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Casha Delivers Dream Debut with Race Two Podium
Garry Rogers Motorsport’s Ryan Casha had a Supercheap Auto TCR Australia debut to remember, as he raced to a maiden podium in race two of the weekend at Sandown International Raceway.
The Toyota 86 Champion made the step up to TCR Australia in 2024, with the rookie taking little time to acclimatise. In a weekend where the GRM Peugeot’s led all but one session, Qualifying, Casha took full advantage of the opportunity to start his TCR career on the front foot.
After a steady pair of Friday practice sessions, Casha entered qualifying as the eighth fastest driver on combined practice times. In a stunning qualifying performance, Casha secured a spot on the second row of the grid in fourth place.
“Honestly it was a pretty mega weekend, the expectations coming in were slightly lower than where we ended up,” said Casha.
“I have high expectations of myself, but it was going to be tough coming to grips with the car and the team, at a track where I’ve had ups and downs in the past. So, to end up where we did was amazing.”
In the opening race of the weekend, Casha wasn’t able to find the launch to match his fast-starting teammates and spent the race in the thick of the action. The Valvoline driver emerged with seventh place in his first TCR race.
The top-10 invert for race two put Casha back on the second row in fourth spot once again. This time, Casha looked like a seasoned racer as he improved to third and withstood the pressure from the likes of Zac Soutar and John Martin to take a maiden TCR Australia podium.
“It’s awesome to come away with that result, and to see the rest of the GRM crew do so well in TCR and Trans Am,” said Casha.
“It was an awesome opportunity to race against the big names, and the drivers who have so much experience in these cars with such a big presence in the paddock. I think the competition and the battles on track are very similar to what I’m used to, which helped when it came around to race day.”
Another strong race in the weekend’s final outing, finishing fifth, helped Casha to wrap up fifth for the weekend and subsequently fifth spot in the drivers’ standings at the end of his first round in TCR Australia.
“Hopefully we can build on it, and keep the momentum moving forward,” concluded Casha.
Round two of Supercheap Auto TCR Australia takes place at AWC Race Tasmania from March 15-17, as part of the Shannons SpeedSeries.
Tickets are on sale via the Race Tasmania website.