless, the drivers nursed the problems to the flag to at least score their first points of the season. The first flashes of Paddock’s potential around Silverstone’s fast sweeps came in qualifying, when Plowman set the eighth fastest time of the hulking GT3 grid, out-pacing drivers such as BMW factory ace Raffaele Marciello, long-term Aston Martin works driver Jonny Adam and reigning British GT champion Dan Harper. With the grid set on the combined best times of each driver, he and Smith would line-up for Sunday’s race 14th on the grid, knowing they had the pace to move forward. The headline result from qualifying came from Angliss and Walker, who grabbed fourth overall in the GT4 order after a superb effort from both drivers. McDermott and Cowley’s combined times put them ninth in the Pro-Am field. With the grid forming up under persistent rain, the opening stages were played out behind the safety car, which left the door wide open for teams to experiment with strategy. While many opted to stop at the first opportunity, Paddock decided to leave Smith out for a long first stint, in the hope of him achieving the majority of his minimum drive time of 80 minutes early, so Plowman could be installed for longer later in the race. Smith thrived on the pressure. As the amateur drivers around him stopped to hand to their pros, Smith soldiered on and soon had professional racers swarming over the rear of the McLaren. Undeterred, Smith put up an epic defence, holding both Mercedes-AMG factory driver Maxi Goetz and Barwell Motorsport’s Ricky Collard behind for multiple laps, even running as high as second overall at one point. When Smith eventually did stop inside the second hour he handed to Plowman just as the tide of the race turned. Shortly after the stop, the race was neutralised, handing Paddock’s rivals the chance to gain chunks of time in the pits. Allied to that, Plowman was then caught behind the safety car for an entire lap, essentially losing a lap against those who enjoyed a faster stop under the yellows. From there on, it was an uphill battle, with Smith and Plowman ticking off the laps on their way to seventh in class on an outing that could have delivered more had it not been for misfortune. Angliss and Walker backed up their qualifying pace by going on the attack early. Angliss worked his way up to third in the early stages before settling into the fight inside the top five. His and Walker’s combined pace kept the car firmly in contention for a podium finish, and things looked even brighter after they got their final pit stop done under a full course yellow period in the last hour, however, the car was pinged for speeding under the same 80kph caution period shortly after, earning a drive through that left the crew fifth. Still, it was solid points and both drivers did themselves proud with their performance. Lastly, the race simply didn’t go to plan for McDermott and Cowley, who were never able to show their true colours amid the technical issues with the Mercedes-AMG. They lost time at their first stop having to power cycle the car to cure an electrical glitch, then midway through the race the ABS failed. They stopped the car to power cycle it a second time to cure the issue, but were left to nurse the issue to the flag in the name of scoring at least some points. 

Paddock Motorsport is aiming for success across the board as the British GT Championship heads into its seasonal showpiece, the Silverstone 500, this weekend. After a challenging opening round of the year at Oulton Park over Easter – where the team’s number was whittled down to its twin McLarens after the new Mercedes-AMG GT4 of Ed McDermott and Matt Cowley suffered a terminal engine issue – the squad is now back up to a full complement of cars, competing across three of the championship’s four classes. This weekend’s three-hour Silverstone 500 represents not just British GT’s showpiece race, but also the biggest GT racing event in Britain. Boasting a huge 43-car field, the longer race places much greater demands on both driver endurance and strategy, especially with no set pitstop window. Each car must perform three pit stops across the course of the race, meaning two stints per driver, and each must not drive for more than 100 minutes in total, leaving the teams to work out the best strategy to get to the flag first. While Oulton was far from easy, the twin sprint races gave Paddock a chance to showcase its potential for the year ahead, with both the GT3 McLaren of Mark Smith and Martin Plowman showing impressive pace, and the Artura GT4 of Alex Walker and Blake Angliss taking home two strong finishes. The GT3 crew’s weekend was highlighted by a superb qualifying performance putting the #9 car sixth overall, and Smith and Plowman securing a best finish of eighth in the headline GT3 Pro-Am class in race two, despite the two outings in Cheshire being heavily disrupted by yellow flags. Likewise, Angliss and Walker impressed on their championship debuts, taking home a pair of fifth-place finishes in the GT4 Silver category to kick-start their season with some solid points. Since Oulton, the GT4 Pro-Am Mercedes-AMG has undergone significant work. After the car suffered a major propshaft failure, the technical team worked through Easter Sunday to fit a replacement, only for a larger engine issue to prevent the car from running on race day. With the machine now fully refreshed, McDermott and Cowley are hoping to get their season off to a flying, if delayed, start. McDermott has fond memories of the Silverstone 500, having won the GT4 Pro-Am class and finished second overall last season. 

