Craft-Bamboo Racing head into the new TCR International Series season in Georgia with high motivation, with team boss Richard Coleman saying ‘anything less than a win will be a disappointment’.
The team are one of the few on the grid with continuity on their side, as they enter their third successive season with SEAT León TCR cars and Lukoil backing.
In addition, Pepe Oriola and James Nash are continuing to drive for the outfit, whilst the highly-rated Hugo Valente joins the team from the World Touring Car Championship previously.
“We are really keen to get the season underway at the Rustavi Motopark but it is a little bit difficult to predict the form before the BoP is released,” said Coleman. “We are very pleased with the work we did in testing recently and we feel more prepared than we have for TCR in the past.
“It is important for the whole team to get off to a good start and get along well together in a race weekend environment for the first time. Our intentions are clear in both championships and anything less than a win this weekend will be a disappointment.”
Nash, unlike his boss, is setting himself a more modest target for the weekend, with the Brit aware that consistency is key to mounting a successful championship campaign.
“I am really excited to be part of the Lukoil Craft-Bamboo Racing SEAT again,” said Nash. “It’s another new track for us all and I can’t wait to get going in FP0.
“The hard work starts all over and as always points make prizes. A win is the aim but a podium would be OK.”
Oriola adds that the unknowns regarding the BoP results, which were only published on Thursday morning, represent a concern. In the end the SEAT has been allocated with 30 kg of BoP weight, making it equal to the Honda and lighter than both the Audi and Opel cars.
“I am looking forward to start the season and see where our car is this year,” said Oriola. “We still don’t know the results of the BOP which is a little unnerving. I hope that the BoP is even across cars from all manufacturers so that we can all have a fair fight for the 2017 championship.”