Photo: Rory Butcher

MG6 TCR cleared to compete in Motorsport Games

The new MG6 Xpower TCR has been cleared to compete in the inaugural FIA Motorsport Games this weekend after being granted official homologation.

Whilst the new car has been competing in TCR China this season, scoring a best finish of third at Ningbo in the hands of Zhen Dong Zhang, it was only entered under a temporary homologation form and unable to score championship points as a result.

A two-car entry into the new nation versus nation event in Italy this weekend was then announced, but was dependent on the car being granted full homologation papers by the FIA.

News that that homologation has been granted means that Zhang and Rory Butcher will now be able to take their places on the grid at Vallelunga to represent Team China and Team Great Britain respectively – with the two cars being run by the QEV Technologies squad.

Butcher completed a brief test of both cars that will be used this weekend at Catalunya on Tuesday, with the MGs now en-route to Italy ahead of opening practice on Friday.

“The initial thoughts on the car is that the chassis feels good but I think that we need more time to really get the most out of it – and that is time we probably don’t have ahead of this weekend,” he told TouringCarTimes. “With my car being brand new, we’ve had chance to work through a few early teething problems and we’ve also found a few things that we need to resolve ahead of the event, so we need to stay realistic in terms of our expectations.

“Because the car is still so new, we knew it was going to be a challenge this weekend in Italy, but we just need to keep our heads down and push hard to get the best results possible. What we really need is two trouble-free practice sessions on Friday so we can maximise our track time, and go from there.

“We might not be amongst the favourites going into the weekend, but we’ll certainly be giving our all to secure the best results possible on the international debut for the new MG, and I’m proud to have the opportunity to be involved and to fly the flag for Team GB in the event.”