Nurburgring track
Nurburgring
GT World Challenge Europe
R8
29–31 Aug
Nurburgring track
Nurburgring
GT World Challenge Europe
R8
29–31 Aug
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Barwell Heritage

Barwell Motorsport is one of the UK’s most successful professional racing teams, competing at the forefront of motorsport for over 50 years.

2024
British GT Drivers Champion
2024
British GT Teams Champion
2024
GT World Challenge Europe Overall Bronze Team 3rd
2023
British GT Silver-Am Drivers Champion
2023
GT World Challenge Europe Pro-Am Teams 2nd
2023
GT World Challenge Europe Pro-Am Drivers 2nd
2022
British GT Drivers Championship 2nd
2022
British GT Teams Championship 2nd
2021
British GT Drivers Champion
2021
British GT Teams Champion
2021
GT World Challenge Europe Pro-Am Drivers Champion
2021
GT World Challenge Europe Pro-Am Teams Champion
2020
British GT Drivers Champion
2020
British GT Teams Champion
2020
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Silver Teams Champion
2020
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Silver Drivers Champion
2020
Spa 24 Hours Pro-Am Winner
2019
British GT Teams Champion
2019
British GT Drivers Championship 2nd
2019
Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup Am Teams Champion
2019
Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup Am Drivers Champion
2019
Spa 24 Hours Silver Cup Winner
2018
British GT Drivers Championship 2nd
2018
British GT Teams Championship 2nd
2018
Blancpain GT Series Am Cup Drivers Champion
2018
Blancpain GT Series Am Cup Teams Champion
2018
Spa 24 Hours Am Cup Winner
2017
British GT Drivers Championship 2nd
2017
British GT Teams Champion
2017
Blancpain GT Series Pro-Am Drivers 2nd
2017
Blancpain GT Series Pro-Am Teams 2nd
2016
British GT Drivers Championship 2nd
2016
British GT Teams Championship 2nd
2016
24 Hours of Silverstone Class Winner
2015
British GT Drivers Championship 2nd
2015
British GT Teams Champion
2014
British GT Drivers Champion
2014
British GT Teams Championship 3rd
2013
British GT Drivers Championship 3rd
2013
European Le Mans Series GTC Teams 3rd
2007
British GT Drivers Championship 2nd
2007
British GT Teams Champion
2006
British GT3 Drivers Champion
2005
Formula BMW UK Rookie Cup Champion
2005
24 Hours of Silverstone Class Winner
2003
British Touring Car Championship Independents Cup Drivers Champion
2003
British Touring Car Championship Independents Cup Teams Champion
2002
British Touring Car Championship Independents Cup Drivers Championship 2nd
2001
British Touring Car Championship Independents Cup Drivers Championship 2nd
2000
British Touring Car Championship Independents Cup Drivers Championship 2nd
1998
Vauxhall V6 SRI Challenge Championship 2nd
1997
Volkswagen Vento VR6 Challenge Champion
1994
Volkswagen Vento VR6 Challenge Champion
1990
Mazda MX-5 Cup 2nd
2024
British GT Drivers Champion
2024
British GT Teams Champion
2024
GT World Challenge Europe Overall Bronze Team 3rd
2023
British GT Silver-Am Drivers Champion
2023
GT World Challenge Europe Pro-Am Teams 2nd
2023
GT World Challenge Europe Pro-Am Drivers 2nd
2022
British GT Drivers Championship 2nd
2022
British GT Teams Championship 2nd
2021
British GT Drivers Champion
2021
British GT Teams Champion
2021
GT World Challenge Europe Pro-Am Drivers Champion
2021
GT World Challenge Europe Pro-Am Teams Champion
2020
British GT Drivers Champion
2020
British GT Teams Champion
2020
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Silver Teams Champion
2020
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Silver Drivers Champion
2020
Spa 24 Hours Pro-Am Winner
2019
British GT Teams Champion
2019
British GT Drivers Championship 2nd
2019
Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup Am Teams Champion
2019
Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup Am Drivers Champion
2019
Spa 24 Hours Silver Cup Winner
2018
British GT Drivers Championship 2nd
2018
British GT Teams Championship 2nd
2018
Blancpain GT Series Am Cup Drivers Champion
2018
Blancpain GT Series Am Cup Teams Champion
2018
Spa 24 Hours Am Cup Winner
2017
British GT Drivers Championship 2nd
2017
British GT Teams Champion
2017
Blancpain GT Series Pro-Am Drivers 2nd
2017
Blancpain GT Series Pro-Am Teams 2nd
2016
British GT Drivers Championship 2nd
2016
British GT Teams Championship 2nd
2016
24 Hours of Silverstone Class Winner
2015
British GT Drivers Championship 2nd
2015
British GT Teams Champion
2014
British GT Drivers Champion
2014
British GT Teams Championship 3rd
2013
British GT Drivers Championship 3rd
2013
European Le Mans Series GTC Teams 3rd
2007
British GT Drivers Championship 2nd
2007
British GT Teams Champion
2006
British GT3 Drivers Champion
2005
Formula BMW UK Rookie Cup Champion
2005
24 Hours of Silverstone Class Winner
2003
British Touring Car Championship Independents Cup Drivers Champion
2003
British Touring Car Championship Independents Cup Teams Champion
2002
British Touring Car Championship Independents Cup Drivers Championship 2nd
2001
British Touring Car Championship Independents Cup Drivers Championship 2nd
2000
British Touring Car Championship Independents Cup Drivers Championship 2nd
1998
Vauxhall V6 SRI Challenge Championship 2nd
1997
Volkswagen Vento VR6 Challenge Champion
1994
Volkswagen Vento VR6 Challenge Champion
1990
Mazda MX-5 Cup 2nd

