Jon Minshaw believes championship rivals Rick Parfitt Jnr and Seb Morris are the crew under most pressure to win this season’s British GT title at Donington Park on Sunday.
It’s the second year running that the Barwell Motorsport driver, who shares his Lamborghini and title aspirations with co-driver Phil Keen, has entered the final round with the chance to claim a first British GT crown.
Minshaw and Keen trail their rivals by 10.5 points with one round and a maximum 37.5 points remaining. That’s in stark contrast to 12 months ago when they topped the GT3 table and enjoyed a similar advantage over Derek Johnston and Jonny Adam who, nevertheless, managed to overturn their deficit on the final day at Donington.
Several factors mean a similar upset could be on the cards this weekend. Victory for the #33 Huracan would see Minshaw and Keen crowned champions no matter where Parfitt Jnr and Morris finish, while a 20-second success penalty for winning last time out at Brands Hatch ensures the Bentley is also likely to be playing catch-up following the mid-race driver change.
Parfitt Jnr and Morris have previously suggested that it’s Barwell’s crew who start as favourites. But that’s dismissed by Minshaw who instead believes Team Parker’s various handicaps offer the biggest recipe for tension.
“I can see why they’d want to deflect the pressure but I honestly think it’s all on them this weekend,” he says. “They’re the ones leading the championship and with something to lose, and they absolutely cannot afford to let us win. Their extra 20 seconds in the pits probably prevents them from being our biggest rivals on track unless they’re prepared to really push or enjoy some good luck. It’s out of their hands and that creates pressure.
“But that’s not to say we’re definitely going to win it, either. We also need a bit of Lady Luck to go our way and to also keep our noses clean throughout the race. We’ll see what happens on the day.”
That assessment inevitably turns thoughts back to last year’s Donington decider when Minshaw’s title hopes ended in the Old Hairpin gravel trap. He admits to having previously felt the pressure of leading the standings going into the final round but that 12 months on things have changed.
“I don’t feel any pressure about this weekend, about winning the race or winning the title, but I did last year,” he says, frankly. “I’m very relaxed and not taking anything for granted. Even if we don't win the race we can still take the title, but then it all depends on what Rick and Seb do. They’re the ones who need to stop us.
“Having now experienced both situations I’d rather be second at this stage than the position we were in last year.”
Minshaw and Keen could set a British GT record this weekend for the most number of wins by any same crew in the championship’s 13-year GT3 era. Currently on four victories, they have also led 38% of the total laps completed. Furthermore, they’re also now the joint-most successful drivers in GT3 history in terms of wins. Having taken their first together in 2013, been title contenders ever since, and come so close to the championship last season, does Minshaw believe their records warrant a championship?
“What can’t speak can’t lie,” he adds. “The fact is we haven’t won one yet, so I guess we haven’t been good enough to, no matter what the record book says. I’m approaching the weekend with a very philosophical outlook; if it’s our time then we’ll have earned it.”