Fletcher "had no idea" British GT Oulton win was on due to radio issue

Fletcher and fellow Paddock Motorsport McLaren co-owner Plowman finished third on the road behind Ian Loggie (RAM Racing Mercedes) and Shaun Balfe (Balfe Motorsport Audi), following a mid-race red flag during the pit cycle, but was promoted to first as both had their race one success seconds added to their race times.

TV actor Fletcher, who won the GT4 Pro-Am title with Plowman in 2019, had begun the second stint in seventh but was elevated positions when Alex Malykhin spun at Druids, Adam Balon had to serve a stop-go penalty for earlier contact and Morgan Tillbrook suffered an electrical glitch.

After pulling a crucial move on Mia Flewitt into the Hislops chicane, Fletcher then closed the gap to Loggie and Balfe, which meant he moved ahead when their respective seven and 10 second penalties for finishing second and first in race one were applied.

VIDEO: A dramatic British GT season-opener at Oulton Park

Having finished only 15th in race one after a track-limits penalty and a puncture, Fletcher was elated to score a maiden GT3 victory on his first weekend with a McLaren 720S, after switching from a Bentley Continental GT3 over the winter.

“I had little radio, my ears were playing up all weekend,” he told Autosport.

“It was funny, so it kept going in and out.

“I knew once I did the McLaren [Flewitt] I had some free air so I tried to push on as much as I could.

“I had no idea that we were on for a win, even on for a podium. I didn’t even know it was last lap as well.

“My head was in the game, I was really trying to focus and getting a couple of tenths in each lap.

“I was pretty lucky with traffic, I pushed really hard and I was really happy with that.”

Team-mate Plowman described the result as “a career highlight” after