Tim Slade substitutes for Tom Oliphant at Queensland Raceway

Tim Slade will substitute for Tom Oliphant during the TCR Australia round at Queensland Raceway next weekend.

The change comes as Ashley Seward Motorsport driver Oliphant will be in the UK to marry his fiancée Genevieve.

“It’s disappointing to be missing the Queensland race however it couldn’t be for a better reason. I will be in the UK marrying my girlfriend of 13 years, Gen, who has supported me through my entire motorsport career,” said Oliphant.

“ASM and Autoglym have found a great replacement and I wish them the best of luck up in Queensland. I will be back and pushing to get my next win under my belt at Sandown in September.”

Slade, who made his TCR Australia debut at Bathurst last year, will drive the #11 Lynk & Co 03 TCR at Queensland Raceway, a car he recently tested.

“I really enjoyed the test day in the Lynk & Co and working with Ashley Seward who’s pretty switched on when it comes to preparing a car and the setup side of things,” said Slade.

“The Lynk & Co has a pretty good history in Europe and been extremely successful over there, and from my limited TCR experience it’s the most enjoyable TCR car that I’ve driven. I tested Ash’s Alfa a couple of years ago and raced the Honda at Bathurst, but the Lynk & Co drives the closest to a normal rear wheel drive car in comparison.

“I first worked with Ash back when I first moved to Melbourne, so we go back a fair way, and his standard is extremely high with everything he does. That was part of the enjoyment on the test day, just the level he goes to with it all.

“With Supercars running 12 rounds and only two or three test days it’s beneficial to find seat time in other categories and I enjoyed the TCR competition last year, it’s good hard and close racing.

“Thanks to Tom, Ash and the team for the opportunity to have a drive, we’ll extract the most from ourselves and maximise our results.”