Will Burns picked up his sixth podium finish of the 2020 Millers Oils Ginetta GT4 SuperCup season so far during a rollercoaster meeting at Oulton Park this past weekend (22/23 August). After taking five podium finishes in the opening six races of the season across the first two weekends of the month, the Weston-Super-Mare racer headed to Cheshire determined to continue his great start and add more silverware to his collection around a circuit he had a good record around. Topping the timesheets during free practice on Friday, Burns put in a dominant display in qualifying the next day. On a drying circuit, he posted a lap time almost three quarters of a second faster than anyone else; a pole position margin almost unheard of in the one-make series. Unfortunately Burns wasn’t quite able to take full advantage in the opening race that afternoon though, with a slow launch dropping him to second at the start. He settled into the position and looked to pressure the race leader as the race developed. With overtaking notoriously difficult around the narrow Oulton Park circuit, Burns elected to take no risks behind the wheel of his Rob Boston Racing prepared Ginetta G55 GT4 and produced a composed drive to the finish for some crucial championship points in second. The second race of the weekend took place in front of the live ITV4 television cameras on Sunday afternoon, but he suffered a nightmare start to proceedings. Heading round the first corner, a car on his inside unceremoniously forced him off the circuit and across the grass. Returning to the track in last place, a safety car period shortly afterwards allowed him to head to the pits so grass could be removed from his grill to avoid over-heating. Emerging at the rear of the pack again, he was fired up and determined to salvage as many points as possible. Storming past drivers in the Am and Pro Am classes, the 30 year old was crucially able to pass two of his Pro rivals before the finish to come home sixth in class. Those points mean the Cases Ltd, Eurocams and Absolute Plastering Services backed driver remains third in the points. Will Burns: “From a weekend that promised so much after free practice and qualifying, it’s immensely frustrating to have not finished with at least two podium finishes. Rob Boston Racing gave me a superb car and the pace was there for some top results. “To post such a dominant pole position in the wet qualifying fills me with confidence as we head into the latter stages of the season, when we’re expecting a lot of rain. I’m hoping that’s going to be the time when my experience can give me an advantage. “For a difficult weekend, we still came away with a good points haul that keeps us in touch at the top of the standings. There’s still a long way to go and after a busy start, it’s good we have a little break before the next rounds to reset and come back stronger.” The 2020 Millers Oils Ginetta GT4 SuperCup season continues next month at the fastest circuit in the UK, Thruxton (19/20 September).
Image from Jakob Ebrey Photography.