Top Run Motorsport will join Mulsanne Racing in skipping the TCR International Series event at Spa-Francorchamps this weekend, as the Italian team seeks to further develop its Subaru STi TCR racer.
Top Run will join their Italian competitors from Mulsanne Racing, who are racing the Romeo Ferraris-built Alfa Romeo Giulietta, in missing the Belgian event to focus on further developing and refining their new car.
“Following the meeting we had in Tokyo with Subaru STi, we agreed on some technical improvements and we were also provided some new parts that are better suited to the TCR regulations,” explained Top Run Team Manager Renato Russo.
“Therefore, bearing in mind the advice we received from Luca Rangoni after the races in Portugal, we have reluctantly decided to skip Spa and produce the maximum effort to run the final version of the TCR car in the following event.”
With Top Run being the second new outfit to skip the second European event of the season, TCR promoter Marcello Lotti defend their decisions to miss the event.
“We know that it takes time to develop new racing cars,” said Lotti. “The growth of TCR has been so quick that some of the companies that are building them struggle to keep up with the pace.
“For a team is always tough to elect to skip a race weekend, so these decisions show how much Top Run and Mulsanne are keen to make their cars efficient and reliable.
“It’s true that we currently lack some cars, but it is clear that the field will be growing as the season goes on.”
Although the two teams have withdrawn one car each, the addition of two Peugeot 308 Cup Racers by Sébastien Loeb Racing keeps the entry list at 16 cars for the third meeting of the season.