Paddock Motorsport has revealed the second half of its 2023 Intelligent Money British GT Championship programme by confirming Kavi Jundu and Tom Rawlings will drive its new McLaren Artura GT4.
The team’s multi-class entry also includes a 720S GT3 for Mark Smith and Martin Plowman, whose participation was announced earlier this month.
And just like last year the other side of Paddock’s garage again contains a GT4-spec McLaren, albeit one making its British GT debut.
Jundu enjoyed a race-winning GT Cup campaign with Paddock and the outgoing 570S GT4 last year in what was his maiden season of car racing. However, he was arguably even more impressive at Donington Park in October when a one-off British GT outing with the same team alongside Moh Ritson resulted in Pro-Am victory and fourth overall.
But while a season of experience will undoubtedly stand him in good stead, Jundu revealed the Artura is a very different beast to the 570S it replaces.
“This year is going to be something quite special, stepping up to British GT with Paddock Motorsport and a brand-new McLaren Artura… it’s going to be incredible,” he said. Last year was my first season of racing, and I learned an incredible amount. I’d done loads of high-performance track days, but learning about things like qualifying, race starts, pit stops all clicked toward the end of the year. Then to get a class win on my British GT debut was a dream.
“British GT is a real step up. The grid is packed with so many great drivers, cars and teams… it’s just another level.
“I did have a brief test in an early version of the Artura GT4 last year and it felt much different to the old 570S GT4. It was more alive, the front-end is much more responsive and it should be a big step forward in all areas. I think Tom and I will make a great partnership. We have similar driving styles and setup preferences, and with the Paddock team behind us we should have a car to go out there and challenge for some strong results this year.”
Rawlings, meanwhile, re-joins Paddock for a second spell this season after first racing with the team in GT Cup two years ago. Having been a race winner in the Mini Challenge’s top-flight JCW class, Rawlings then finished second in the GT Cup’s GTH standings before graduating to British GT with Century and BMW last term.
“I’m really excited to get going, and it’s great to be back with the guys at Paddock Motorsport,” he said. “This is where I started my GT racing career and I’m definitely looking to carry on the same sort of success we had together in the GT Cup where we finished second in the 2021 championship.
“I learned a lot from my first British GT season last year in the BMW, and feel I’m a better all-round driver coming into this year. Getting to grips with the new McLaren Artura will be a great experience, too. It’s a brand-new car that is both lighter and more powerful than the old 570S GT4, and I loved driving that, so this promises to be even better!
“I’m looking forward to working with Kavi. He had an impressive British GT debut last year, so I hope we can achieve a lot together in his first full season.”
The new McLaren Artura GT4 is built around McLaren’s new lightweight carbon fibre monocoque chassis and is powered by a twin-turbo 3-litre V6 engine. It is 100kg lighter than the outgoing 570S GT4.
The opening round of this year’s Intelligent Money British GT Championship takes place at Oulton Park across the Easter Bank Holiday weekend on April 8 & 10.