Drives available for the 2008 Britcar 24 hr race in the Championship leading Hawthorns Motorsport 996 GT3 car (Class 2)

6 Driver Team, 4 signed up, 2 seats available. contact rod@hawthornsmotorsport.co.uk Or Rod Barrett on 07780665857

Acknowledgement to Peter May for the great photo
Team selection progress updated 02/07/08

Silverstone Race Report, Round 1, 22nd March 2008 & Team News

After a brilliant start to the Britcar season, having secured a 1st in class 2 and an amazing 4th overall in the season opener at Silverstone on Saturday the 22nd March, the team is the first to admit that "luck" played a large part in this result. Right from the green flag laps, things started to go wrong for a number of their fellow competitors, and then went from bad to worse with the safety car issues. "We were just bloody lucky to be in the right place at the right time, a lot of the other teams got caught in the " extended" pit stops and lost out big time" said Rod Barrett, " I don't think it is a fair reflection on the other teams in our class as all of them got caught in one form or another, next time out, things will be a hell of a lot closer" he added

Hawthorns Motorsport have elected to adopt a three man driver team strategy as Jay shepherd, ex TVR Tuscan Ace, and 2002 Hawthorns Motorsport driver will be returning to the team as of the Spa round at the end of May. "Jay currently spends his working week undertaking driver training and coaching so he has been helping Jan and I to smooth off the rough edges, this undoubtedly assisted us with this first result" Rod Barrett stated, " Now all we need do is listen to his advice on tyre choice for he correctly called for wets at the start of Saturday's race in what turned out to be a bizarre mix of snow storms and blue skies, had we gone with his advice, we could have saved another 2 mins or so and may have been even further up the
order"

Jan Persson added, " Jay will be a great addition to the team bringing both youth and experience, certainly in relation to us", he continued, " We will miss round 2 at Snetterton in April as I am away on business but if need be, we can always add one of the point scoring night races in November should we need to make up the points tally to allow for missing the first Snetterton round"

Hawthorns Motorsport are run by Neil Garner Performance Engineering, see: www.neilgarner.co.uk

Racing Season 2008 Sponsorship

Another season is now well and truly upon us and as you can see from the above, we are planning a full Britcar championship challenge. A big thank you to all our sponsors for the 2007 season, we came 4th overall so just missed out on the top three places, this year we plan to do a little better!!

We have changed strategy for the longer races in 2008 as we have enrolled the services of Ex Tuscan Challenge Ace, Jay Shepherd as a third driver. Jay was the runner up in the 2002 Tuscan challenge and is currently a senior instructor with MotorsportVision, owners of several UK race tracks, including Brands Hatch, he will add that professional touch which will only increase our chances of some top finishing results.

We trust that we can again rely upon the support of our existing sponsors and welcome onboard the new sponsors who have kindly agreed to support us, for those of you that are still undecided, our sponsorship packages start from as low as £2500 plus vat, full details are available on request. If I can be of any assistance or provide further information on sponsorship arrangements please contact me on my main office number, 01252 713911

GT Media Day, Wednesday the 22nd March 2006

Hawthorns Motorsport and their support team, Motorbase performance can now confirm that the newly acquired 2004 Porsche 996 GT3 cup car is ready for the 2006 British GT season. The Hawthorns drivers, Rod Barrett and Jan Persson have tested on two occasions during March at Brands Hatch to familiarize themselves with the car. Motorbase boss, Dave Bartrum said, “The boys were quietly confident that they would like driving the 996, but it’s not an easy car to just drop into and be on the pace.” “The fact that both Rod and Jan spent many years in Tuscans will stand them in good stead for most people will concede that if you can drive a Tuscan reasonably well, then a top of the line Porsche racer will not be too daunting”

Rod Barrett commented, “ On the first occasion we drove the car it took me some time to get my head around the left hand drive and right hand gear change, Jan was quite familiar with the layout so took to it very quickly, he posted a number of 0.51 lap times around the Indy where as I was slower, about 0.52.5’s, personally I think he was just showing off” Jan went on to add, “ I know left hand drive cars a lot better then Rod, it’s almost natural to me coming from Sweden originally, so on our second test on the Brands Indy circuit I was able to drop down into the 0.49’s which was very pleasing, Rod improved dramatically as he became more confident and got a number of consistent low 0.50’s so all in all we are pleased with our progress on old rubber and we should at least be in the hunt for points this season.”