Barwell’s race-winning history dates back to the 1960s, with the team boasting experience of sportscars, touring cars, GTs and historic machinery. Since 2005, Barwell Motorsport has specialised in GT racing, having competed in GT1, GT2, GT3 and GT4 classes around the globe.

Barwell Automotive, 1960s-1970s

What’s in a name? When it comes to Barwell Motorsport, quite a lot. The team enjoys a long and storied history dating back to the 1960s, with its roots in rural Surrey. During the 1950s Barwell Garage was a local specialist in tuning race engines, often of the BMC variety and the business counted racers such as Gerry Marshall among others as regular clientele. The local area also proved something of a cultural hub, with the nearby Barwell Farm also incorporating a recording studio famously used by Bob Geldof and the Boomtown Rats.

Richard Lemmer, father of current team principal Mark, and his business partner Paul Butler were already racing Minis and Sprites, and took control of Barwell Garage in 1970 and adopted the name for their race team. Barwell Automotive was born. Early projects included running a Brabham BT28 in Formula 3 and Formula Atlantic plus Sports 2000 Lolas as the team laid its foundations.

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Saloons & Historics, 1980s-1990s

After several successful seasons in domestic competition, Barwell Automotive put its focus back into the garage business from 1979, racing only then restarted in earnest when Mark Lemmer began his competition career in 1987 in the Ford Credit Fiesta Challenge. With all of the facilities needed to run a competitive race car already in-house, Lemmer brought the Barwell name back to the track, entering his Fiesta under the Barwell Motorsport banner for the first time.

Success came quickly, with Barwell Motorsport expanding to run a customer car in just its second full season. Winning campaigns followed in Mazda MX-5s and Volkswagen Polos before Lemmer claimed the 1994 Volkswagen Vento VR6 Challenge title to bring the team its first championship trophy. With this came the prize of a road-going Vento VR6, which Lemmer sold to raise the capital for a move into a dedicated facility and the purchase of a race truck. The team also launched a historic racing division, during which it tended sporting icons such as the Porsche 917 and Ford GT40. Barwell Motorsport was on the road to a whole new level.

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Touring Cars and beyond, 2000-2005

Now in full swing, Barwell Motorsport began its route to the touring car scene, forging a strong partnership with Honda to field both Integra and Accord models in the National Saloon Car Cup. This partnership also paved the way for Barwell Motorsport to make its debut in the British Touring Car Championship in 2000, competing in Class B for Super Production Spec cars. This marked Barwell Motorsport’s first step into top-flight professional motorsport.

