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The newest brand to join the 2023 Supercheap Auto TCR Australia series has landed its first race car in Australia.
The first machine from Lynk & Co car has arrived at the Ashley Seward Motorsport (ASM) workshop in Dandenong, southeast of Melbourne, today, and will be raced by ex-British Touring Car Championship driver, Tom Oliphant.
“I’m absolutely ecstatic to have taken delivery of our Lynk & Co 03 TCR ahead of Round 2 at Phillip Island,” said ASM Team Owner, Ashely Seward.
“On first impression, we’re blown away by the car. It’s built like a tank and features exceptional craftsmanship. We’re really excited to get to work on preparing it for Lynk & Co’s track debut down under.
Shipped from Sweden, where Lynk & Co was formed in 2016, the 03 is an ex-Cyan Racing chassis that has participated in the FIA World Touring Car Cup but has been subject to an extensive overhaul ahead if its trip to south for the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series.
“We have a test day lined up later in the month where we’ll put the car through its paces and get Tom accustomed to the new machinery. We’ve got some fantastic support from our partners at Autoglym, and we can’t wait to unveil a fresh new livery as we get closer to the event.”
Owned by Chinese car maker Geely Automobile Holdings – who also own Volvo – Lynk & Co has already established significant racing credentials with back-to-back WTCR drivers’ titles for Yann Ehrlacher in 2020 and 2021, winning the Teams’ Championships for three consecutive years between 2019-2021.
The Lynk & Co TCR 03 will make its global TCR debut ahead of Phillip Island in the Kumho TCR World Tour at Portimao, Portugal on April 28-30. The TCR World Tour itself includes a round at Mount Panorama, Bathurst, in November.
In terms of the Balance if Performance (BoP) that all TCR models are subject to, Oliphant will race the Lynk & Co TCR 03 at -10 (50 to 40kg) at Phillip Island.
Meanwhile, the new FL5 Honda Civic Type R has received its first BoP adjustment after its debut at Snetteron, United Kingdom, last weekend in TCR UK.
Finishing third and suffering a DNF in its first two races, the JAS Motorsport Civic Type R will now run to parameters of 1265kg minimum weight (with no ballast), 100 percent power and 80mm ride height.
Current Supercheap Auto TCR Australia series title holder, Tony D’Alberto, will defend his 2022 series win in the outgoing FK8 Civic Type R that he used to win last season’s crown, with hopes to switch to the new FL5 mid-year at the earliest.
Round 2 of Supercheap Auto TCR Australia takes place at Phillip Island from May 12-14.
