Husband and wife racers, Garth and Leanne Tander, will be back in action for this weekend’s TCR Australia Series race at The Bend Motorsport Park.
The duo had originally only planned to compete at Phillip Island this season, but have agreed to get behind the wheel of their Audi R3 LMSs at the South Australian round of the Shannons Nationals.
After a fifth and fourth place in races one and three respectively, Garth was eager to improve on his debut TCR performance.
“At Phillip Island, I feel that we didn’t realise the potential of the car, especially in qualifying,” Garth said.
“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 corning 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.”
Meanwhile, Leanne said she was eager for more seat time in the category, with the aim of securing a full time drive in TCR in 2020.
“I’m excited to get another opportunity in TCR because at Phillip Island, there was a lot of potential that I just couldn’t maximum,” 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.”
TCR Australia Series’ third round will be held at The Bend Motorsport Park from 12-14 July, with live streaming of all Saturday and Sunday’s action available at thenationals.com.au, plus all races broadcast live on SBS on both Saturday and Sunday.
Want to see them in action for yourself? Click here to purchase your tickets to The Bend.