News
Tander family back in Audis for TCR Australia round at The Bend
Husband and wife racing duo Garth and Leanne Tander will get a second opportunity to drive in the carsales TCR Australia Series at The Bend Motorsport Park this weekend.
Originally slated as a one-off deal at Phillip Island, the Tanders will drive the same brand-new Audi RS 3 LMSs that they raced last month.
Garth Tander proved the speed of the new Audis with some blistering drives, netting a fifth and fourth result in Races 1 and 3 respectively.
Leanne Tander was also impressive in her TCR debut at Phillip Island, taking two top 10 finishes across the weekend.
The only blot on their TCR copybook was an incident on Lap 1 of Race 2 where the pair awkwardly collided.
The Tanders are regarded as Australia’s fastest family racers, with Garth winning the Supercars Championship in 2007 as well as three Bathurst 1000s (2000, 2009 and 2011).
Leanne also holds some serious racing trophies in the family cabinet, including the 2016 Australian Formula Ford Championship.
Track action kicks off on Friday with two practice sessions ahead of qualifying and Race 1 on Saturday and two more races on Sunday.
Catch all of the racing live, free and in HD on SBS, or watch the live stream via the TCR Australia website.
CLICK HERE to secure your tickets to The Bend for this weekend.
QUOTES
Garth Tander
#3 Melbourne Performance Centre Audi RS 3
“At Phillip Island, I feel that we didn’t realise the potential of the car, especially in qualifying,“ said Garth Tander.
“We didn’t qualify where we really needed and that put us amongst the mid-pack.
“There were some cool battles along the way, and some really great racing, but it wasn’t until the last race that I felt like we maximised the car.
“I know The Bend circuit really well because I raced there last year – both in Australian GT and the Supercars round.
“I feel that the TCR cars will suit the track quite well. The TCR Audi will have more cornering speed than the Supercar, but compared to the GT car, it doesn’t have the braking capabilities, so it’s going to be a really nice compromise.
“The big long front straight will make slip streaming very interesting. I reckon they’ll be some big passing moves at Turn 1. And the fast section over the back will be exciting – the triple right hander will mean there’ll be a lot of action there.”
Leanne Tander
#4 Melbourne Performance Centre Audi RS 3
“I’m excited to get another opportunity in TCR because at Phillip Island, there was a lot of potential that I just couldn’t maximise,” said Leanne Tander.
“I didn’t get the most out of my car in qualifying, so that will be my main focus to get the ball rolling for the weekend.
“I’ve been working hard behind the scenes to get more drives in TCR. My focus has been on putting together a full program for next year, so to get these extra laps this weekend is very valuable for the future.”