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Willmington name set to return to touring car racing
Braydan Willmington will take on a new challenge in 2022 and will compete in the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series.
The second-generation racer and his privateer team has secured the ex-Garry Rogers Motorsport Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce that Jordan Cox used successfully this year, recording four race wins and finishing third overall in the standings.
Willmington took delivery of the Alfa Romeo recently and shook it down at the 1.6km Pheasant Wood circuit in New South Wales.
His new commitment to the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series means an end of his S5000 competition that he has been involved in since 2019.
It will be a return of the Willmington name to Australian touring car racing. Braydan is the son of former driver Garry who was a perennial privateer in local touring car racing in the 1980s and 1990s, competing in 21 Bathurst 1000s.
While this will be Willmington’s touring car racing debut, he is no stranger to front-wheel drive sedan racing, having competed in speedway and state-based circuit racing.
Willimington will get more testing in his Alfa Romeo TCR car at Sydney Motorsport Park ahead of the opening round of the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series at Symmons Plains Raceway on February 11-13.
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Braydan Willmington
TCR Australia driver
“I’m used to driving these sorts of cars, so it should be a much easier learning curve compared to the S5000,” said Willmington.
“I’ve done quite a bit of grass roots circuit racing, and almost all of that was front wheel drive. I do have a lot more knowledge of these types of cars, and dad is a lot more excited that we are going touring car racing too! Hopefully it will be easier for us because as much as we enjoyed the S5000, it was really an alien race car to us.
“My first impressions of the TCR is that they are very cool. They have a decent amount of power, very stable and the Alfa is really nice to drive. I enjoyed the test and I can’t wait to get back in the car.
“I’d like to be in the top 10 at some point. Whether that’s at the start or end of the season, we’ll see. But we would like to consistently run in the top 10, be that this year or next year.
“I did enjoy the challenge of S5000. We were frustrated that we didn’t have the results, but I didn’t have the budget to risk damage. If I put it in the wall, our season was done.
“I feel like I was capable, but there was something on my mind that kept me from pushing it to the maximum with a fear from being out for the rest of the season.”