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Tim Brook to make TCR Australia debut at Winton
Tim Brook is set to join the TCR Australia grid at Winton this weekend driving a Wall Racing prepared Honda Civic Type R TCR.
The McLaren Real Estate Macarthur backed racer had been set to take part in an open test day with the team on Monday before the opportunity to compete arose.
“This is a hugely exciting opportunity for me,” said Brook.
“We were set to test the car on Monday as we looked to evaluate what we do next year, and never in our wildest dreams thought we’d have a chance to actually race!
“Because it’s all come so late I think we can go into the weekend with no expectations and just use it as a learning experience.
“I’ve driven a lot of race cars, but never something front wheel drive, so it’s going to be a challenge for sure but one I’m really looking forward to.
“Wall Racing are a great team, they’re race winners already in TCR Australia, so I know I’m in great hands.”
Playing a key role in making the opportunity happen was friend and Wall Racing driver Tony D’Alberto, who currently sits third in the series standings.
Also in the field is Brook’s former Toyota 86 Racing Series rival Will Brown, who currently leads the series.
It could be the first of many TCR Australia outings in the series for Brook, who is looking to move on from the Toyota 86 Racing Series at season’s end.
“The Toyota 86 series has been good to us over the last couple of years, and I’ve got far more out of it than I could have ever hoped,” said Brook.
“But the time has come to look at what we do next, and when the opportunity came up to test a TCR car it was a bit of a no brainer.
“Things then developed a bit further than that, so hopefully this is the start of something really exciting for us!”
Brook’s championship winning Toyota 86, a car the McLaren Real Estate team has nicknamed Betty, has been put up for sale.
It’s a car that started life as Brook’s daily driver before undergoing a complete transformation ahead of the 2018 season.
Brook went on to dominate the weekend in Townsville, with pole position and three race wins, to set up his successful championship campaign.
“It’ll be sad to see Betty go, but we’ve had a lot of success with her and it’s time for someone else to have a go,” explained Brook.
“We’ll complete this year and hope to see her on track again next season.”
Brook currently leads the Toyota 86 Racing Series, with three rounds remaining.
Joining the fourth round of the series, Brook’s TCR Australia debut will be broadcast with live free to air television on SBS and streaming globally.
Opening practice begins at 0905 on Saturday morning ahead of qualifying at 1130.
Three races then follow across the balance of the weekend, the first at 1415 on Saturday afternoon.
All the action from the weekend’s three races can be seen on SBS, with coverage starting from 1400 on Saturday, and 1300 on Sunday.