KING RETURNS TO TCR AT THE MOUNTAIN
Luke King will contest the rest of the 2022 TCR Australia Series, starting at Bathurst this weekend, after striking a deal with DashSport to steer its Hyundai i30 N TCR.
King finished fourth in the standings last year as Chaz Mostert’s Melbourne Performance Centre teammate, running a consistent campaign in an Audi RS3 LMS TCR which included race podiums at Phillip Island.
Now, after missing the first two rounds of the 2022 season, he will return with minimal testing under his belt to drive Michael King’s Hyundai.
The DashSport Hyundai has only lined up on the TCR grid for one round since it was purchased for the 2020 season, Luke King given it a permanent place among the field this year.
“I wish we had done some testing prior to Bathurst being that I’m coming in with a new car, but I’m super excited,” King said.
“To be honest I didn’t expect it. It’s a shame that I missed the first couple of rounds, but we’re back now and we’ve got plenty of work ahead of us for the rest of the season.
“I think Hyundai has always been a very competitive package. Obviously, Will Brown won the inaugural title in a Hyundai back in 2019.
“For us it was about getting the right deal that worked for our sponsors, our budget and everything that’s involved on that side.
“The story with Michael was I spoke to HMO Customer Racing to run its fourth chassis and Nathan Morcom suggested King as his car is almost new. I gave Michael a call and he was really open to it, plus really excited because he had been following us for the last few years.
“It’s going to be an exciting year for me. Although it’s disappointing not to be fighting for the series title… we’re going to be pushing as hard as we possibly can for a win.”
Michael King was excited to see Luke take the reigns of the DashSport entry.
“We are really excited to be involved with Luke going into Bathurst and beyond for the remainder of the 2022 Supercheap TCR Australia Series,” King said.
“The way it’s all evolved from the initial conversation to today has been really good, and we have worked well together in a short amount of time.
“Luke’s debut season beside Chaz was a standout and I believe we have the team to help him take the next step this season.”
King’s sponsors and livery will be revealed at Bathurst on Thursday.
Round 3 of the TCR Australia Series will support the Hi-Tec Oils Bathurst 6 Hour, with opening practice commencing at 8:50am AEDT Friday, April 15.
Racing action on Saturday and Sunday can be seen live and on demand via Stan Sport.
