Photo: BritishGT.com / Jakob Ebrey
TF Sport will occupy the front row of the grid for Sunday September 24’s final round of the 2017 British GT Championship after Mark Farmer and Jon Barnes lapped in a cumulative 2:55.337 to take pole in the #11 TF Sport Aston Martin Vantage GT3.
2016 Champions Derek Johnston and Jonny Adam, driving the #1 Aston, will join the sister car on the front row when they lapped in a cumulative 2:55.821.
2017 GT3 protagonists Barwell Motorsport and Team Parker Racing will start September 24’s 120-minute race alongside each other on the second row. Phil Keen, in the #33 Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini Huracán GT3, put in a 1:27.376 in the dying seconds of the 10-minute GT3 Pro session to snatch third on the grid with a cumulative 2:56.109 with driving partner Jon Minshaw.
The #31 Team Parker Racing Bentley Continental GT3 of Rick Parfitt and Seb Morris will start from fourth on the grid with a cumulative 2:56.170.
Jon Barnes brought the #11 TF Sport entry into the pits with minutes left to go in the GT3 Pro qualifying session, so confident was he that his 1:27.125 could not be improved upon.
The #11 driving partnership of Barnes and Farmer was delighted at their pole position.
“We’re really pleased. Mark came here on his own last Thursday and had a really good test and he’ll have to come and test on his own again because he’s obviously quick when I’m not here!” joked Jon Barnes. “It’s just fantastic. Mark pulled a really good time out of the bag – a low 1:28 as an Am round here is really awesome. I’m pleased from my own point of view because I haven’t been in the car for seven weeks so both of us can be really pleased with our day’s work and hopefully we can continue it into tomorrow.”
2016 Champion Derek Johnston is looking forward to some competitive racing for Sunday September 24’s season finale and doesn’t expect any team orders from TF Sport.
“No, not at all,” said Johnston. “We’re all ready to race. If there’s an opportunity for me to pass, for sure that’s what ‘m going to do. I’m not going to do anything stupid, obviously.”
The lights go out for the final round at 13:30 local time on Sunday September 24.