Paddock Motorsport left the opening round of the British GT Championship with plenty of positives, despite the weekend throwing more than a few challenges at the team. The GT3 crew of Mark Smith and Martin Plowman showed flashes of great pace, and finished what turned out to be a truncated opening race with a well-deserved top-10 finish, while rookie pairing Blake Angliss and Alex Walker bagged a strong pair of fifth place finishes to start their campaign with solid points. Those results did come against a backdrop of disappointment though, with the new Mercedes-AMG GT4 of Ed McDermott and Matt Cowley having to be withdrawn after a major technical failure early on Saturday. The car shattered its propshaft during practice, and although a spare was sourced and fitted on Sunday, further engine issues prevented the car from running. Down to the twin McLarens for race one, both cars put in a fighting display in extremely tricky conditions that made the first race almost more about survival than progress. The grid formed up under persistent rain, with all cars on wet-weather Pirellis and the prospect of thick spray reducing visibility to a few metres at best. Smith was disappointed in his first qualifying of the year, starting the GT3 Evo from 13th in the monster field after not quite hooking up an ideal lap. Angliss climbed aboard the Artura GT4 to make his British GT debut, starting from sixth in class. The race began behind the safety car in the worst of the conditions, before releasing the cars in anger a few minutes later. Smith immediately looked to move forward, picking up a place when the J&S Racing Audi swapped ends through turn one. Smith then began to pressure the RAM Racing BMW M4, but was caught out when the M4 braked early into Hislops, forcing Smith to jump on the brakes and narrowly avoid the rear of the BMW as he skated down the escape road. With grass in the radiators from the incident, rising temperatures prevented Smith from making progress, as did a lengthy full course yellow period called to recover a stranded GT4 car. He eventually handed across to Plowman, but with the tyres lacking bite and racing action limited over the closing laps, a safe 12th was the limit for the pair. Angliss and Walker weren’t shy in getting involved, with Angliss getting stuck in despite the conditions and dicing with multiple cars across his stint. He flew past the CWS Ginetta at the start and then climbed all over the rear of the Race Lab McLaren before having his own progress stunted by the FCY. He pitted for Walker, who rejoined equally determined to push further up the order. Walker despatched the rival Artura with a fine move and then chased down the RAM Racing Mercedes-AMG, shadowing it across the line to secure a fine fifth place. Race two would provide a different challenge, and also a highly frustrating finish. Plowman excelled in his qualifying segment, putting the #9 McLaren GT3 Evo a fine sixth on the grid. However, this early promise was tempered when Plowman was rudely elbowed wide through the first turn, dropping a wheel of the sodden grass and losing momentum. That meant he was swamped down to 12th on the first lap, and had all the hard work to do over again. But in truth he never got the chance, as racing was neutralised first thanks to a multi-car tangle in the GT4 pack, and then again for virtually the entire second half of the race following barrier damage inflicted by a wayward Aston Martin GT3 and then a rival McLaren breaking down on track. It meant neither Plowman nor Smith really got a chance to get into the fight their qualifying pace had deserved, and eighth in class was all they could do. It was a similar story for the GT4 crew, with Walker qualifying the Artura GT4 fifth in class, he then made a solid start to the race, only to be caught behind the melee sparked when a Century Motorsport BMW M4 was tipped around at turn one, scattering the pack and damaging a handful of cars. Walker did brilliantly to avoid damage, slamming on the brakes to avoid the accident ahead. However, the lost ground would take a lot to recover. Walker then engaged in a great fight with Gordie Mutch’s Lotus, with Mutch diving past into Hislops only for Walker to snatch the place back through Cascades a lap later. He was fifth in class when he handed to Angliss, who rejoined for what would become a frustrating finish where everybody was unable to make progress. Still, two top-fives on their British GT debut was a superbly promising return for the young pairing. 