The team will be at the British GT media day at Silverstone on the 22nd of March and their car, now resplendent with it’s new livery should get them noticed, they are also claiming the oldest combined driver age of 111 but the full entry list on media day could yield a more mature pair !!!!

PRESS RELEASE 25th January 2006

Hawthorns Motorsport has agreed terms to run their newly acquired Porsche 996 GT3 cup car with Dave Bartrums Brands Hatch based Motorbase team in British GT for the 2006 season. This special arrangement allows Hawthorns to retain their team identity whilst benefiting from the vast experience that Motorbase offers through many years of highly successful Porsche racing.

The Hawthorns drivers, Rod Barrett and Jan Persson have arranged a few pre season test days and hope to have the assistance of some of the motorbase team drivers to help them get use to the LHD aspect of the car together with its little peculiarities. Help could be on hand from the likes of Andy Britnall, Ex Tuscan ace, Ex Carrera cup racer and current GT driver who secretly believes that it is a complete waste of time trying to teach ex Tuscan drivers anything, well, he should know !!!

Jan Persson states, “ We didn’t have the right car for GT last year with our Z3M Coupe BMW, she was great to drive and a really tough little car, but we were so far off the pace it was frankly embarrassing.” “ Now that we have rectified that with the Porsche, we hope to be able to be competitive and have a chance of getting involved in some racing as opposed to trailing along at the back of the grid 7 seconds off the pace, so there goes our excuse for under performing.

Rod Barrett stated “We had planned to switch between GT and Britcar this season but it’s complicated with Avon on one side and Dunlop on the other and we would have also needed two preparation teams as neither Motorbase or our old Britcar team, Moore Racing, could deal with the constant switching as well as their existing commitments to other series, so we had to choose one or the other and the sense of unfinished business with British GT plus some sponsorship if we went the GT route won out in the end”.

Rod Barrett added, “ I’m sure we will love driving this car, Jan’s very quick in the wet, he likes it, must be all that ice racing he did in Sweden, personally I’m a fair weather driver so together we make a good team, additionally, we are formally claiming the oldest driver pairing as we have a combined age of 111 which beats the Riley/Flux Mosler pairing at 110 by I year, anyone want to claim 112?”

Hawthorns The Future

Plans for 2006 are well advanced as the team intend to compete in the British GT series and hopefully the Britcar Silverstone 24hr race. The car will be run by Dave Bartrum’s Brands Hatch based Motorbase team

Terms were agreed on the 23rd of November 2005 for the purchase of a 2004 Porsche 996 GT3 Cup car from ex Tuscan driver and motorbase team principal, Dave Bartrum. The car was in fact the one that won 1st in class in the 2005 Tag Heuer GT. 250. The two main drivers will be Rod Barrett and Jan Persson and this year they will have to do some extra pre season testing in order to get used to the left hand drive GT car,

Rod Barrett commented, "We have both spent many years driving Tuscans so whatever the Porsche tries to throw at us It will be "kind" in compassion to the monstrous Tuscans" " It will be a challenge and hopefully an exciting and fulfilling experience, Jan and I can't wait to get on with it"

Jan Persson added, "Dave Bartrum's Motorbase operation is there for us to seek advise and guidance should we run into problems, Rod and I have known Dave for many years and he knows all there is to know about running these cars so we feel well covered at the moment " Jan continued, “ The Motorbase team is also home to some very experienced drivers so I’m sure they will give us a few tips from time to time. Rod added “ We now have a car that can be competitive, so no more excuses about not having the power to get us into the thick of it, and despite our resistance to go the Porsche route, there really are few alternate options worth considering.” “If you can't beat them, join them, so we are looking forward to flagging up a few results next season in this splendid piece of kit, she really is a cracking car and well proven in terms of her race history, lets hope we can add to it and not detract from it !!!”

BMW out! and Porsche in for 2006

Plans for 2006 are well advanced as the team intend to compete in the EERC Britcar series supplemented with the odd British GT round and hopefully the support race to the A1 series which this year was known as the Tag Heuer GT 250. Moore Racing will prepare the car and support the team as they did during most of 2005 and are eager to accept delivery of the exciting recently acquired car that the team intend to race.

Terms were agreed on the 23rd of November 2005 for the purchase of a 2004 Porsche 996 GT3 Cup car from the very successful Motorbase team run by ex Tuscan Team owner/driver Dave Bartrum. The car was in fact the one that won 1st in class in the 2005 Tag Heuer GT. 250. The two main drivers will be Rod Barrett and Jan Persson and this year they will have to do some extra pre season testing in order to get used to the left hand drive GT car and establish it’s particular do’s and don’ts.

