YOUNG GUNS: ZAC SOUTAR

Young Guns: Zac Soutar – Photos: InSyde Media

A gun in a Formula Ford, now Zac Soutar has his eyes firmly fixated on a career in tin-top racing making the switch into the TCR Australia Series this season.

By DAN McCARTHY

In his debut year of tin-top competition, Soutar will pilot the Honda Civic Type R that Tony D’Alberto scored the inaugural TCR Australia pole position in at Sydney Motorsport Park.

With the continued support of his family-run Team Soutar Motorsport operation, it is a purely privateer effort after having done the same during his Formula Ford campaign.

“We chose TCR because we are a family-based team, other categories such as Supercars are out of our league in terms of budget,” Soutar said.

“After Formula Ford we were scratching our heads wondering where we could go next, TCR was gaining popularity, from the numbers we crunched it’s a much more affordable category, it seemed like the perfect series for us to get into.”

Soutar has motorsport blood running through his veins, his father was a very successful Speedway racer and this is where he feels he caught the bug.

I guess my passion for motorsport stemmed directly from my dad, he raced sidecars from a young age himself,” Soutar told Auto Action.

“I spent a lot of my childhood at racetracks like Eastern Creek and Phillip Island and helped out where I could when dad was racing and I guess the bug started from there.”

Although it has been a learning process, Soutar wouldn’t change the way he goes about his racing as he continues to further his knowledge.

“In running your own team, you don’t just learn the driving aspects of car racing you learn every single other aspect, in terms of how to prepare a race car,” he said.

“It has been fantastic, I won’t say it has been easy, especially when we first started it was a real challenge.

“My dad and I started off from scratch and had to figure it out for ourselves, we got there eventually, 2018 third in the Australian Formula Ford Championship and last year second so we got there eventually.

“I wouldn’t change anything it has been great!”

Family friend Graham Ritter originally suggested that Soutar begin his race career in Formula Ford and he loved it from the word go.

“Getting into a Formula Ford I didn’t know what to expect but it was so raw, it was fantastic, to change gears out on a big open race track was amazing,” Soutar said.

Soutar racked up five wins and 10 podiums and led a portion of the Formula Ford Championship last year, but in the end he fell just short, the title went to Angelo Mouzouris who made a step up to Super2 for 2020.

“We went into a technical partnership with Brett Francis of BF Racing, so the car was always really competitive and it was a privilege to drive it, unfortunately, a few mistakes in the middle of the year cost me,” he explained.

Jumping into TCR machinery was a completely new experience for Soutar with added weight and front-wheel-drive being just two of the differences he has had to adapt to.

Despite this, Soutar is confident he can alter his driving style to suit the Civic Type R TCR after qualifying 11th in the Asia Pacific Cup support event at the cancelled Australian Grand Prix.

“I’d never driven anything front-wheel drive before so that sensation of the front wheels dragging the car along instead of being pushed from the rear was a bit different, but I got used to it very quickly,” he explained.

“I love the fact the TCR cars have a lot of punch down low, when you get on the throttle it really picks up and drives and that is really cool. Plus having slick tyres on a race car which I’d never driven on before, having that much grip to play with is phenomenal.”

Soutar holds modest aims of top 10 finishes for when racing returns, but is of the belief this season will be one of education in what is a very competitive field.

“The goals are for this year to just start the year with some solid top 10s and hopefully towards competing for top fives and hopefully some podiums. That is the goal, but we have to start the season and see where we are at,” he explained.

Further aims for Soutar are focused internationally, a key reason why he jumped at the chance to join TCR Australia.

“My career goal would be to race overseas in something like the World Touring Car Cup or any form of racing overseas, the circuits, the atmosphere, it all looks amazing, I would just love to get over there and do that myself,” he explained.

“The added bonus as well is that if you can perform in TCR Australia, there is an opportunity to get to the world championship and compete against the best Touring Car drivers in the world.”

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