Video: Minshaw and Keen Take Kinrara Trophy Win
Photo: Nick Dungan - Click on the Video tab for Kinrara Trophy race highlights.
The pairing of Jon Minshaw and Phil Keen took victory in a dramatic Kinrara Trophy on Friday night at the 2017 Goodwood Revival, the duo leading home a fleet of Jaguars, with Gregor Fisken and Tom Kristensen second and Oliver Bryant and Martin O’Connell third. Rob Huff led early on before pitting as his steering wheel came loose, while Nigel Greensell, who been the only driver to stay with Huff in the first half of the race retired when leading behind the safety car.
Huff led the field away from pole on a wet track, Greensell staying with them and James Nottingham leading the rest but slipping to six seconds back by lap four. The lead duo traded fastest laps as they continued to pull clear, Greensell looking inside Huff down the pit straight as they started lap nine but yellows at Madgewick saw him tuck back in.
At the end of lap 11 Huff was slowing with his hand raised, pitting as his steerng wheel had come loose. Huff rejoined order the order, Greensall then straightlining the chicken as he was with a backmarker, gaining a five second penalty for missing the corner.
Minshaw was running second having passed James Cottingham and was the first of the lead cars to pit, and a lap later a Corvette in the tyre barrier at the chicane saw the safety car out, but not picking up the leader, Greensall lapping third from last in the queue of cars.
A wave-by of pretty much the whole field saw the order behind the safety car correct and its lights went off, only for Greensall to slow and pull off in the E-Type, necessitating another lap behind the Jaguar safety car.
Once racing resumed at the start of lap 21 it was Huff back in the lead, but crucially he had yet to make his driver change, the leading ‘stopper’ Phil Keen in fourth having taken that E-Type over from Minshaw. Cotttingham pitted on lap 22 and Huff finally headed in on lap 24 with nine minutes to go to hand over to Richard Meins.
That gave Keen a handy 12-second lead and when the chequer flag flew a few minutes early as visibility dropped it was a fine win, with a charging Kristenson second in the E-Type Fisken had started and O’Connell third - a late challenge for second looking likely at one point until O’Connell lost time behind a back marker Aston Martin
“It was quite hairy out there early in the race,” said Minshaw. “I was really pleased race control got the queue behind the safety car sorted!”
“John made my life easy,” said Keen. “Visibility was really poor towards the end of the race, but I was in apposition here I didn’t have to push too hard.”
Kinrara Trophy Result:
1 John Minshaw/Phil Keen (Jaguar E-Type) 26 Laps in 54m56.961s
2 Gregor Fisken/Tom Kristensen (Jaguar E-Type) +11.292s
3 Oliver Byant/Martin O’Connell (Jaguar E-Type)
4 William Nuthall/Tony Wood (Jaguar E-Type)
5 James Cottingham/Andrew Smith (Jaguar E-Type)
6 Rob Huff/ Richard Meins (Jaguar E-Type)
Fastest Lap: Huff 1m49.079s(78.55mph)