By the end of the first season, the team enjoyed factory support from Honda, an agreement that would also take Barwell Motorsport into iconic international events such as the Spa 24 Hours and Macau Guia Grand Prix. On home soil, Barwell Motorsport finished second in its BTCC division in 2001 before stepping up to the top class of the championship the following year. Armed with twin Vauxhall Astras the team claimed second in the Independents’ Cup. The Super Production title followed in 2003, before the team switched focus to a future in GT racing.

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GT and Aston Martin, 2006-2012

The launch of the GT3 formula for 2005 presented a golden opportunity. With success achieved in touring cars, Barwell Motorsport got in at the ground floor with the new GT3 regulations, being approached to run the very first Aston Martin DBRS9s, chassis 001-003, earning the team a spot on the grid for the very first FIA GT3 European Championship event at Silverstone in Spring 2006.

A campaign in the GT3 class of the British GT Championship followed, with the team winning the first-ever GT3 Drivers’ title with Leo Machitski. Barwell Motorsport again developed a high-profile relationship with Aston Martin Racing, culminating in a cutting-edge project to develop a biofuel-powered DBRS9, which it campaigned in British GT in 2007, winning two races along the way. The team would spend five further seasons partnered with Aston Martin Racing, also competing in the FIA GT World Championship with the DBR9 GT1, and the American Le Mans Series with the original Vantage GT2.

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Forwards with BMW, 2012-2015

Another opportunity presented itself for 2012, with a switch to BMW. The team was competing in the 2011 24 Hours of Spa when team personnel were watching trackside as Maxime Martin took his Marc VDS Z4 GT3 flat up Eau Rouge, a sight never before seen in the formula. Clear the Z4 was a step above, Barwell purchased the exact chassis from VDS and struck up a new partnership with BMW Motorsport.

This coincided with the relaunch of the historic Ecurie Ecosse racing name, with Barwell Motorsport chosen to facilitate the famous brand’s return to competition. The Ecurie Ecosse BMW Z4s competed in both British GT and the Blancpain Endurance Series for the first year in 2012, the team winning on its British GT debut at Oulton Park. The 2014 British GT title followed with Marco Attard, with the team also expanding into the European Le Mans Series, finishing third in the GT3 standings in its first campaign. The momentum continued with two Pro-Am podium finishes at the 24 Hours of Spa in both 2014 and 2015, with the Z4 also leading the 2015 race outright at one stage.

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Leading with Lamborghini 2016-Present

Barwell Motorsport’s growing reputation paid dividends again when the call came from the newly founded Lamborghini Squadra Corse competition department. The first customer Huracan GT3s were due to come on-stream for 2016, with Barwell chosen to field the first new cars to enter the UK in British GT that year. Long-term Barwell customer Mark Poole was instrumental in putting together the programme, which was a success from the start with the twin Huracans scoring four race wins across the first season. A first 24 Hours of Spa podium with the marque followed that summer.

The relationship with Lamborghini has since blossomed, with Barwell becoming the de-facto factory-assisted team in the UK. Its first title with the Bolognese brand came in 2018 with glory in the Blancpain Endurance Series Am Cup. The team also made history by scoring Lamborghini’s first-ever outright 24-hour race win in the 2019 Barcelona 24 Hours. Barwell has since celebrated multiple successes both at home and internationally. The team claimed the overall GT World Challenge Europe Pro-Am title in 2021 and has gone on to celebrate five British GT Teams’ titles with Lamborghini, plus three Drivers’ titles. Barwell also enjoyed a record-breaking British GT campaign in 2024, with its cars locking out the top two spots in the championship and setting a new record points score.

