28 September 2010
Rollcentre Racing have finalised their driver line-up today for the Silverstone Britcar 24 Hours.
Rollcentre used a Mosler to win the inaugural 24 hour race in 2006, finished second in 2007 and are returning to the race after an absence of three years.
Re-joining driver and team owner Martin Short will be Andy Neate, who raced with the team to a second place finish in 2007. In 2008 Andy was knocked into a huge accident at the start of the race whilst driving a TVR. He suffered life threatening injuries and was kept in a coma for a considerable time. It was thought he would never race again, but has been racing a BMW in the British Touring Car Championship this year, and his wife Sarah has given him her blessing to race this year in the 24, but 'only with Martin in a Mosler'.
Steve Quick is a relative newcomer to Motorsport, but he has in only a year of racing crammed in more than most people manage in 4 years. He regularly races a Lotus, and has raced in GT Cup in a Ferrari. Last weekend he raced in the prestigious Open GT Series at Brands Hatch with Martin in a GT3 Mosler to 5th place in class. This will be his first 24 hour race, and he is looking to add to his impressive learning curve.
Jon Barnes is a multiple Champion in Caterhams, single seaters and he was the 2008 British GT Champion in a Dodge Viper. In 2009 Martin drafted Jon in for a one off 3 hour VdeV GT race at Dijon. Jon achieved pole position, and between them they managed to win, with fastest lap as well. Jon is a last minute addition to the team.
Short, " I wanted a no nonsense, solid and dependable team player, and I know that's what I have got with Jon. He hasn't done much racing of late (as is so often the way with talented under funded drivers), but I know he will help Andy, Steve and myself ably with the driving duties. Its great to have him back with us".
The Mosler Rollcentre will race is a brand new car. Externally it is very similar to standard GT3 Mosler, but under the skin is a tube frame chassis as opposed to a carbon honeycombe tub, and a 5.7 rather than a 7 litre Chevrolet V8.
Short, "As the European manufacturer of Mosler race cars with Mosler Europe, I wanted to produce a car that was not as expensive as a GT3 car and was specifically for Britcar, Dutch Supercar and other races outside of the GT3 format. This car will achieve that, but will still retain the advantageous Mosler shape and handling characteristics. We have added aero tweaks, and built the car with endurance and economy in mind. The cars shakedown will be at the test day for the 24, and we have been working very late nights to get it built. This race will be a big test for it, but I am hopeful that we will be competitive, as well as reliable. We will have three other Mosler's in our class, which are our usual 7 litre GT3 variant. They will most likely, and hopefully be the fastest cars out there, and of course, they already have a great 24 hour heritage. Hopefully our baby Mosler (officially called the Mosler GT Cup) will do a fine job in supporting them as well as having a crack at a result as well."
The race starts at 16.30 hours on Saturday 2nd October. You can keep track of the race progress via the Britcar website: www.britcar24hr.co.uk
Jon Barnes is proud to be supported by his long standing sponsors, Arai Helmets, Shredding for Bedding, and Headliners Hair Salon.
For more information visit Jon's website at www.jonbarnes.com
ENDS