Home North East Motor technicians in Gateshead help power international sports superstars

Motor technicians in Gateshead help power international sports superstars

Mark Thirlte (Left) and Barry Jacques with the Nissan Leaf rally car set to feature in the upcoming Mongol Rally.
Mark Thirlte (Left) and Barry Jacques with the Nissan Leaf rally car set to feature in the upcoming Mongol Rally.

Two motor technicians in Gateshead have boosted their sporting credentials after working on one of the first electric cars to feature in an international rally and a limousine used by the FC Barcelona squad.

Nissan master technicians Mark Thirtle and Barry Jacques are Nissan Leaf specialists and work in the only EV Lithium Battery repair centre in the country at Lookers Nissan Gateshead.

This has led to a number interesting jobs over recent months, including work on the first fully electric vehicle to compete in the 2017 Mongol Rally, which is set to be held in July.

The prestigious contract involved the pair replacing the car’s 3.3kW charger unit with a 6.6kW version, allowing the car to be charged much quicker.


The modified Nissan Leaf will be the first fully electric vehicle to take on the arduous event, which challenges drivers to enter their own modified vehicles in the 10,000 mile drive from the UK to Mongolia, taking in the remote deserts, mountains and grasslands of Europe and Asia.

It’s not the first time that Mark and Barry have helped a sports team get to their destination, with the pair recently called upon to work on a specially adapted Nissan Leaf limousine used by FC Barcelona to transport its players and staff to and from the Camp Nou, their home stadium, during the club’s Champions League fixtures.

Mark said: “We were more than a little surprised when we found out we’d be working on a Nissan Leaf rally car, as it’s the last car you’d expect to be competing in a rally and shows just how far EV technology has come. We’ll certainly be keeping a close eye on the Mongol Rally to see how the car gets on.

“It was also a thrill to think that we had a part to play in building a car that could have been ferrying the likes of Lionel Messi and Neymar around as they prepared for their biggest games of the season.”

As well as working closely with the Nissan Leaf as part of their jobs, both Mark and Barry also own one themselves and are not surprised at how popular the car has become, particularly among customers of Lookers Nissan Gateshead, which has sold more used Leafs than any other dealership in the country.

Barry said: “We absolutely love the Nissan Leaf, so much so that we both drive one outside of work. It’s becoming more and more popular amongst savvy motorists looking for something a bit different.”