TCM COMMODORE IN THE WORKS

TCM Holden Commodore in the works – Photo: Supplied

THE FIRST of five Holden Commodores has started the build process for the Touring Car Masters category headed by former V8 Utes racer Gerard McLeod and involvement from former Supercars team owner Lucas Dumbrell.

The Commodore will be one to watch in next year’s TCM series, McLeod expecting to be at the pointy end of the field, which has been dominated in the past by John Bowe and more recently Steven Johnson.

“The car is being built as a collaboration between myself and it’s funded by Lucas Dumbrell run under the Kali Motorsport banner, which we ran the Super2 cars out of last year,” McLeod told Auto Action.

“It is not being built as a mid-pack runner; it’s being built to the highest of standards to be a race winner.”

The Commodore-TCM journey began a couple of years ago after the V8 Utes category dissolved leaving McLeod on the sidelines, but as the category accepts newer cars – most recently the Ford Falcon XD – the Holden model was the next step and appears to be a very competitive prospect.

“It’s a next-generation car, technically it’s the latest model car you can build in TCM and the overall package that they allow with the new category-spec engine it’s very feasible to build the Commodore,” McLeod continued. “I believe, technically it’s the best package that the regulations with the suspension and so on that you’re allowed to do, it’s still a small car, so it is going to be potent when our car is finished.”

The car is expected to be completed by the end of the year in preparation for debut at TCM’s opening round in Adelaide, of which McLeod will be given the driving duties for the Commodore’s first season.

“It’ll be on track in December and it will debut in Adelaide 500 next year after some off-season testing,” McLeod explained. “Currently we have the donor car stripped, it has been sandblasted and it’s ready for fabrication, so it will be in that stage for three months ahead of final assembly.

“It has been developed with all the latest technology you can use in TCM by myself and all my resources. I’m undertaking the build process myself; we’re trying to build the very best car we can so it’s a race winner.”

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