Podium Joy on a Stormy Donington Weekend for Paddock Motorsport

Ravenol UK is thrilled to celebrate Paddock Motorsport's outstanding performance at a rain soaked Donington Park. Despite challenging weather conditions, the team showcased exceptional skill and determination.

Race Highlights:

• Qualifying: The team secured a strong starting position with impressive lap times.
• Race Performance: Amidst the stormy weather, Paddock Motorsport maneuvered expertly through the pack, demonstrating the reliability and performance of Ravenol's high-quality lubricants.
• Podium Finish: Alex Walker & Blake Angliss’ efforts were rewarded with a well-deserved podium finish with P2 in the GT4 class, marking a significant achievement for the team and Ravenol UK.

For the GT3 crew, their pace showed strong potential however did not go as planned with some sheer bad luck due to the caution periods of bad weather. All three of Paddock’s crews showed top-five potential across their various classes during the opening practice sessions, something that was backed up by a strong qualifying performance. Smith in particular shone in the GT3 session, setting the seventh fastest time with a terrific effort. Plowman backed up the hard work by going eighth in the Pro session, securing a start on row four. The combined efforts of Walker and Angliss meant the Artura would start sixth, with McDermott and Cowley sixth on the Pro-Am grid.

Here’s what the team said in a statement:

From the Artura GT4 crew, Alex Walker said: “The race felt so long, but I loved it. I actually feel we could have done a bit better and had it not been for the bad luck with the safety car we perhaps could have bagged the win. But I’ll always take a podium. The team has done a great job with the car all weekend and Blake and I did exactly what we set out to do, stay out of trouble, free from penalties and the balance of the car was great throughout. It’s a special result.”

Mark Smith from the McLaren GT3 team said: “If we made a list of all the things that could’ve gone wrong, we probably ticked most of them today! It’s a shame because we had brilliant pace on Saturday, but it was just dumb luck on Sunday that undid us. We were waiting for more rain to arrive in the first stint, but it only came about two minutes after we had to change strategy and Martin was out on slicks! Then I got a hit at the hairpin that punctured a tyre. I was watching the pressures dive before I finally had to give in. Then the salt in the wound was Martin being hit by the BMW late on. Let’s hope Spa brings us that bit of luck that makes the difference.”

Ed McDermott of the Mercedes-AMG added: “This just wasn’t our weekend. The car actually felt pretty good and we were working our way forward before chaos broke out. I was probably a bit too enthusiastic into the chicane and had a spin that put us into the gravel. It’s not the way we wanted to end the weekend, but we’ll move on from this and come out fighting at Spa.”

Congratulations to Paddock Motorsport for their remarkable achievement, and a big thank you to our supporters and fans for their unwavering support. Together, we continue to push the limits of performance and excellence.

Next up… Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium. Stay tuned for more updates and race highlights!