British GT Championship leader Jon Minshaw is desperate to avoid the same race-shattering traffic troubles that cost the #33 Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini Spa victory, but won’t be easing off as he and partner Phil Keen gun for the title.
A late-race clash with the #51 Lanan Racing Ginetta in race two at Spa denied Minshaw what could’ve been a near title-clinching victory, and the GT stalwart is focusing on avoiding such mistakes this weekend.
“I’m a little bit nervous, it’s come down to the last two races, it’s a question of finishing and not making any mistakes.
“I need to keep doing what I keep doing, don’t force it and just let it happen. Spa was very unfortunate, I know we didn’t have the pace in the second race, but the coming together with a GT4 car was frustrating and I felt it wasn’t my fault.
“Wherever I put the car, I was in danger of having contact; and that’s going to be the biggest threat here this weekend – GT4 runners.”
With a number of debutants and inexperienced drivers in a youthful but talented GT4 field, Minshaw is hoping new drivers taking to the tight, twisty confines of Brands Hatch take great care when in close proximity with their GT3 counterparts.
“There’s some novices out there, and this is a track you can’t test on, so they need to be very conscious of GT3 traffic.”
But despite taking extra caution when negotiating lapped cars, Minshaw asserted he’ll still be charging with the title firmly on the line in the high-stakes Brands Hatch two-hour event.
“I’m not going to ease off, but I’ll be a little bit more cautious when overtaking. This race last year I was taken out in a straight line by an Aston Martin. There will be yellow flags, there will be safety cars, and I’ll need to make sure I’m not a part of it.”