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2020 British GT Drivers Champion
2021 GT World Challenge Pro-Am Champion
2024 British GT Drivers Champion

Our Achievements

2024 British GT Drivers Champion
2024 British GT Teams Champion
2024 GT World Challenge Europe Overall Bronze Team 3rd
2023 British GT Silver-Am Drivers Champion
2023 GT World Challenge Europe Pro-Am Teams 2nd
2023 GT World Challenge Europe Pro-Am Drivers 2nd
2022 British GT Drivers Championship 2nd
2022 British GT Teams Championship 2nd
2021 British GT Drivers Champion
2021 British GT Teams Champion
2021 GT World Challenge Europe Pro-Am Drivers Champion
2021 GT World Challenge Europe Pro-Am Teams Champion
2020 British GT Drivers Champion
2020 British GT Teams Champion
2020 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Silver Teams Champion
2020 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Silver Drivers Champion
2020 Spa 24 Hours Pro-Am Winner
2019 British GT Teams Champion
2019 British GT Drivers Championship 2nd
2019 Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup Am Teams Champion
2019 Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup Am Drivers Champion
2019 Spa 24 Hours Silver Cup Winner
2018 British GT Drivers Championship 2nd
2018 British GT Teams Championship 2nd
2018 Blancpain GT Series Am Cup Drivers Champion
2018 Blancpain GT Series Am Cup Teams Champion
2018 Spa 24 Hours Am Cup Winner
2017 British GT Drivers Championship 2nd
2017 British GT Teams Champion
2017 Blancpain GT Series Pro-Am Drivers 2nd
2017 Blancpain GT Series Pro-Am Teams 2nd
2016 British GT Drivers Championship 2nd
2016 British GT Teams Championship 2nd
2016 24 Hours of Silverstone Class Winner
2015 British GT Drivers Championship 2nd
2015 British GT Teams Champion
2014 British GT Drivers Champion
2014 British GT Teams Championship 3rd
2013 British GT Drivers Championship 3rd
2013 European Le Mans Series GTC Teams 3rd
2007 British GT Drivers Championship 2nd
2007 British GT Teams Champion
2006 British GT3 Drivers Champion
2005 Formula BMW UK Rookie Cup Champion
2005 24 Hours of Silverstone Class Winner
2003 British Touring Car Championship Independents Cup Drivers Champion
2003 British Touring Car Championship Independents Cup Teams Champion
2002 British Touring Car Championship Independents Cup Drivers Championship 2nd
2001 British Touring Car Championship Independents Cup Drivers Championship 2nd
2000 British Touring Car Championship Independents Cup Drivers Championship 2nd
1998 Vauxhall V6 SRI Challenge Championship 2nd
1997 Volkswagen Vento VR6 Challenge Champion
1994 Volkswagen Vento VR6 Challenge Champion
1990 Mazda MX-5 Cup 2nd
2021 British GT Drivers Champion
2024 Spa 24 Hours 3rd
2018 Spa 24 Hours Am Winner

Barwell Alumni

Phil Keen

Phil
Keen

Alexander Sims

Alexander
Sims

Dennis Lind

Dennis
Lind

Leo Machitski

Leo
Machitski

Jon Minshaw

Jon
Minshaw

Marco Attard

Marco
Attard

Jonny Cocker

Jonny
Cocker

Tom Kimber-Smith

Tom
Kimber-Smith

Timur Sardarov

Timur
Sardarov

Adam Balon

Adam
Balon

Miguel Ramos

Miguel
Ramos

Henrique Chaves

Henrique
Chaves

Oliver Bryant

Oliver
Bryant

Alasdair McCaig

Alasdair
McCaig

Adrian Amstutz

Adrian
Amstutz

Richard Abra

Richard
Abra

Tiff Needell

Tiff
Needell

Tom Alexander

Tom
Alexander

Andrew Smith

Andrew
Smith

Joe Twyman

Joe
Twyman

Simon Graves

Simon
Graves

Mark Poole

Mark
Poole

Luke Hines

Luke
Hines

James Kaye

James
Kaye

Mark Lemmer

Mark
Lemmer

Robin Parsons

Robin
Parsons

“Having raced with numerous teams worldwide, Barwell Motorsport are a very professional outfit. Car preparation, knowledge and passion to succeed are reflected in their hard work, appearance and ultimately their great results. I would have no hesitation in recommending them to anybody that wants to achieve their goals in GT Racing.”

Phil Quaife, Professional Driver