PCCGB: JHR confirms entry

JHR, one of the most respected teams in the BTCC support race paddock, will enter the Porsche Carrera Cup GB this season with a multi-car team and has confirmed Derek Pearce as the team's first signing.

JHR, created in the memory of the late Jamie Hunter and headed by his brother Steven, has an enviable record within the BTCC race package, having won seven championship titles in eight years. Now, the Derbyshire team is mounting a major challenge on the Carrera Cup GB and is already talking to other drivers about joining the team.

The team can trace its roots to the 2001 season when Jamie raced in the Porsche Supercup and JHR was formed in 2002, with a long-term ambition of returning to the Grand Prix support race series. "Our aim has always been to get the team to the level where Jamie was racing," said Steven Hunter.

Already working within the JHR squad are people with Supercup experience, but Hunter does not under-estimate the challenge they face. "The Carrera Cup GB is a very professional series and our aim is to be as professional as the other teams. We're going in with our feet on the ground and will take one step at a time. We want to show our abilities in the Carrera Cup, with Supercup as our longer term aim for the future."

The JHR Carrera Cup squad will operate in parallel to the team's Renault Clio squad and Pearce will step up from racing Clios to make his Carrera Cup debut. The former Legends World Champion has plenty of rear-wheel drive experience and Hunter expects him to adapt well to the 911GT3 Cup car.

Pearce started racing in 2000. After four very successful seasons in Legends, which included winning the Scottish title and finishing fourth in the British title, he graduated to the Clio Cup in 2007.