Top Run confirm absence in Spa-Francorchamps
Subaru WRX STi TCR builders Top Run have confirmed rumours by announcing they have elected to skip this weekend’s Belgian event of the TCR International Series in order to perform more testing on the car and produce the final specification of the Japanese machine.
After their debut in Singapore last year, and with not much time to do any testing since, the Italian manufacturing company received a boost recently when team manager Renato Russo received support from Subaru during a meeting in Japan, which already produced an upgraded engine, adding power to the WRX STi.
Top Run expect to be back on track after Spa-Francorchamps, as Russo explains: “Following the meeting we had in Tokyo with Subaru STi, we agreed on some technical improvements and we were also provided some new parts that are better suited to the TCR regulations. Therefore, bearing in mind the advice we received from Luca Rangoni after the races in Portugal, we have reluctantly decided to skip Spa and produce the maximum effort to run the final version of the TCR car in the following event.”
The momentary setback leaves the TCR International Series with four models on track in Belgium, as the SEAT León TCR will be joined by sister car Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR and championship leader’s Gianni Morbidelli Honda Civic TCR, as well as the debut of the new Peugeot 308 Racing Cup.
TCR promoter Marcello Lotti trusts the series will come back stronger after Belgium: “We know that it takes time to develop new racing cars. The growth of TCR has been so quick that some of the companies that are building them struggle to keep up with the pace. For a team is always tough to elect to skip a race weekend, so these decisions show how much Top Run and Mulsanne are keen to make their cars efficient and reliable. It’s true that we currently lack some cars, but it is clear that the field will be growing as the season goes on.”
Subaru’s choice to skip the next race means the Opel Astra TCR, Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR and Subaru WRX STi TCR cars will be missing from the grid, with all three projects set to go back on track later this month.