Paddock Motorsport will be out for glory on three fronts as the 2024 British GT Championship roars into life at Oulton Park this Easter weekend. The Tamworth-based team is embarking on its biggest British GT campaign yet, fielding three cars across three classes after a productive winter of recruitment enabled the squad to expand. American driver Mark Smith returns for a second full British GT campaign alongside Paddock team founder Martin Plowman in the #9 McLaren 720S GT3 Evo. Paddock will run two GT4 entries for the first time, with Blake Angliss and Alex Walker sharing its regular McLaren Artura GT4, and Ed McDermott joining the team with his Mercedes-AMG GT4, bringing reigning British GT4 champion Matt Cowley with him. With Smith and Plowman competing in GT3 Pro-Am, Angliss and Walker in GT4 Silver, and McDermott and Cowley in GT4 Pro-Am, Paddock’s entries will be competing across three of the championship’s four classes, meaning the potential for trophy hauls this season has increased hugely. To ensure the team begins the year on a solid footing, a host of fresh faces have joined to strengthen the pool of knowledge within the technical team. These include Simon Pollock heading up the expanded GT4 programme and experienced racer Michael Broadhurst taking on a management role for the new Mercedes-AMG entry. The traditional Easter weekend British GT season-opener features twin one-hour sprint races around the undulating Cheshire circuit, which regularly draws huge crowds throughout the event keen to see world-class GT3 and GT4 cars running door-to-door.

Paddock Motorsport will return to the GT Cup Championship this season running new-spec McLaren Artura GT4s, with Michael Orant and Jake Poole its first confirmed drivers. The Tamworth-based team will again compete across both the British GT Championship and GT Cup this season, and has already confirmed the six drivers for its multi-car entry into British GT this term. The expanded British GT programme will be complemented by another entry into the GT Cup, with Orant and Poole teaming up to handle the team’s first McLaren Artura GT4. Orant joins Paddock after an impressive first season of racing in the Ginetta GT Academy, making his debut mid-year and scoring a podium finish on his first appearance at the wheel of a G55. Poole steps up to GT racing for the first time this year having started his career racing open-wheel Caterhams in the Seven Race Series. A string of promising results helped him move toward the front of the grid as the season wore on, with him even scoring a pole position at Mondello Park in Ireland.

Paddock Motorsport is ready for its biggest British GT Championship effort yet, completing its three-car team with the additions of Alex Walker and Blake Angliss to round out its expanded GT4 entry. Having already announced Mark Smith and Martin Plowman aboard the team’s McLaren 720S GT3 Evo, and Ed McDermott and reigning British GT4 champion Matt Cowley in a Mercedes-AMG GT4, Paddock has recruited two young hotshots to share its McLaren Artura GT4 in the Silver class. The entry means Paddock will compete in both the GT4 Silver and Pro-am categories, plus GT3 Pro-Am this season. While Walker and Angliss will be making their respective British GT debuts this season, the pair have shown huge amounts of promise during their competition careers so far, with both boasting a winning pedigree. Walker contested a handful of GT Cup events with the team last season alongside competing in the BMW M2 Cup in Germany. Prior to that he was a star in single-seaters, winning races in both the GB4 Championship and National Formula Ford Championship. Angliss graduates to British GT following a successful stint in Ginetta racing. After a promising karting career Angliss switched to car racing in the Ginetta GT5 Challenge in 2020, before making himself out as one to watch during two seasons in the GT Supercup. During his last full season in 2022 he finished second in the G55 Pro class, having celebrated an impressive eight wins and nine further class podium finishes. The operation of both Paddock’s McLaren Artura GT4 and the Mercedes-AMG GT4 will be led by experienced engineer Simon Pollock. With its plans for British GT complete, Paddock aims to hit the ground running and challenge for success across three of the championship’s four classes this season.

