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Maximum Motorsport considering TCR UK programme

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Maximum Motorsport has become the first team competing in the BTCC to reveal it is looking to enter the new TCR UK series next season.

Stewart Lines’ team is currently the only BTCC team to be in possession of a TCR-spec car, having acquired a SEAT León Cup Racer earlier this year – which has since competed in Time Attack and Britcar.

Now, following the announcement of the UK series ten days ago, Lines has revealed that he hopes to run at least one car in the new championship, which he backed to become a success on the national scene.

“We plan to be in it with one car, maybe two,” he told TouringCarTimes. “The TCR SEAT León – and the VW Golf – are basically bigger versions of the VW Cup cars that we are already involved with, so we would look to bolster the VW Cup to make it a natural feeder series for TCR.

“I don’t think it will go head-to-head with the BTCC, but I think it will tread on the toes of some of the support series, like the Clio Cup and Ginetta Supercup.

“In a series like that, you are looking at a budget of £100k plus damage, and if I’m spending that kind of money, I’d want to be in a TCR car rather than the others. There’s also the fact that you can take the car and race elsewhere – like we have done already – and there is also a larger market to sell them on to.”

Although any planned TCR programme could be alongside a continued presence in the BTCC, Lines added that he was open to the possibility of TCR becoming the main focus of Maximum’s touring car programme – with the team still feeling the effect of the departure of Josh Cook earlier in the season.

Maximum had yet to announce Cook’s full-time replacement having drafted in Dennis Strandberg for Croft prior to the summer break.

“We remain committed to the job,” he said, “but because of the lack of protection for teams against drivers jumping ship, and the implications afterwards, we would have to seriously look at it if someone wanted to buy our TBL and the Focus.”

With TCR UK organisers keen to avoid any clashes with the BTCC next season, at least one other team has already opened talks about joining the grid next season although that team – a podium finisher on the BTCC grid – isn’t yet ready to go public with any plans.