WIN LESS STREAK COMES TO AN END
While Graham Johnson and Mike Robinson finally ended their streak of bad luck to stop a barren spell stretching back to Donington Park last year, all the action was going on behind them as early leaders Ben Green/ben Tuck made it back to second on the final lap to set up a fascinating title showdown with Century Motorsport team-mate Jack Mitchell.
Unlike the last round at Spa, where Mitchell and Dean Macdonald required a fortuitously timed safety car to win, Century’s BMW M4s had a clear pace advantage over the Mclaren 570S at Brands Hatch. But two safety car spells turned the race in favour of the Pro-am entrants who benefitted from 30-second shorter pitstops than their SilverSilver counterparts.
Starting down in 13th, Johnson made good progress early on to run 10th and second of the Pro-am runners. He was behind Richard Williams in the returning Steller Motorsport Toyota GT86, when Graham Roberts’ Team Hard Ginetta found the gravel at Sheene, eliminating the advantage built by Green and poleman Macdonald at the head of the field.
Another safety car – this time to rebuild the tyre barriers on the pit straight after Mike Newbould’s HHC Motorsport Ginetta made contact with Paul Vice’s Invictus Games Jaguar – compounded Century’s problems and looked set to play into the hands of Williams/ Sennan Fielding.
That was until an optimistic look around the outside of Finlay Hutchison’s Equipe Verschuur Mclaren at Graham Hill Bend left the door open for Patrik Matthiesen (HHC Ginetta), the resulting contact leaving Williams facing the wrong way and Johnson in the pound seat.
Despite severe understeer, Robinson brought the car home for Balfe Motorsport’s first win in GT4, a rare bright moment in a tough season for the 2016 champions.
“I only ever give hugs out on a championship but today there were hugs given out!” Johnson said.
“The back of the car has been very attractive this year and we’ve only had three finishes until now. We’ve had pace all year, but you wouldn’t notice because we’ve had such misfortune, so to finally come out and show it is just a relief.”
Tuck had rejoined fifth, but was soon past Joe Osborne – whose Tolman Mclaren required an overnight engine change – and closing on the battle for second between Martin Plowman’s Ultratek Nissan (started by Kelvin Fletcher) and the Team Parker Racing Mercedes of Scott Malvern (in for Nick Jones).
Malvern was quickest of the Pros in qualifying and soon testing Plowman’s defences, but couldn’t make his pace advantage pay. Plowman repeatedly rallied Malvern’s attacks until Tuck caught the pair of them with two laps to go and shot past the Merc on the run to Hawthorn.
But Tuck wasn’t finished, an error from Plowman at Sheene on the final lap allowed him to complete a switchback move on the exit of Clearways – with two wheels on the grass – snatching second on the line, as Plowman held onto third by 0.059s.
With Mitchell/macdonald only seventh, there are just 10 points between the Century team-mates heading to Donington, with a further three crews still in mathematical contention.
“I almost can’t believe it, it feels like a win,” said Tuck. “It’s not the first time we’ve been held back by the safety car, so it feels good. It feels like justice to get the podium.”