Reece Barr aiming for maiden podium after topping practice at Assen

Target Competition’s Reece Barr believes a maiden TCR Europe podium is a distinct possibility after a strong practice showing at Assen.

The Irish driver, competing in just his second year of racing, topped the time sheets in the second practice session at the Dutch circuit, beating Target team-mate Kris Richard by two-hundredths of a second.

The former MINI Challenge racer has displayed strong pace all year but an elusive first podium has eluded him thus far. But a clean Friday’s running has set him up for a podium challenge.

He told TouringCarTimes: “I feel more prepared, more relaxed this weekend and that has allowed me to be at one with the car. The racing this year has taken a while to get used as it’s only my second year of racing. Some of the guys have been racing for decades so it’s been a bit of a learning curve for me this year.

“Qualifying is never easy but definitely I feel the pace is there in the car and I’m at one with the car. I’m not putting any more pressure on myself and just looking for a clean weekend.

“The aim is to finish as high as we can and get a podium at least. I’d be happy with a top five and getting some points on the board.”

Fellow Target Competition driver Dusan Borkovic has his challenges this weekend, having received a three place grid penalty for contact at the previous round in Hungary.

The Serbian is focused on maintaining his assault on the title, and knows he must out-score chief rival Mikel Azcona.

“I have the three place grid penalty for qualifying so we will see what tomorrow brings. I still don’t know what my aim is for this weekend but for sure, I need to finish both races,” Borkovic said.

“I just want to be in the top five in the races. I need to be in front of Azcona after this weekend as well, because I think [the final round] Barcelona will be difficult and so I need to grab some more points before then.

“I will do the best I can because there are still a few drivers who can catch us in the championship. There are a lot of points available in the final rounds so we need to finish.

“It’s impossible not to think about the championship. If you don’t, you can make some big mistakes and I don’t want to allow myself to make those.”