British international to make Aussie racing history

The TCR Australia Series volition person its archetypal full-time planetary operator successful 2023 with the accomplishment of Tom Oliphant.

The erstwhile factory-backed BMW operator spent 4 afloat seasons successful the British Touring Car Championship, wide regarded arsenic 1 of the toughest touring car categories successful the world.

Now, Cheshire-born Oliphant has headed Down Under to unrecorded successful Wollongong with his Australian wife.

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He'll proceed his racing career, driving an Ashley Seward Motorsport-run Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce.

Team BMW operator Tom Oliphant during the British Touring Car Championship astatine Brands Hatch successful 2019. (Ker Robertson via Getty Images)

Oliphant has signed a two-year woody with the team, which volition commencement astatine the SpeedSeries season-opening Race Tasmania lawsuit astatine Symmons Plains connected February 24-26.

"I'm perfectly implicit the satellite to denote I'm Down Under and I'll beryllium racing successful the TCR Australia Series," said Oliphant, who comes to the Australian bid with 2 BTCC contention wins and 10 podium finishes.

"It's been a imagination of excavation to contention successful Australia and I'll yet get to unrecorded it retired successful 2023.

"TCR Australia is evidently a very, precise competitory class with drivers specified arsenic Will Brown making a vocation successful the people and it volition beryllium large to beryllium competing against them.

The Alfa Romeo that Tom Oliphant volition contention successful the TCR Australia Series. (Jack Martin)

"I spot it arsenic a existent situation and I'm looking guardant to each moment.

"I'm precise arrogant to beryllium joining Ashley Seward Motorsport. The squad bash an unthinkable occupation and I was impressed erstwhile I met with them successful Melbourne recently.

"The Alfa Romeo is simply a proven contention victor and I'm arrogant to besides beryllium representing Autoglym successful Australia. It's specified a large marque with large heritage.

"I'm excited to contention astatine Symmons Plains arsenic my archetypal round. It looks a truly absorbing way and I've watched a batch of video, truthful I can't hold to get started."

Tom Oliphant spent 4 seasons successful BTCC. (Supplied)

Oliphant's accomplishment comes astatine Michael Caruso's expense, who isn't expected to contention successful the bid successful 2023.

"It's large to invited Tom to our team, alongside Autoglym successful our Alfa Romeo TCR," said squad brag Seward.

"Tom has proven to beryllium a starring contender successful touring cars overseas, arsenic good arsenic different racing categories, and to person him take TCR Australia is simply a existent feather successful our cap.

"There's nary uncertainty that the contention volition beryllium precise competitory this year.

"There are immoderate precise beardown operator and car combinations, and we consciousness that we person the close ingredients to marque a beardown tilt for the title.

"I besides would similar to convey Michael Caruso for his efforts past year. He was terrific to person arsenic portion of our squad and I anticipation we tin enactment unneurotic again successful the future."

TCR contention person crashes retired connected thigh one

Oliphant is conscionable the 5th planetary operator aft Teddy Clairet, Christopher Mies, Jean-Karl Vernay, and Nestor Girolami to contention successful TCR Australia.

The opening SpeedSeries round, Race Tasmania, astatine Symmons Plains takes spot connected February 24-26.

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