Douglas Khoo upgrades to a León TCR for 2017 TCR Asia

Viper Niza Racing will run a pair of upgraded TCR-specification SEAT Leóns in the 2017 TCR Asia Series, with team owner Douglas Khoo confirmed to drive for the team again this season.

The team will run a split programme in 2017, with their original León Cup Racer, with the Direct-Shift Gearbox (DSG) racing in TCR Thailand, with Khoo also driving the car to gain experience.

The team had a strong start to 2016, with temporary driver Roelof Bruins, who was only attending to coach Khoo, winning the first race of the season at the Yeong am circuit, briefly leading the championship.

“I’m looking forward to the coming season,” said Khoo. “I’ve had a fantastic run with the TCR Asia Series, and have improved with almost every outing. There’s no question it has been challenging, but it’s a great concept, and fantastic that it opens windows to join the Thailand and Chinese TCR national championships, while also providing the opportunity to jump in besides the International Series guys if we want to go down that path.

“The racing is excellent, and whilst at times there can be contact, the thing I like the most is how fair the guys around you are. In many cases, they’re like me, they’re self-funded, so they don’t want to be tearing up the cars, so the racing is close, it’s fair, and it’s a lot of fun.”