TOP 10 DRIVERS Keen was rapid in Huracan Parfitt was the stand-out Am
TOP 5 PRO DRIVERS 1 Phil Keen
What more does Keen need to do to win this championship? His pace aboard the Huracan was often staggering. Every time he went out, he lit up the timesheets. Barwell needed a superstar driver after losing BMW man Alexander Sims for this year, and Keen filled that void superbly.
2 Joe Osborne Tolman Motorsport Mclaren 570S GT4
Dropping back to GT4 for this year, nobody got more from a Mclaren than Osborne did. His lap times were exceptional, and team-mate David Pattison has improved massively under his tutelage. With better luck – and more durable tyres – they’d have been in the title hunt.
3 Will Tregurtha/ Stuart Middleton HHC Motorsport Ginetta G55 GT4
They’re the same in the car, so they’re the same here. Both GT4 newcomers were superb all year. They would trade fastest laps and showed amazing consistency. That’s two British titles in two years for Tregurtha, who boasts an amazing record of 30 top five finishes in 33 races over the last two years.
4 Seb Morris Team Parker Racing Bentley Continental GT3
Fourth may seem harsh, but that’s only because of the two stand-out GT4 performers, he’s safely second in the GT3 rankings. Super consistent and removed the mistakes of 2016. Another year like this and expect to see him up there in European GTS. Had a big role in Parfitt’s improvement too.
5 Callum Macleod Team Parker Racing Bentley Continental GT3
Flew under the radar a bit this year due to bad luck, but check the times and you’ll see his pace. Was often the fastest Bentley driver, when the car was running and he got to get in it, that is.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS GT3: Jonny Adam
TF Sport Aston Martin Vantage GT3
Consistent season for Adam, whose qualifying performances often dragged times out of his dented car that really flattered it. Hopefully he and Johnston come back for more, if Adam’s world championship plans allow. Oh, and did anybody realise he won Le Mans too..?
TOP 5 AM DRIVERS 1 Rick Parfitt Jr
This time last year I got a text. “Dude, why didn’t I make the top five in the review?” Quickly followed by: “Sorry, just realised. Made too many mistakes. Shouldn’t have text. Ignore me.” There was no ignoring him this year. British GT is won and lost on the Am drivers. And he drove like a Pro. Class act.
2 Jon Minshaw Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini Huracan GT3
Another year, another last-round heartbreak for Minshaw. Forget the spin in the finale, he had to push as it was basically his only chance of stealing the title. Gave it his all this year and his form at the start of the season was supreme. Let’s hope he has another go next year.
3 Alex Reed Lanan Racing Ginetta G55 GT4
You have to feel sorry for Lanan, were it not for a bungling one-off GT3 entry whacking them at Spa, Reed and David Pittard may well have been champions. That kick-started a run of bad luck. But Reed always put in solid performances, and had a great bond with Pittard.
4 Graham Johnson Optimum Motorsport Mclaren 570S GT4
“See, told you I’d get back to outqualifying the kids before the end of the year,” he beamed at me at Donington. The move to Mclaren essentially sacrificed this year’s championship, but Johnson is a great example of an Am driver working hard to catch, and beat, the Pros. Next year will be good for he and rapid co-driver Mike Robinson.
5 Mark Farmer TF Sport Aston Martin Vantage GT3
He’s come a long way in his two years in British GT and probably should have won more races this year. He and Jon Barnes are turning into a fine partnership for TF. Farmer had the slight edge in pace over last year’s champion Derek Johnston for much of the year.
GT4: Scott Malvern Team Parker Racing Porsche Cayman Clubsport GT4
Donington Park, September 24 will be remembered as the day a Porsche Cayman sat solidly inside the top four times – faster than all but two of the Mclarens – and it wasn’t even wet. Malvern continued to show the kind of pace that makes the Cayman look like a competitive GT4 car… even if it wasn’t.