Paddock Motorsport has completed its 2024 British GT Championship line-up by adding a third car for series newcomers Alex Walker and Blake Angliss. The young crew will share a McLaren Artura GT4 in the Silver class, joining the McLaren GT3 and Mercedes-AMG GT4 programmes already confirmed by the Tamworth squad.
Walker graduates to the championship after making a handful of GT Cup starts with Paddock last term, alongside his full-season programme in Germany's BMW M2 Cup. Prior to this he cut his teeth in single-seaters, winning races in both GB4 and Formula Ford.
“A huge amount of work has gone into making this move happen, and now I’m just eager to get started in British GT with Paddock,” said Walker. “Ever since I switched from single-seaters, British GT has been my aim. It’s a massive challenge and a big step, but I feel ready and can’t wait to compete at such a professional level.”
Angliss moves up following a successful stint in Ginetta racing, beginning in the GT5 Challenge in 2020 and followed by two seasons in the GT Supercup. During his last full campaign in 2022 he finished as G55 Pro class runner-up, banking eight wins and nine further podiums.
“Everything over the last 12 months has been building toward a move into British GT,” said Angliss. “It’s the first proper step toward top-level sportscar racing, and I think with Paddock I’ll be in a great environment to develop as a driver.
"While I haven’t had the chance to test the McLaren Artura GT4 yet, I’m really confident that I’ll get to grips with it quickly,” he added. “It’s mid-engined, so will require a different driving style to what I’m used to, but I’ll have experienced people all around me at Paddock to help me learn quickly.”
Indeed, Angliss can lean on team-mate Walker, who sampled the Artura in GT Cup competition last term: “[It's] brilliant to drive and so well balanced,” said Walker. “You can really attack it and it’s one of the newer GT4 designs so you can take advantage of all the technology in the car to find time.”
The newcomers join Paddock’s GT3 crew, Mark Smith and Martin Plowman, and the GT4 pairing of Ed McDermott and reigning champion Matt Cowley, both of which will contest their respective Pro-Am classes.
"In Alex and Blake we have two really impressive young drivers who will raise some eyebrows this year,” said Paddock Motorsport founder Plowman. “They’ve both been race winners in other championships, and their driving styles should complement each other when sharing the Artura GT4.
“They’re hungry for success and eager to learn, so I have no doubt they can achieve some great results. We made huge strides with the setup and operation of the new Artura GT4 during its first season last year, and we’ll only build on that this year armed with the technical knowledge following the winter rebuild.”
British GT’s full-season entry list will be officially revealed at media day next Tuesday before Oulton Park stages the season opener on March 30 + April 1.