Will Burns has been crowned the 2020 Millers Oils Ginetta GT4 SuperCup champion after sealing the title in style with a pair of podium finishes during the season finale at Brands Hatch.
After previously finishing runner-up in the Ginetta GT5 Challenge in 2013 and the GT4 SuperCup in both 2016 and 2019, Burns finally got to enjoy his crowning moment as champion following a tremendous season behind the wheel of his Rob Boston Racing Ginetta G55 GT4.
Weston-born racer Burns went into the final weekend on the brink of title glory following a tremendous month of October, with three wins and two second-placed finishes across six races putting him in a prime position to complete the job in Kent.
Burns knew that just one race finish would be enough to seal the title, though like any true racing driver he wasn’t content with sitting back and taking it easy.
And he immediately produced impressive pace in both wet and dry conditions during free practice on the Brands Hatch Indy circuit.
Burns, 30, converted that into a great second place in qualifying on a damp circuit on Saturday morning. That result meant he ended the campaign with the best record on the grid, having only qualified outside the top two in one session all season … which he finished in third.
Tricky wet conditions greeted Burns for race one that afternoon and with his focus on not getting caught up in any early incidents, he made a cautious start to proceedings. Slipping to fourth at the end of lap one, he got back into third next time round.
With a determined driver soon tucked under his rear wing, Burns opened the door to let him through and ran fourth overall and third in class through to the chequered flag. That result was more than enough to secure him the title with a race to spare, leading to emotional celebrations with his family and team.
The final race of the season took place in dry conditions on Sunday afternoon and the Weston-based driver initially slipped to fourth off the start but was determined to fight his way back onto the podium.
A bold dive down the inside at Paddock Hill bend on lap six secured him third place before he closed down a gap of over three seconds to the car ahead before pulling off a repeat move at Paddock again on the penultimate lap for second place.
Burns ends his title-winning campaign with a tally of 15 podium finishes from 19 races, moving him to a total of 64 in the championship. He also came away with five race wins, a tally matched by only one other driver, and more pole positions than anyone else with three.
Consistency was one of the key components to Burns’ title charge, with an impressive record of finishing every race this season inside the top six in class and remarkably now only suffering one retirement in his last 67 starts in the championship.
“I’ve had a bit of a chip on my shoulder having finished as runner-up three times in Ginetta championships, so to finally be able to call myself champion is an incredible feeling and I couldn’t be more delighted to have taken the win," said Burns.
“Having twice come into a season finale as the chaser, to come to Brands Hatch with the points in my favour was a good feeling. ‘Finish a race to win the title’ sounds simple, but it’s easy to get caught up in trouble in races so I was nervous coming into the weekend.
“The car was fantastic, though, and I was able to control my first race, letting guys past when I needed to be safe, but also push to get a nice podium to cap it off. With the pressure off in race two, I really enjoyed pulling off some bold moves and getting another trophy for the collection.
“Thank you so much to Rob Boston Racing. They’ve given me a fantastic car throughout these last two seasons and I’m delighted I could bring it home for them and my family and my sponsors. This is the best moment of my career so far and I couldn’t be happier.”
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