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Privateer TCR teams ready to go to kick off season at AWC Race Tasmania
A strong field of privateers are ready to take on some of the established stars of Australian motorsport in Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series at AWC Race Tasmania.
A mixture of newcomers and drivers entering their second season will take up the challenge at Symmons Plains for the third season of Supercheap Auto TCR Australia.
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Zac Soutar and his family team return for a second season coming off a season best sixth place at the Bathurst finale driving the Spicers Australia Honda Civic Type R TCR.
“I can’t wait to get down to Tasmania for the first round of the 2022 Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series,” said Soutar.
“Obviously it’s been a big 12 months since we debuted at Symmons Plains to now. The amount I’ve learnt as a driver and we’ve learnt as a team has been phenomenal during this time, I can’t wait to put it all into practice this weekend.”
After taking up naming rights with Team Soutar Motorsport at Bathurst, Spicers Australia will continue its support of the family operation this year, joining a number of returning companies.
“It’s exciting to have Spicers Australia back onboard for the full-season in 2022,” Soutar expressed.
“Spicers joined our team at Bathurst last year and the car looked absolutely stunning, I received a lot of positive comments on the appearance so happy to keep it in that livery.
“I’ve also got some other fantastic sponsors in the form of Tufflift Hoists, Flying Brick Cider Co and Ecoclean have all come back on.”
The entry for the opening round of Supercheap Auto TCR Australia maybe the toughest in category history, but Soutar isn’t daunted by the challenge it presents.
“I think the field is the strongest it has been since the inception of the category,” Soutar emphasised.
“Everyone has plenty of time to get used to the cars to understand what does and doesn’t work in terms of set-up and driving style.
“I’d say this season will be the toughest it’s been and that’s great in a way because it means when you get a good result you’ve really earnt it because the competition is at a high level.”
Last year’s leader in the privateer stakes, Tilton Racing’s Brad Shiels returns for a second season in the team’s Hyundai i30N TCR.
After a part-season in 2021, Lachlan Mineeff will begin his first full-campaign driving the Purple Sector Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR and hopes he can continue his improvement this season.
“Last year, there’s no doubt our results exceeded expectations,” Mineeff said.
“To finish in the top 10 in my first race in the category, in wet weather conditions, well and truly surpassed our objectives.
“We had some tougher rounds in the middle of the year and lost some track time due to COVID, but to finish in the top six at Bathurst was an awesome way to end the year, on a track we didn’t think would be particularly well suited to the Golf.
“We’ve shown we can finish in the top 10 at a couple of circuits with different characteristics – the goal for this season is to be there more consistently.”
Another to taste Supercheap Auto TCR Australia action last year was Liam McAdam, who returns in the Forza Brakes Australia Audi RS3 LMS TCR.
S5000 convert Braydan Willmington rounds out the privateer representatives at AWC Race Tasmania, driving the ex-Jordan Cox Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce TCR.
The opening round of the 2022 Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series will be held at Symmons Plains Raceway for the second running of the AWC Race Tasmania on February 11-13.
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Racing will be available to stream ad-free, live and on demand on Stan Sport, with live coverage also on the Nine Network.