NorthernSouth

Meet the Team

Ian Fisher - Team Principal

Having been involved in motor sport for over 15 years as a competitor, engineer, team manager and now team principal Ian has winning experience in the WRC, British Rally Championship as well as circuit racing.

Grant Clearwater - Team Principal

Originating from Gore in New Zealand, Grant is the technical head of Northern South and has worked in or around motor sport for over 20yrs, with experience ranging from the WRC, the Paris -Dakar and single seater racing.

Dave Ward – BTCC Team Manager

Dave has an impressive motor sport CV and strengthens the BTCC effort, bringing championship winning experience in the BTCC, as well as success in Australian V8’s and Le Mans, to the already successful SEAT Sport UK team.

Neil Selley - Workshop Manager

Having been involved in motor sport for over 15 years as a competitor, co-driver and technician, Neil has experience at all levels of rallying and was instrumental in securing 1st and 3rd in the '03 GpN World Rally Championship. He joined Northern South in '04 & now heads the SCC technical team.

Jeremy Doncaster - SCC Co-ordinator

Jeremy has been involved in motor sport for many years as a competitor, co-driver and Rally-cross club chairman. He has travelled the world through his experience in Operations Management, Logistics and Petroleum and brings a new perspective to the SCC.

Piers Phillips - Chief Engineer

Piers raced for 9 years and has won as an engineer in BTC, F3, FIA/LMES ALMS Sportscars in his fast rise up the motor sport ladder. Piers joined Northern South in ’03 to engineer in the SEAT Cupra Championship before progressing to the ’05 BTC team.

Nick Clipson - Engineer

Nick has 20 years experience in top flight motor sport having worked in sportscars, WRC and the team that took home the '98 BTC drivers' title. He has worked on the design of a supercar & 1st joined NorthernSouth during '03 SCC. He is now an engineer for the BTC team.

Jason Harmsworth - Technician

Ashley Blenkhorn - Technician

Ash has worked in motor sport since he left school. As a competitor he rallied for 9 years (inc. 3 seasons as a manufacturer funded driver) eventually competing in WRC. More recently he engineered and built a British GT car before joining NorthernSouth in '04.

Ben Bloomfield - Technician

Ben joins Northern South with experience in all the major UK based single seater formula as well as A1GP and Le Mans. He has been involved in the BTCC in the past including a manufacturer effort and the Drivers' title wining 2001 Production BTCC team.

Paul Hallet - Technician

Details to follow

Mark Wright - Truckie

Mark has been in the motor trade for 15 years starting in franchised dealerships before moving into motor sport. In the past Mark has worked in a winning F1 team and F3000 before joining Northern South in '04.

Ian Best - Programme Support

Ian has been involved in motorsport for longer than he cares to remember! As part of multiple WRC efforts he has helped drivers to 4 overall titles. Ian joined Northern South in 2003 as part of the SCC campaign and is now involved in both the SCC and BTC efforts.

Marek Smrek - Truckie

Originating from Oswiecim in Poland, Marek has joined Northern South with a background in intercontinental logistics and carriage, strengthening our international experience. Now part of the logistics team he supports both the BTC and SCC programs.

Dirk Campling - Truckie

Dirk joins the team in 2008 with 30 years experience as a truck driver. Having spent 10 years with Wrefords transport and almost 20 years at MFI, Dirk's entry into the world of Motor Sport is an entirely new experience for him.

Paul Chappell - Sub assembly

With nearly 20 years of experience in motor sport Paul has been involved in a wide variety of projects and machinery. He has worked on manufacturer WRC projects, road and Le Mans prototypes, historic rallying and helped win the GpN Rally World Championship in '03.

Colin Ducker - Fabricator

With skills ranging from design, CAD and fabrication Colin is vastly experienced as a motor sport fabricator. He has designed and fabricated parts at all levels of motor sport in both cars and bikes from F1, to WRC, BTC and MotoGp.

Ryan Budd – Parts Co-Ordinator

Ryan has worked with SEAT for over 10 years, working his way up from store man to Technical Parts Advisor for SEAT UK. He joined Northern South in Jan 08 and will manage parts on event for the SCC.

Lee Handley - Parts Assistant

Lee has specialised in vehicle parts for his entire career; first in fork-lift trucks and more recently in car parts with Vauxhall dealerships and local motor factors. He now brings his experience and enthusiasm for parts into the world of Motor Sport.

Steve Murphy - Parts Assistant

With past experience working in a busy franchised dealership where he had worked his way up to Parts Manager, Steve joined Northern South in '05 as the company's operations grew and the BTC project was taken onboard..

Julie Goldsmith-Clarke – Race Team Admin

Julie joins the team with years of experience in customer service. Her aim is simple, to deliver the best experience in British motor sport to the sponsors and guests of the SCC, as well as arranging first class travel and accommodation for all members of the BTC team.

Cathy Handley - Accountant

Having worked in accounts since she left school, Cathy's experience in all aspects of accounting gives her an integral role in making sure that Northern South's projects are completed on time and on budget.

Vicky Amies - Accounts Assistant

Vicky joined Northern South in 2005 with experience in all aspects of the accounts process. This, along with her expertise in office management and IT, help her to ensure the smooth running of the office and support functions.