Trackspeed Racing took their second win in two races in the final round of the Avon Tyres British GT Championship. Jon Minshaw and Phil Keen took victory at Donington Park in the #63 Demon Tweeks Porsche 911 GT3 R. Nick Tandy and David Ashburn finished seventh in #31.
An outstanding start from Minshaw saw him go from eighth on the grid to fourth. Toward the end of the lap, contact with an Audi left the tracking shy of straight, and the #63 raced almost the entire two hours with that slight damage. Despite the extra front tyre wear, Minshaw was able to move forwards, moving into third for the large part of his stint.
Keen took the car over in second place, and set about the task of catching and passing the leading Aston Martin. He didn’t have it easy, with a fast Ferrari just on his tail as he tried to find away to pass, but once he took the lead he kept the gap steady until the finish. The gap at the finish was 2.551 seconds.
The #31 was always going to be up against it, facing a 20 second pit stop success penalty after victory at Brands Hatch. Ashburn dropped two places on the first lap, to 11th, but fought back and ended the first stint eighth. Tandy was left with a mountain to climb – back to 11th, a minute behind the leader – but was the fastest man on the track for much of his stint. They finished 23.532 seconds behind their teammates, and would have scored a podium without the success penalty.
The result means the team end the championship in second place. Minshaw and Keen finished fourth in the drivers’ standings, while Ashburn and Tandy earned enough points for 11th!
Nick Tandy, Porsche 911 GT3 R #31
“It was fun. We had a lot of good fights and battles today. Every time I got past a car, I got on the radio to find out what I had to do to catch the next one, and that would be the next target. I just kept focused, and kept catching people and passing cars. It was good fun and a good race. We finished just over 20 seconds behind, and obviously had the 20 second additional pitstop time, so we effectively ran at the pace of the winners.”
Phil Keen, Demon Tweeks Porsche 911 GT3 R #63
“I’m chuffed to bits, but it is a shame that we couldn’t have won Brands and come here with a shot at the title. With a couple of the contenders not finishing, it would’ve been close. It’s been a good year, despite a couple of issues during the season. I had a comfortable gap and was just managing it, and we had a little issue with the car and only just got across the line! We were a bit lucky I guess!”
Jon Minshaw, Demon Tweeks Porsche 911 GT3 R #63
“I got a great start and went round the outside of two or three cars at Redgate and down the Craners. I tagged along behind the Audi and he left a gap for me at Melbourne, and I don’t think he’d seen me. He turned into the side of my car, then we hadn’t even completed a lap and my steering was bent! The front tyres were past their best very early in the race then. It was a question of managing, holding onto the Aston ahead and making sure anybody behind me stayed behind. We’ve had a great end to the season, and I’m really looking forward to next year!”
Photos: Tom Loomes / www.xynamic.com