Marco Butti will return to the TCR World Tour for this weekend’s season finale in Macau, joining the BRC Racing team in a Hyundai in a bid to help Norbert Michelisz’s title challenge.
Butti has contested the full season in TCR Italy this year, where he ended the campaign fourth overall, having secured three victories, including in both races of last month’s season finale at Imola.
The 18-year-old returns to the series, having also contested the event at Vallelunga in June where he scored a best result of seventh.
It will be his first visit to the Circuito da Guia in Macau, with Butti having only previously raced touring cars in Europe since making his tin top début in 2021.
Other names returning to the TCR World Tour field for Macau are TCR Europe regular John Filippi and TCR Australia’s Ben Bargwanna. Tom Coronel had originally been on the entry list, but the Dutchman will now not take part.
With the top eight drivers from last weekend’s TCR Asia Challenge eligible to join the field, there will also be a contingent of local drivers.
Lo Sze Ho was the overall winner of that event, and will join in an Evolve Racing Hyundai Elantra, with second overall Yan Chuang in a Fancy Teamwork Motorsport-run Lynk & Co.
However, only six drivers will take part in their second successive Macau weekend, making a field of 18 cars.
Li Ka Hei was third overall in the TCR Asia Challenge, but will not race this weekend. In fact, no other drivers from the top eight of last weekend’s TCR Asia Challenge have elected to participate, opening the entry to further down the grid.
As such, Hong Kong’s Paul Poon Tak Chun (ninth overall), China’s Li Wengji (13th), China’s Deng Baowei (13th) and China’s Ken Tian Kai (19th) will be the other four drivers joining the TCR World Tour field.