Photo: TCR Media

Craft-Bamboo boys aiming high for TCR curtain raiser in Georgia

Craft-Bamboo Racing are back in the TCR International Series with three SEAT León TCRs, with Hugo Valente joining Pepe Oriola and James Nash behind the wheel of the Spanish cars.

The team are eager to be back on track, as they expect the Lukoil-backed cars to fight at the front.

“We are really keen to get the season underway at the Rustavi Motopark”, said Craft-Bamboo Racing CEO Richard Coleman. “We are very pleased with the work we did in testing recently and we feel more prepared than we have for TCR in the past.”

Coleman believes a win will have to be the target, as it is essential to boost the morale of the team and to gel the new members of the team with the ones they have retained from last season: “It is important for the whole team to get off to a good start and get along well together in a race weekend environment for the first time. Our intentions are clear in both championships and anything less than a win this weekend will be a disappointment.”

Hugo Valente will switch from a World Touring Car Championship drive with manufacturer-backed team Lada Sport to the new-for-him TCR environment. The Frenchman is happy with the car after a test at Adria, Italy, which helped him to find his feet in the team as well.

“I’ve honestly been counting down the days to the start of the season in Georgia, I’m both very excited and motivated”, said Valente. “It’s going to be a great feeling being back in race mode. I now feel more confident and comfortable within the team and in the car thanks to our test in Adria a couple weeks ago.”

Despite the progress he has made, the Frenchman admits he still has to learn how to handle the SEAT León TCR properly, especially in terms of tyre degradation: “I still have a lot to learn in terms of the car changing behavior depending on track conditions, temperatures and tyre degradation. But I’m confident we will have a strong weekend, we have a great line up in the team, the rest of the field looks very strong too and that’s what high competition is all about.”

James Nash is back with the team after narrowly missing out on the drivers’ crown last season. The Brit admits a win is his goal for the weekend, although he would settle for a podium finish: “I am really excited to be part of Craft-Bamboo Racing again. The Rustavi Motopark International is another new track for us all and I can’t wait to get going in Free Practice 1. The hard work starts all over and as always points make prizes. A win is the aim but a podium would be OK.”

Pepe Oriola is in his third year with Craft-Bamboo, and is eager to understand where the new SEAT León TCR stands compared to other models, as the highly-anticipated Audi RS 3 LMS will be on track together with more new cars coming up throughout the year: “I am looking forward to start the season and see where our car is this year,” he said.

The first free practice session will start at 10:00 local time on Saturday.