Paddock Motorsport was at the heart of the action during last weekend’s British GT Championship round at Oulton Park, twice challenging for a potential top-five result across two tricky Bank Holiday Sprints. The combination of a tightly packed field and constantly changing weather conditions made the twin hour-long races in Cheshire challenging, but Paddock’s #9 McLaren 720S GT3 Evo shared by Mark Smith and Martin Plowman was ever-present in the fight, with both drivers pushing for strong points across the two rounds. Although some bad luck denied them a score in the opener, a sound strategy and calm heads put the team well in the frame for the top five in the weather-afflicted second race, once again ramming home the progress Paddock has made towards becoming a consistent presence at the sharp end of one of the world’s toughest GT championships. With all of Saturday’s running taking place in dry conditions, the weather lottery for Monday would make much of the day a very different experience. Monday’s opening race would at least be dry, but would also bring frustration with a solid points finish being snatched away in the closing stages by a racing incident. Smith was pleased to qualifying the #9 seventh on the grid, dramatically lowering his best time from the same venue last year and being only 0.6s away from outright pole. A real display of the level of progression both driver and team are making this season. When the lights went out for the opening race on Monday, Smith got a decent start but was then bottled up in the pack as the cars ran through the pinch point that is Old Hall corner, clouds of dust being thrown up as some slid wide beyond the kerbing. The #9 emerged from the melee in eighth, behind the Bridger Motorsport Honda NSX. Try and he might, Smith could close up to the Honda through the corners but the sheer grunt of the car in a straight line made actually passing the Japanese machine a different matter. Smith continued to attack until the race was neutralised by a long full course yellow period prompted by a heavy accident for a GT4 car. Smith pitted under the caution to hand to Plowman, who rejoined once again staring at the rear wing of the Honda. The NSX’s defence delayed Plowman and allowed the Team Parker Racing Porsche driven by Sven Müller to close in and soon the three ran nose-to-tail. Knowing he had to make a move, Plowman attacked the NSX into the Hislops Chicane, just as the Porsche dived to the inside of both. Unable to turn into the corner without risking heavy damage, Plowman was forced to take to the escape road, with the lost time dropping the Paddock McLaren to 11th. That was the limit, but Plowman did set the second-fastest race lap of any McLaren on the grid, ramming home the potential of the Paddock setup. Race two would prove a different sort of challenge, with rapidly changing weather conditions making tyre strategy a complete gamble. Plowman took the start from 11th and opted to fit wet-weather Pirellis with the track still soaked following a shower before the start. However, within a few laps of the green flag the circuit was already close to the crossover points between slick and wet rubber, sparking a number of runners to make early pit stops to change boots. However, with the weather looking increasingly unsettled on the radar, Paddock opted to keep Plowman out as long as possible, and sure enough the rain returned, vindicating the decision. Plowman steadily made his way up the order, eventually pulling a fine pass on the Beechdean Aston Martin to secure fifth by the time the pit window opened. With rain still in the air, the team made the sensible call of keeping the car on wets when Plowman relayed Smith for the run to the flag, prioritising the stability of a strong result over the gamble on what could become gripless slicks. Smith rejoined in fifth, but with the train of the Beechdean Aston, Spirit of Race Ferrari and Bridger Honda NSX, which had opted to a slicks, right behind. Further rain did not arrive, and when the Honda’s tyres switched on Smith was powerless to defend as he nursed his own overheating wets. The Optimum Motorsport McLaren driven my Morgan Tillbrook would also make its way past on dry tyres, but Smith defended superbly from the other cars in a similar situation, taking the flag a fine seventh with the Aston and Ferrari in his mirrors. The result means Paddock has now finished three of the year’s opening four British GT rounds inside the top eight overall, with Smith and Plowman running 11th in the GT3 Drivers’ Championship and the feeling that a breakthrough result for the pair may not be far away.

