Mark Smith Wins GT Cup 100 In Epic Donington Park Finish

Mark Smith secured a sensational photo finish victory in the first 100-minute GT Cup Championship race at Donington Park on Sunday (30 March) in the Paddock Motorsport McLaren 720s GT3, beating Track Focused by a record-smallest cushion.

The American driver proved unstoppable as he pulled a monster double stint as a solo entry, holding off James Kell by a mere 0.024s on the run to the chequered flag to confirm a debut weekend success for Smith and Paddock Motorsport in their GT3 McLaren 720S.

The race began with a dramatic spin and recovery from the Audi R8 of Peter Erceg (PB Racing) at Redgate, with Orange leading the field ahead of Smith following strong start and the conclusion of a brief safety car interruption.

The pace between the lead duo was consistent, with both trading fastest lap times back and forth across the first 50 minutes. The battle looked set to head to the mandatory pitstop window, until disaster struck the race leader at the final hairpin. Orange crossed paths with the JMH Auto Lamborghini of Frank Morris, turning the #63 machine around and requiring a trip to the lane for minor running repairs.

That setback gave the advantage to Paddock Motorsport. Smith put his foot down knowing he was set for an enduring afternoon as a solo driver against fresher opposition behind, and proceeded to show his speed as he emerged from the fuel and tyre stop after half-distance with a lead of over 50 seconds from James Kell - now in the Track Focused McLaren driven initially by father Darren.

With the scene set, 24 Hours of Spa class victor Kell trimmed the gap throughout the final 50 minutes. It boiled down to an incredibly intense conclusion, with Kell suddenly homing in on the rear wing of the fellow McLaren 720S with just one lap remaining. Smith defended his line brilliantly in the final two hairpins, although Kell found better traction on the run to the chequered flag. The gap closed all the way up to the line, but it would not be enough to deny Smith a spectacular maiden GT Cup win on his debut weekend by a series record cushion of just 0.024s.

#10 Mark Smith“I’m super happy, that was not an easy drive! On the car, we lost the splitter five laps into the second stint so didn’t have a lot of downforce and it was really a management job and when they were telling me that ‘man we need another second out of you, per lap for the last three laps’ I was like, okay let’s see what happens! I managed to gain a little pace but he [James Kell] was still gaining on me and in the last few corners I knew I need to be on the inside in the corner and I got it but I knew that he would be having pace on me out of the corner but fortunately the finish wasn’t an extra foot farther because he would have had me! The race was physical, there was a lot of sideways movement in there, so the seat does wrap you very well so it’s not completely holding your body stiff but there are times where you’re using your muscles to hold yourself upright. It’s very physical so I guess I need to do a bit more working out!”