WestCoast Racing enter TCR Europe finale with Ashley Sutton

WestCoast Racing will make their TCR Europe series debut this weekend at Barcelona with 2017 BTCC drivers’ champion Ashley Sutton alongside siblings Andreas and Jessica Bäckman.

“I am very excited to be competing in the last round of the TCR Europe with WestCoast Racing,” said Sutton.

”I have been keeping my eye on TCR full stop and I’ve been very keen on dipping my toe in the water. I managed to get a taste of TCR UK but I haven’t raced TCR internationally so when I was approached by WestCoast it was the perfect opportunity to do this as it favoured both parties.”

WestCoast Racing secured the 2018 TCR UK drivers’ title last weekend with Dan Lloyd, and Sutton will drive the Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR that Lloyd claimed that title with.

“I’m looking forward to see whats in store this weekend, I haven’t yet driven the Volkswagen Golf GTI and have only done a handful of laps around Catalunya itself. So we will be entering the unknown and be taking it as it comes. The team have just come off the back of wrapping up the UK championship so they are in a good place and I would like to continue that this weekend,” said Sutton.

WestCoast Racing takes part in the TCR Europe series finale as an evaluation ahead of 2019.

”We are considering our options for next year and this was a perfect opportunity for us to get a first taste of TCR Europe,” said team principal Dick Jönsson-Wigroth.

”It is especially motivating to be able to work wtih Ashley Sutton for this race weekend and he will give us a very good indication of how competitive we can be in TCR Europe and a great opportunity for us to finish off this season strongly. At this moment this is just a one-off but TCR Europe is one of several championships we are considering for next year”.”