Rod Barrett commented :"We have both spent many years driving Tuscans and last season we had fun with the BMW but she didn’t challenge us too much, on some occasions we were so slow on the straights that Jan and I managed to get through half a “ learn Japanese whilst driving” course. We need to be challenged again, like we were in Tuscans so whatever the Porsche tries to throw at us we think It will be "kind" in compassion to the monstrous TVR’s” " We anticipate what will hopefully be an exciting and fulfilling experience, Jan and I can't wait to get on with it, our trophy cabinets are somewhat bare at present"

Jan Persson added;"Dave Bartrum's Motorbase operation is there for us to seek advise from should we run into problems, Rod and I have known Dave for many years and he knows all there is to know about running these cars so we feel well covered at the moment, and Moore Racing will have no problems getting to grips with the car particularly with the type of assistance we have available to us."

2006 is just around the corner, the Autosport show in Jan 06 will soon be upon us and before we have a chance to settle into the off-season, It will be time to start again, no peace for the wicked! We now have a car that can be competitive, so no more excuses about not having the power to get us into the thick of it, and despite our resistance to go the Porsche route, there really are few alternate options worth considering.If you can't beat them, join them so we are looking forward to flagging up a few results next season in this splendid piece of kit, she really is a cracking car and well proven in terms of her race history, lets hope we can add to it and not detract from it!!!

Hawthorns Motorsport enter Tag Heuer GT250

The team suffered a major double disappointment after blowing up an expensive M3 Motorsport engine at the EERC Britcar Oulton Park round, and then finding out that the replacement costs completely wiped out the intended budget for the Silverstone 24hr race, hence the teams withdrawal.

We are however delighted that our sponsors have rallied around and this now allows the team to enter the highly prestigious GT support race to the inaugural A1 Grand prix series that Motorsport Vision and the BARC/ BRSCC are hosting at Brands Hatch GP on The 23rd,24th,and 25th of September 05.

“We still have work to do engine wise to get the car competitive by GT Cup standards and indeed the higher classes of Britcar, but the fitting of a new engine has given us options that we intend working on over the winter”

“We have put a lot of effort into improving this car and we have succeeded on a number of fronts, now we have to bite the bullet and spend the money on finding real improvements in horsepower and torque, It’s there for the taking, but it can cost a fortune to bring about, lets see what 2006 brings.”

Oulton Park disaster for Hawthorns BMW Z3M Coupe

The Britcar round at Oulton Park on August the 6th became a black letter day for the team as the faithful 3.2 M engine finally gave it's all after a terminal error by driver Rod Barrett. The only mitigating circumstance was the fact that the normal gearbox was being overhauled and the temporary box had different characteristics which Rod had not fully appreciated and although the car ran faultlessly on the Friday test day, it was decided to change to a new 4.4 diff for race day and that required that the drivers use 5th gear which had not been the case on the test day when a 3.91 diff was fitted.

The cost of replacing the engine and fitting the replacement with the special Motorsport parts effectively takes all the teams reserve budget for the 2005 season, this means that the team is unlikely to be able to compete in any further racing this season, such are the ups and downs of Motorsport.

Hawthorns Motorsport agree terms with Moore Racing

Hawthorns Motorsport have today agreed terms with Richard Moore and Paul Fenton of Moore Racing for the team to Run the Hawthorns Z3M Coupe GT and possibly the Hawthorns TVR Race Tuscan, for the remaining EERC Britcar rounds and a few other selected endurance races. The team is based just south of Milton Keynes, so are well placed for road and motorway links and access to all the main circuits and Motorsport facilities. Moore Racing have recently carried out a total refurbishment of it’s race transporter and support vehicles and is now able to provide on site workshop and hospitality on par with many of the top teams and during the remainder of 2005 further improvements will be carried out so that the team is in tip top order for the 2006 season.

The partnership arrangement whereby Moore Racing act as the preparation team to Hawthorns, whilst Hawthorns run their own team from within is based on a tried and tested formula that has worked very well for the last 8/9 years between Hawthorns and Colin Blower Motorsport but has now terminated due to the respective operations wishing to travel different roads.

