Mattias Vahtel, Ruben Volt to make TCR World Tour debuts

Mattias Vahtel and Ruben Volt will both join the TCR World Tour grid after the ALM Motorsport team confirmed that the Estonian duo will both take part in a single event.

Vahtel will be the first of the pair to compete alongside Néstor Girolami for the Honda team this weekend when the World Tour lines up alongside cars from TCR Itay for a special festival event at Vallelunga.

So far this season, Vahtel has scored a best result of eighth in TCR Italy to sit eleventh in the points and he admitted he couldn’t wait for the weekend ahead.

“I’m looking forward to this weekend, it’s a great opportunity for me as a driver,” he said. “I want to make the most of my cooperation with Néstor, whose results are impressive and whose experience is invaluable.

“You have to work hard to get good starting positions and a proper setup for the Sunday races. I am sure that together with the team we will be able to squeeze the most out of it and at the same time we will also be able to make the history of Estonian motorsport.”

Volt, who was fourth in TCR Italy last year but has managed just a single finish so far in 2023, will then replace his countryman for the event at the Hungaroring a week later.

“I am extremely pleased that we can enable Mattias and Ruben to compete in the World Series with the absolute best in the field and with the best possible technology,” team principal Martin Laur said. “They have a great opportunity to be team-mates with one of the world’s best body car drivers at one stage and learn as much as possible from him.”