WestCoast Racing, is cautiously optimistic about its prospects for Round 8 of the 2015 TCR International Series at the Red Bull Ring (11-12 July), as the Swedish team and its trio of drivers, Gianni Morbidelli, Kevin Gleason and Igor Skuz, are reluctant to underestimate the opposition and the challenge of the technically demanding Austrian circuit.
Shacked by success ballast imposed on it after lucrative outings at Monza and the Salzburgring, there was little for WestCoast Racing to celebrate in the seventh round of the TCR International Series in Russia, although Gleason’s and Morbidelli’s points finishes were in line with the Swedish squad’s own expectations.
However, WestCoast Racing is sprightlier than it was prior to Russia, in the knowledge that its lightened Honda Civic TCRs are likely to be back to full strength when the TCR International Series returns to Austria for the second time this season.
Igor Skuz is welcomed back to the WestCoast Racing fold alongside Morbidelli and Gleason, having stepped aside for the Russian leg of the championship.
The Ukrainian will endeavour to improve on the points he achieved at the Salzburgring in May, although he and his teammates know they will have their work cut out to beat the leading SEAT contingent this time around at the Red Bull Ring.
Gleason understandably has “good vibes” as he returns to Austria – the scene of his maiden TCR race win – and believes it will be critical for WestCoast Racing to return to the sharp end this weekend, saying: “I feel more optimistic than I did at Sochi Autodrom, as that proved to be one of worst tracks to be carrying maximum ballast. We expect the Red Bull Ring to suit the Honda Civic TCR a little more, but we’re aware that the circuit recently hosted the SEAT Eurocup and some of our rivals will benefit from that experience. The circuit has a nice flow to it and some fast turns, and that’s where our car is strong. I return to Austria with good vibes after opening my race wins account at the Salzburgring and so I have a positive attitude, determined to get the Honda back up front.”
WestCoast Racing Team Manager, James Nixon, said: The Red Bull Ring will again be a tricky track for the Honda Civic TCR, but we should all fare better without the ballast we carried in Russia. Having said that, we’re well aware that SEAT has just driven there as part of the Eurocup, so those teams will have a lot of circuit knowledge and may be hard to beat.
“WestCoast Racing and JAS Motorsport are working hard to find a fix to the reliability issues that halted the Honda Civic TCRs in Russia and we continue refining setups in an attempt to find some speed and lose the understeer that compromised our drivers in the previous round. As always, we will try our utmost to return to the sharp end.”
For more information on WestCoast Racing, please visit the officialwww.westcoastracing.se website, ‘like’ the team’s Facebook page and follow@WestCoast Racing on Twitter.