Photo: BritishGT.com / Jakob Ebrey
2016 British GT champions Jonny Adam and Derek Johnston took their first victory of 2017 in Round 5, the second British GT race of the day in the #1 TF Sport Aston Martin Vantage GT3 at warm and sunny Snetterton in the .
Second across the line was the #6 Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini Huracán GT3 driven by Sam Tordoff and, bringing the car home, Mark Farmer.
Taking the final podium spot was the sister TF Sport entry, the #11 Aston Martin Vantage GT3, piloted by Jon Barnes and Mark Farmer.
The GT4 category was won by Sandy Mitchell and Ciaran Haggerty driving the #100 Black Bull Garage 59 McLaren 570S GT4. Second in class was the #51 Lanan Racing Ginetta G55 GT4 piloted by Alex Reed and David Pittard. Taking the final podium spot was the #56 Tolman Motorsport McLaren 570S GT4 driven by Joe Osborne and David Pattison.
GT3:
The grid was led away by pole-sitter Phil Keen in the #33 Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini Huracán GT3 but Jonny Adam got off to a very fast start and briefly grabbed the lead at Turn 1 before it was quickly re-taken by Keen. Meanwhile Morris in the #31 Team Parker Racing Bentley Continental GT3 squeezed Matt Griffin in the #21 Spirit of Race Ferrari F488 GT3, forcing Griffin to move sharply to the right at the start.
Keen held the lead throughout the first half of the race, increasing the gap to Adam in the #1 car to over eight seconds before the driver changes.
The #1 car was slightly delayed during the driver changes and got out behind Jon Minshaw in the #33 Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini. Minshaw held on to the lead and looked to have the victory in the bag before he was called in for a drive-through penalty for a short pit-stop.
The penalty for the #33 car moved Derek Johnston in the #1 TF Sport Aston Martin Vantage into the lead, which he held, crossing the line over nine seconds ahead of Liam Griffin in the the #6 Lamborghini Huracán.
GT4:
Joe Osborne in the #56 Tolman Motorsport McLaren 570S GT4 held on to the lead from polo-position while David Pittard in the #51 Lanan Racing Ginetta G55 GT4 moved up to second in class, closely followed by Stuart Middleton in the #55 HHC Motorsport Ginetta G55 GT4.
The leading trio remained the same up to the pit window opening. The #56 car held on to the class lead but David Pattison, now at the wheel, came under pressure from William Tregurtha, now driving the #55 HHC Motorsport entry.
As the race entered its final stages, Tregurtha in the #55 car went off and could not return. The #100 Black Bull Garage 59 entry took the lead with Sandy Mitchell at the wheel with the #51 Lanan Racing Ginetta G55 GT4 over eleven seconds behind as the class leaders crossed the line.
The next round of the 2017 British GT Championship will be held at Silverstone on June 10 – 11.
