Argentine racing driver Camilo Echevarría will join Liqui Moly Team Engstler for this weekend’s round of the World Touring Car Championship, replacing Pasquale di Sabatino at the German team.
The 23-year-old will line up alongside Team Principal Franz Engstler in one of the team’s two BMW 320 TC’s in the TC2T class for his home race.
Echevarría began his racing career in karting, before progressing to single-seater racing. In recent years he has been competing in one of Argentina’s top touring car categories, the Turismo Carretera.
Having won last Sunday’s race at Alta Gracia, he is currently second in the Turismo Carretera Pista.
“I am very happy for the opportunity to join the WTCC races in my home country,” said Echevarría. “I am extremely motivated after Sunday’s victory and I wish to pass the WTCC exam well, without making mistakes.
“It will take me some time to get used to the car, but it will help that the BMW is a rear-wheel drive car, as I have more experience with this kind of traction. I’m very much looking forward to meeting the team and start practising.”
It is the second time that Di Sabatino has failed to continue in a WTCC season after the early European events. In 2012 the Italian contested the first 14 races before being replaced by a variety of drivers at bamboo-engineering for the remaining rounds.
The switch of driver means that Franz Engstler will be effectively unchallenged in the TC2 category, with third-placed driver John Filippi only having half as many points as the German.