American Kevin Gleason will return to the TCR International Series in Singapore and Malaysia, racing for WestCoast Racing alongside Gianni Morbidelli and Mikhail Grachev.
Gleason took part in the first three meetings of the season, following on from contesting the entire inaugural TCR International Series season in 2015, before he withdrew from the championship due to budgetary issues.
The American will now return to the series, with the Marina Bay Street Circuit being the site of a dominant win for the 29-year-old in 2015.
“Unfortunately, it has been a while since I competed in a TCR event and that has been frustrating,” said Gleason, “but I am really excited and thankful to be back.
“Luckily I have managed to drive in two 24-hour races, which has helped keep me sharp; although it is a very different approach to a touring car race, you are still driving flat out.
“The first three rounds of the 2016 TCR International season were unfortunately all held on tracks that were completely new to me, so I had a lot of learning to do.
“Going back to Singapore will be nice because I have raced there before and I also achieved my second TCR International race win there in 2015. Marina Bay is a fantastic street track and, while it is a very different layout to my last event at Spa, both tracks take a tremendous amount of commitment to lay down a good lap and that’s what I really enjoy.
“I can’t wait to re-join everyone at WestCoast Racing and get back on track in Singapore. It is a really special event to be a part of, and being able to race at such a unique venue during the hours of darkness and in front of thousands of Formula 1 fans is incredible. I am certainly aiming for a repeat performance of last season’s victory.”
WestCoast Racing Team Manager James Nixon was delighted to welcome Gleason back into the fold for the next two meetings.
“We are hugely excited to have Kevin Gleason back in the car,” said Nixon. “His win in Singapore was one of the best victories of last year and I know he and his crew are ready to repeat that again this time around.
“We are very impressed by Kevin’s maturity and dedication. Having to step down earlier in the year was tough for him, but not giving up, working hard and coming back to the series with us is a sign of this guy’s determination to succeed. And we are positive he will. The aim is the same as always – to win.”
Gleason takes over the car driven by Rafaël Galiana in Thailand, with the Frenchman returning to Target Competition instead to continue racing in the Asian rounds of the championship.