Paddock to run Porsche for British GT finale

Mark Smith will return the Porsche brand to the British GT3 field for the season finale at Brands Hatch, with Paddock Motorsport taking over the operation of a 992-generation Porsche 911 GT3 R.
After almost four full British GT Championship seasons of competition with Paddock’s McLaren 720S GT3 Evo, Smith has opted to evaluate additional opportunities ahead of next season and has facilitated the switch to the Porsche.
Despite the move, Paddock’s strong relationship with McLaren remains unaffected, with the team still planning to operate GT3, GT4 and McLaren Trophy Europe programmes with the Woking brand in 2027 and beyond.
The 911 GT3 R will make its competitive debut with Smith and Martin Plowman at the wheel in the forthcoming GT Cup event at Brands Hatch this coming weekend, before the pair will contest the British GT finale with the 911 at the Kent venue over September 26/27.
It means Paddock will return to full strength for the last race of the season, with the Porsche slotting in beside the race-winning McLaren Artura GT4 entry of Revie Lake and Blake Angliss.
Having become regular top-five challengers with the McLaren across recent seasons – including scoring their breakthrough GT3 Pro-Am podium at Oulton Park this year – the switch to Porsche machinery for Smith and Plowman allows the team to evaluate additional GT3 programmes ahead of next season, alongside its plans to compete with McLaren in both British and European categories.
Paddock has now taken delivery of the 911, which was the last Porsche to feature in British GT’s top class in 2025 when it was shared by Nick Jones and Sven Müller and run by Team Parker Racing.
To aid the technical switch for the two events, Paddock’s engineering team will be bolstered by selected staff from leading German team Black Falcon, which has extensive experience of competing with the Porsche 911 GT3 in events such as the Nürburgring 24 Hours and German GT Cup. The two teams worked together during a recent test at the Nürburgring to get an initial feel for the project and the Black Falcon staff will be embedded within Paddock’s HQ for the duration of the two race events.
The Porsche 911 GT3 R features a 4.2-litre flat-six Boxer engine capable of producing around 565bhp (dependent on Balance of Performance), a six-speed sequential transmission and weighs 1250kg.

Paddock Motorsport founder Martin Plowman says: “The switch to the Porsche has come about because Mark felt it was the right time for a change as he wants to evaluate some extra options ahead of 2027. Doing it now gives him a window to try something new in both GT Cup and British GT without pressure.
“For the team it’s a great opportunity to learn and develop some new skills, especially with the Black Falcon technical staff joining us both at the track and back at base to aid with preparation and operation of the 911. We had a test at the Nürburgring recently and, while it was clear there is a lot to learn as the Porsche is a very different car to handle than the McLaren, we made some strong progress and it will be interesting to see how the two race weekends play out. Obviously, we have modest expectations as it’s a big change, but the GT Cup will serve as a good warm-up before jumping back into British GT.
“Despite us finishing the season with the Porsche, our relationship with McLaren is still a long-term one, and we are already planning programmes with our 720S GT3 Evo and Artura GT4 for next season alongside a multi-car entry into the McLaren Trophy Europe and speaking with interested drivers.”
















