Paddock Motorsport has revealed the second half of its 2023 British GT Championship programme by confirming Kavi Jundu and Tom Rawlings will drive its new McLaren Artura GT4.
This adds to the team’s previously-confirmed GT3 class entry with a McLaren 720S GT3 for Mark Smith and Martin Plowman which makes it a multi-class attack on the UK championship.
Jundu enjoyed a race-winning GT Cup campaign with Paddock and the outgoing 570S GT4 last year in what was his first season racing GT cars. His best result though came in the final round of British GT at Donington when he finished fourth in GT4 and scored a Pro-Am victory in a one-off appearance with Paddock alongside Mom Ritson.
Speaking about the season ahead Jundu says he feels 2023 is set to be a special year, in a car which he hasn’t yet raced but has had a taste of in testing.
“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 competing 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 opening round of this year’s British GT Championship takes place at Oulton Park across the Easter Bank Holiday weekend on April 8 & 10.