Hawthorns Motorsport’s Rod Barrett and Co Driver, Jan Persson competed in the British GT series for the early part of this season but have decided to move to Britcar as they feel that the power disadvantage they suffered in GT’s will be resolved in Britcar by way of a more sophisticated car classification system, giving them at least a level playing field from the start line as opposed to being outclassed by cars developing between 50 and 75 horsepower more yet apparently still a fair match !! Rod and Jan still have several motorsport related ambitions that they want to achive and see the next 10 years as potentially exciting and fulfilling for all involved.

Hawthorns decided that Moore racing was the ideal partner for them for many reasons not the least of which was their enthusiasm and professional approach to problem solving, they are a young dedicated team driven by a strong will to succeed within any arena they find themselves, backed up with a depth of knowledge and expertise that one usually finds in teams that have 20 plus years experience in the business.

Rod Barrett & Jan Persson
Hawthorns Motorsport

Hawthorns Motorsport to withdraw from the British GT series

Hawthorns Motorsport have decided to withdraw from the British GT series and enter their BMW Z3M Coupe GT3 race car in the EERC Britcar Series, where it will be classified as a group 2 car and therefore be more fairly matched against fellow competitors. “We have loved the experience of British GT and although we felt that we were slightly frowned upon for not having the proper support equipment such as expensive trucks and awnings, they treated us well and welcomed our efforts”. “The fact is that unless you have the right sort of car with about 400bhp+ to start with, you have little chance of being competitive against the Porsches and Ferrari’s and that seems to be the sort of cars people prefer to run”.

“If you can’t beat them, join them, or withdraw and come back when you have a car capable of being competitive, our BMW Only develops 325/340 bhp, and when all said and done, it’s a converted road car whilst 95% of the cars in the GT Series are purpose made race cars. We could buy a 996 Porsche GT3 for the money we would have to spend to make the BMW competitive in existing company, so we’ve decided to call a halt for to continue with the further development of the car would not be a viable or sensible proposition.” The recent issue over the Main Tyre supplier to the GT series has little or nothing to do with our decision, mind you if we had been asked we would have had an opinion, as would all the GT teams. Some of the teams are not that happy about the way things happened, we on the other hand spent 7 years in the TVR Tuscan Challenge and were well used to being told what was going or not going to happen, there you were lucky if they allocated you a race number unless you pre agreed to tow the line, a sort of benign dictatorship, great days really.

We are looking forward to joining the Britcar series for the Brands Hatch round and hopefully for the rest of the season, for we are having detailed discussions with one or two of the existing successful preparation teams in the series that currently run BMW’s, we are sure that we will find a home fairly soon. Unfortunately, Colin Blower Motorsport are unable to run us in the Britcar series as they have pre commitments throughout the rest of the 2005 season, but we will part on the best of terms which is hardly surprising after such a long and successful association. We prefer not to run our own team as we used to do a few years back, it was hard work and took a lot away from the enjoyment that at our age we feel we should not be missing out on, life’s too short, let others do the hard work, we’ll do the racing!!

As to 2006, who knows, maybe we will re-join the British GT series if we buy a 996 GT CUP Car, there again we might love Britcar and become very attached to our ultra reliable Z3M coupe GT car and decide to live out our remaining race years in glorious Britcar style.

Rod Barrett & Jan Persson
Hawthorns Motorsport

"Hawthorns sign new driver for 2015 season"

"Tuscan race car for sale"

Hawthorns Motorsport are busy making plans to enter a car in the British GT cup class, for 2005, this will be a BMW Z3M coupe, details to follow.

Competed Nurburgring 24 Hr 2002

Competed Bathurst 24 Hr 2002 – 5th outright 1st in class

Competed Wakefield Park Nations Cup – 1x 1st 1x 2nd 1 x3rd -1st Overall

Competed Oran Park Nations Cup round – 4th for the round

Competed Bathurst 2003 little wear due to predominantly wet race – 3rd in class

Specs (built 2002)
Tuned 3.2 Evo M Sport engine 345bhp (rebuilt 2003)
Weight – 1160 Kilos
Extensive use of carbon fibre in body and interior
5 Speed Gearbox (rebuilt 2003)
2 diff ratios, diff cooler
Penske adjustable shock absorbers
Brakes Front – AP racing 4 pots vented discs Rear standard (ABS)
Eibach springs (range of rates)
Adjustable suspension and sway bars all round (rebuilt 2003)
Stack digital dash with data logging, predictive lap timer etc
Rear adjustable aero foil
2 sets BBS wheels Fronts 8 ½ x 18 Rears 10x 18
1 set standard rims (used as wets)
Detachable steering wheel inc push to talk radio and stack scroll button