Paddock Motorsport will field three entries in this year’s British GT Championship thanks to an expanded GT4 squad that includes a Mercedes-AMG and the reigning GT4 champion. For the 2024 campaign, Paddock will take over the operation of Ed McDermott’s Mercedes-AMG GT4, and he will be joined by reigning British GT4 champion Matt Cowley in what promises to be an impressive Pro-Am entry. Paddock has already secured its place on the GT3 grid with Mark Smith and Martin Plowman continuing aboard the team’s McLaren 720 GT3 Evo this year, and that will be complemented by the expansion to the GT4 programme. Alongside the Mercedes-AMG, Paddock will also continue its successful relationship with McLaren by fielding its regular Artura GT4, with news on its final two drivers revealed soon. While new to the team McDermott is a familiar name in British GT, having enjoyed a race-winning maiden campaign last term. He, and long-time team-mate/coach Michael Broadhurst celebrated a GT4 Pro-Am victory in the blue riband Silverstone 500 event last season, and went on to finish fourth in the class championship standings. McDermott also has previous experience of competing in Britcar and the Ferrari Challenge Europe. For this year, Broadhurst will step aside from driving to coach McDermott and assume a management role for the #12 Mercedes-AMG, opening the door for 2023 British GT4 champion Cowley to join the team. A serial British GT winner, Cowley played a starring role in helping Academy Motorsport land the overall GT4 title with its Ford Mustang last season. He’s been a race winner in each of his past four British GT campaigns, and has also enjoyed multiple successes in Formula Ford prior to switching to GT racing in 2020. With the GT4 side of the garage growing, Paddock has recruited wisely ahead of the new season, with Simon Pollock set to lead the GT4 engineering team. Pollock has vast previous experience of working for organisations such as Aston Martin Racing (Prodrive), RJN, TF Sport and Redline Racing. He was also key in Martin Plowman and Kelvin Fletcher’s GT4 Pro-Am title-winning campaign back in 2019.

Paddock Motorsport is proud to continue its association with Ravenol into the 2024 season, with the partnership expected to go from strength to strength. The German oil and lubricants giant will continue to be a high-profile preparation partner for Paddock Motorsport throughout the 2024 season, with the team’s GT3 and GT4-spec McLarens benefiting from the use of a host of market-leading Ravenol products. This season that will be more important than ever, with Paddock gearing up for what will be its biggest British GT Championship campaign yet, with Martin Plowman and Mark Smith the first drivers announced for what will be a multi-car entry into Europe’s most competitive domestic sportscar championship. The team’s GT4 plans will be revealed soon, and Paddock also has eyes on running cars in the GT Cup Championship. Paddock and Ravenol first became partners at Silverstone last May, and since then the team has been able to make significant progress toward the front in British GT, with its McLarens gaining in pace with every outing. For 2024, the continuity of working with Ravenol will only help to push the team forwards, with all eyes on the podium places.

Paddock Motorsport is gearing up for its biggest campaign yet in the Intelligent Money British GT Championship, with Mark Smith and Martin Plowman leading what promises to be an impressive multi-car entry. The Tamworth-based team will return for a fourth consecutive British GT campaign in 2024, and this year is set to enjoy a greater presence than ever within Europe’s most competitive domestic sportscar championship. Continuing its close relationship with McLaren Customer Racing, Paddock will again compete across both the GT3 and GT4 categories this year and has undertaken a lot of work across the winter to strengthen both its machinery and technical team. Leading the line in the top-flight GT3 Pro-Am category will be American racer Smith and Paddock founder Plowman, who will again share the team’s #9 McLaren 720S GT3 Evo. Both drivers are targeting a push for silverware on what will be their second full campaign together. Smith, from California, made his British GT debut with the team during the 2022 finale at Donington Park, quickly acclimatising to the pace of British GT on what was his European racing debut. He and Plowman made big strides in pace across the course of last season, consistently challenging for top-six finishes as the team unlocked more and more of the new 720S GT3 Evo’s potential. Smith and Plowman were also one of just two driver pairings to score GT3 Pro-Am Championship points in every round last season. For the coming campaign, the combined knowledge of the drivers and technical team will prove a key factor in the pair’s ambition to regularly fight for podium finishes and victories. After the heavy damage sustained during a freak accident at Donington Park last October, Paddock has completely rebuilt its 720S GT3 Evo around a new chassis, and the car will wear a refreshed colour scheme for 2024. The new carbon-pink livery is inspired by the Oak Racing Morgan-Nissan LMP2 that Plowman helped guide to both a class victory in the 2013 Le Mans 24 Hours, and that year’s FIA World Endurance Championship LMP2 title.