Photo: TCR Australia

Milldun Motorsport name drivers for TCR Australia finale

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Milldun Motorsport has named the two drivers that will pilot its Subaru WRX TCR cars in the final rounds of the TCR Australia season this weekend at The Bend Motorsport Park.

Gamer-turned-racer Mat Simmons – who has previously competed in the Blancpain Endurance Series – will be at the wheel of one car as he returns to action for the first time since the deal he earned with Nissan through a Playstation competition came to an end in 2017 in what will be his first race on Australian sil.

Simmons tested the Subaru for the first time in a recent run out at Winton Raceway.

“It’s exciting to get my first chance to race in the TCR Australia Series, and a great chance to get back into the driver’s seat,” he said. “TCR has proved to be really exciting, diverse class of racing. There are some extremely good drivers and teams in the field, and it is already regarded as one of the fiercest competitions n Australia.

“I definitely need to pay a big thank you to Milldun Motorsport for the opportunity in the Subaru. The team was great at the test, we all learnt a lot and I feel that they have really turned a corner in these cars.

“It’s also my first chance to race on Australian soil. This is something that I’ve always wanted to do and it’s great that I’ll get to tick this box.

“The Subarus are really fun and very rewarding to drive when you get it right. On the test day, we went through a solid program and we were able to have a positive day. Milldun Motorsport has done a great job with these cars, and I feel that their hard work will pay off in the near future.”

Simmons will be joined by the experienced figure of Barton Mawer in the second car as he moved into touring cars, with most of his career being spend in open-wheel competition.

“Racing in TCR is certainly going to be different to what I’m used to, but I really can’t wait,” he said. “We had a shakedown at Winton, which was good to get a feel for the car, which I have to say is a lot different to the Porsche RP 968 that I last drove at the World Time Attack!

“I actually have an affinity with the Subaru brand. I won the inaugural 10 Hour event at Sydney Motorsport Park some years ago, so I’ve always been fond of Subaru and the WRXs.

“Milldun Motorsport has worked hard on the two TCR Subarus, so the plan is to go to the Bend, get a reliable, strong result and show that the cars deserve to be in the series.”