Experienced Supercars racer Lee Holdsworth has signed up to race an Ashley Seward Motorsport Alfa Romeo Giulietta in the 2021 TCR Australia series.
It had been announced just a day earlier that Holdsworth, 37, would not be continuing in the Supercars Championship in 2020, following two years at Tickford Racing.
Holdsworth has a wealth of tin-top experience, having raced full-time since 2006 in Australia’s top touring car category.
During that time, he claimed three outright victories and 19 podium finishes at the wheel of Holden, Ford and Mercedes machinery.
Holdsworth will join 17-year-old youngster Jay Hanson in a two-car ASM campaign for the second season of TCR Australia this year, which gets underway at Symmons Plains raceway on 23 January.
“It’s brilliant to have my future tied up in TCR Australia with Ashley Seward Motorsport – it’s a really professional team running the Alfa Romeos,” said Holdsworth.
“TCR Australia is a great opportunity for me to continue motorsport in a professional manner. It’s great for sponsors having the Seven Network coverage all year, the cars look brilliant and you’ve got manufacturers involved.
“I’ve been following TCR Australia since it started, and it has really close racing with some high-profile names. It’s becoming a well-recognised category and it’s a category that races all around the world.
“Expectations for the year are pretty high. Just coming out of Supercars, I’m at the top of my game and I expect to be running up the front, bringing home some trophies. From what I’ve seen from Ash Seward and his team, they’ve got all the goods for me to do the job.
“It’s cool to be teamed up with Jay Hanson – he’s a young gun who’s been through other categories like Formula Ford and done some really good things. He’s spent a lot of time in these cars, so I’m hoping I can learn from him but also teach him a bit as well.
“It’s great to start the series at Symmons Plains, it’s a cool track and the Tasmanians are very passionate about motorsport.”
Ashley Seward, Team Owner, is hoping that Holdsworth’s experience will help both young challenger Hanson and the team to fight at the sharp end of the grid once again.
“It’s really exciting to have Lee on board for 2021,” said Seward. “The combination of Lee and Jay is going to give our TCR program a strong mixture of youth and experience.
“We had some strong results in the Alfa Romeo during the 2019 TCR Australia Series and we’re confident it will be a competitive package for both Lee and Jay this season.
“Like many other teams, 2020 was a challenging year for us but we’re starting 2021 on a positive note and we’re looking forward to a good season.”