Barwell Motorsport dominated the first British GT race of the season at Oulton Park on Easter Monday.
The victory was mostly sealed in the opening stint when Jon Minshaw’s excellent drive in the Demon Tweeks car gave them a massive lead over the other Barwell Lamborghini driven by Liam Griffin and Sam Tordoff. The final podium spot was taken by the reigning GT3 champions, TF Sport, Derek Johnston and Jonny Adam fighting their way up from an eleventh place starting spot.
Minshaw was pleased to get off to a winning start;
“I’m a bit annoyed because Keeny said I had to pit with a 20s lead and I only had 18…! It’s my home circuit and the car’s very good in the wet. Perhaps the Aston and Bentley aren’t quite as good in those conditions, but I think it’ll be a different story if the second race is dry.”
The day had started with heavy rain and although it had stopped falling by the time the race got underway, the track was still very wet. It was Minshaw that mastered the slippery conditions the best at the start, taking the lead at Old Hall as he slipped past Rick Parfitt Jr’s Bentley which had started from pole. Minshaw pulled out five seconds on the field in one lap and by the time the pitstop window opened he was twenty seconds ahead.
Behind the dominant Lamborghini, things were much closer. Initially Parfitt Jr in the Bentley was second but Liam Griffin made up the gap. But he too was pursued by the TF Sport Aston Martin of Mark Farmer. There were two further cars behind the Aston as Harry Gottsacker’s Ginetta and Lee Mowle’s Mercedes were also in the train
Reigning champion Johnston had made a great start making up three pleaces on the opening lap. He then picked up two more places as both Mercedes had incidents, The Loggie Mercedes spun harmlessly but Mowle sadly made contact with the tyre wall.
Johnston then took a further two places to get to fourth as the Farmer and Gottsacker cars were delayed by a spinning GT4 Nissan.
So as the cars pitted for the driver change, the Demon Tweeks Lamborghini emerged with its large lead still pretty much intact. Seb Morris found himself second in the Bentley but once again the second Barwell Lamborghini, now with Tordoff at the wheel, was faster. It passed the Bentley and then made an attempt to catch the leading Hurrcan. This proved impossible but it did close slightly.
Jonny Adam passed team mate Jon Barnes on track and then set off after Seb Morris in the Bentley. He succeeded and took the final podium spot. Morris had to settle for fourth despite trying to improve his pace late in the race.
Jon Barnes ended the race fifth in the Aston, ahead of Duncan Cameron and Matt Griffin in the Ferrari who passed the Callum Mcleod driven Bentley on the last lap. The Freke/Gottsacker Bentley was eighth ahead of the Abba with Rollcentre Mercedes. The battered AMD Mercedes of Mowle and Ratcliffe was just behind that.
In GT4 it was newcomers Adam Balon and Adam Mackay who won the first race although things were very close.
Behind the two Adam’s in the Track Club run Mclaren came HHC Motorsport’s Will Tregurtha and Stuart Middleton in a Ginetta G55. On track Academy Motorsport’s Aston Martin of Will Moore and Matt Nicoll Jons was third but they were exluded for driving standards offences.
Sandy Mitchell had been the early leader from pole in the Black Bull sponsored Mclaren but a seized wheel nut put the team out of contention.
Matt Nicoll Jones than lead after the pitstops but their stop had been too short and it was back to the pits to serve an 18 second penalty. Mackay in the track club Mclaren then took the lead before it too received a penalty. But the next car back was too far behind and they rejoined in the lead from Middleton in the Ginetta. Nicoll Jones followed home in third but was then excluded promoting reigning GT4 champions Graham Johnson and Mike Robinson to the podium in their Ginetta.
William Philips and Jan Jonck were next up in their Aston Martin ahead of the Lanan Racing Ginetta of David Pittard and Alex Reed. David Pattison and Joe Osbourne were next in their Tolman Mclaren ahead of Nick Jones and Scott Malvern.
Adam Balon was happy with his debut;
“The start was pretty hairy with a lot of spray – a lot more than I was expecting, actually. There was an element of just hoping to get through the first lap but I got through safely and managed to keep the pace going. I had a great scrap with the Aston and Ginetta so all in all a great start for us, even if we did get a little lucky with the penalty!” By Marc Waller
