Aspiring kiwi racer Brock Timperley is eyeing a full-time TCR drive in either Australia and New Zealand, citing the platform’s unique driving style as a rewarding challenge.
Last year, Timperley and fellow New Zealander Matt Podjursky had the opportunity to test the Walls Racing-prepared Honda Civic Type R at Winton Raceway though no race deal came to fruition.
However, the 25-year-old from Christchurch is among a four-strong kiwi contingent racing in the current TCR Australia Sim Racing Series which kicked off its seven-round campaign last night.
The virtual series is exclusively for TCR Australia and New Zealand competitors with a significant prize pool, including free entry into any real-life TCR event on offer for the winner.
Timperley proved to be competitive in a field that featured incumbent TCR Australia champion Will Brown and four-time race winner Dylan O’Keeffe.
An unfortunate error that saw Timperley under fuel in his Hyundai i30 meant his results were far from indicative of his true potential.
“Last night a great intro into the TCR Australia Simracing Series,” Timperley told Velocity News.
“Yeah, there was a bit of a mess-up, it’s the small things you forget not having a team behind you like in real life racing.”
Nonetheless, his first stint at virtual TCR racing, coupled by his previous real-life experience, means Timperley now has his eyes set on a fully-fledged season in the category on either side of the Tasman.
“TCR is a great racing platform. This is because it’s a Worldwide Platform, running current model and market-orientated cars that require a handful of unique driving techniques to be fast in. It brings more of the racing back to the driver which is what I love.
“The obvious difference is the car being FWD rather than the RWD touring cars I am used too. Driving Wall Racings Honda TCR in Winton last year, I learnt that it’s all about keeping the tail in check on the way into the corner while maximizing your drive out of the corner. 100% I am looking into a TCR drive.
“I would love to compete in the Australian series but realistically it’s out of reach budget wise. I’m looking forward to hearing more about the coming TCR NZ series, and what competition it has to offer.”
Earlier in the week Timperley was confirmed as runners up in the 2019/20 BNT V8 Lite series as organisers opted to declare the season two rounds short due to coronavirus-induced complications.
The inaugural TCR New Zealand series is slated to get underway from the latter stages of the year with further details to be revealed shortly.
Meanwhile, the start of the 2020/21 TCR Australia series is scheduled to begin from Sydney Motorsport Park on August 15-16.