Audi driver confirmed for TCR opener

The countdown is on until the official start of TCR Australia, and the Audi RS 3 LMS will be right in the thick of things with an announcement today that Dutch GT driver, Rik Breukers will drive the Melbourne Performance Centre (MPC) Audi in the opening race.

Melbourne Performance Centre Managing Director, Troy Russell, confirmed that the 20-year-old Dutch driver will open the campaign in Australia, bringing with him a wealth of experience in both TCR and GT competition internationally. 

MPC which is responsible for the Audi Sport Customer Racing program in Australia will field the car in the brand new series which starts at Sydney Motorsport Park this month. 

“For us, it’s good to have a European driver in there, someone with international TCR experience,” says Russell.

“He will be a good benchmark for the entire field.”

Breukers is no stranger to competition at the highest level and has enjoyed tremendous success in his relatively short career. He has twice been a class winner in the 24 Hours of Daytona and started this year behind the wheel of the new Audi R8 LMS in the Dubai 24 Hours where he and fellow Audi drivers, Christopher Haase, Dimitri Parhofer and Frédéric Vervisch won the race ahead of the Team MS7 Audi R8 LMS.

The journey Down Under will be the first for the young Dutchman, but hopefully not his last, and he is excited at the opportunity of driving the Audi TCR in the Australian series. 

“I am really looking forward to my first race in Australia,” says Breukers. “I’m very grateful and happy with the deal to compete with Melbourne Performance Centre in the Audi RS 3 TCR car.”

Due to commitments overseas, Breukers will not be in Australia for the offical test day to be conducted at Winton next week, but this won’t prove an issue for the GT and TCR international says Troy Russell:

“He won’t be at Winton for the preseason test, however, with the level of international TCR experience, it will not be a problem.”

“The only real thing Rik will need to do is learn the Sydney track layout.”

The inaugural TCR Australia Series gets underway from May 17-19 and will see eight manufacturers go head to head in this exciting new series.