Paddock Motorsport will return to British GT Championship action this Bank Holiday weekend, aiming to continue its recent hot-streak with the year’s first sprint races being held at Oulton Park. Mark Smith and Martin Plowman head to the Cheshire parkland track in superb form, with American driver Smith enjoying a dominant weekend in the GT Cup just last weekend. Driving the team’s McLaren 720S GT3 Evo solo, Smith claimed outright victory in three of the four races held at the Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit, marking by far his most successful weekend of GT3 competition yet. Boosted by the trophy haul, Paddock will be aiming to carry the momentum over to the highest level with the resumption of British GT after a month’s break. Rounds three and four will be one-hour sprint races, held on Bank Holiday Monday, with the short-sharp format presenting twice the opportunity to fight for points. Coupled to that, Oulton Park’s fast sweeps and multiple pinch points mean British GT races there are always some of the most challenging of the season, with the track demanding bravery and skill in equal amount to string together a strong lap. Paddock has started the British GT season strongly, with Smith and Plowman scoring solid points across the opening two events at Donington Park and Silverstone, putting the pair ninth in the GT3 Drivers’ Championship. Despite differential trouble late on at Donington and fading brakes at Silverstone, Paddock’s #9 McLaren has been a regular inside the top eight of one of the most competitive GT3 grids in the world. At Oulton, each driver will take a turn to qualify, with Smith setting the grid slot for race one, and Plowman for race two, meaning every lap will count on Saturday. The return to flat-out sprint racing also removes much of the strategic element, leaving the racing as a contest of pure speed. 

Mark Smith and Martin Plowman scored the best-ever Silverstone 500 finish for the Paddock Motorsport team, holding off intense pressure late on to bag eighth place overall after a determined performance. Despite nursing fading brakes toward the end of British GT’s three-hour seasonal showpiece, Smith and Plowman successfully held off the attack of the title-chasing Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini to secure the result, with Plowman using every bit of his experience in the nail-biting closing stages to bring it home. It capped a fighting performance as the team enjoyed great consistency across a challenging race that featured three Safety Car periods and a heap of drama. Paddock began the weekend by dialling the McLaren 720S GT3 Evo into the Northamptonshire circuit’s fast sweeps across both Free Practice and Qualifying on Saturday. Despite changing track temperatures making it tough to refine the car’s balance, Qualifying proved a highlight with Smith producing a great lap to go eighth fastest in the opening session. Plowman then backed that up against the Pro field ensuring the #9 McLaren would start inside the top 10 for Sunday’s race. When the lights went out, Smith made immediate progress by working his way up a place to chase the Orange Racing McLaren. Despite repeatedly closing in on his rival, Smith began to struggle with front-end grip in the dirty air and was forced to hold station until the first of the caution periods cued the opening round of pit stops. A clean service by the Paddock crew got Plowman installed and the car back out in great time, with Plowman running as high as sixth during his opening stint. The race’s second Safety Car was called when a Ferrari was dumped into the gravel and the team again reacted, pitting for a second time with the race under reduced speed. Smith kept up the pressure for a top-six finish, successfully staying clear of trouble and showing consistent pace before the braking issue gradually began to rear its head. Smith drove superbly to limit the damage, before taking advantage of one final caution period to complete the car’s final pit stop. Despite Plowman being delayed by a red light at the end of the pit lane when attempting to rejoin, he filtered back out in the middle of a tight fight with both Barwell Lamborghinis. While the worsening braking problem meant hauling in the #1 car would be impossible, Plowman defended exceptionally against the #78 in the hands of Finnish driver Patrick Kujala, with the Lamborghini rarely ever more than a few tenths behind. Despite a tag from the rear also damaging the car’s diffuser, and Plowman having to constantly manage the ailing anchors, he held on for seventh at the flag. Even with the car being moved back a place by a post-race time penalty, eighth overall was a big result in the year’s toughest race. Made better by the fact the car scored points for seventh, due to the race-winning BMW being a guest entry.