Formula Ford race winner Zac Soutar will make his début in the TCR Australia series in 2020, racing a Honda Civic Type-R for family outfit Team Soutar Motorsport.
Soutar’s family has purchased the ex-Tony D’Alberto Civic campaigned by Wall Racing in the 2019 season, planning to run the car for the 22-year-old as an independent outfit.
The Victorian racer has competed in the Australian Formula Ford series for the past three seasons, finishing as the runner-up in this year’s championship in his privately-entered Mygale car.
Soutar won five times during the 2019 campaign, as well as being the top scorer in two overall rounds.
The team will work closely with Wall Racing in the 2020 season, along with the other earlier-announced independent Honda of Michael Clemente.
Soutar will test the car for the first time in a private test at Winton Motor Raceway on Friday.
“I’m really open minded and ready to learn about how to make these cars fast,” said Soutar.
“I’m in no rush to be at the front of the field straight away. I feel like this is a class I could be in for a long time, so my plan is to get comfortable and build towards a long future in the category.
“It’s not a steppingstone class an I’d love to be in TCR Australia for a few years.
“Having said that, if there’s an opportunity to race overseas, I’d love to take on that challenge. I’m very open minded, so we’ll just see what the future brings.
“I’m looking forward to continuing to run my own car, just like I did in Formula Ford. TCR is a category where people who want to run their own show is entirely possible. In Supercars or Carrera Cup, there isn’t those opportunities on a privateer budget.
“The broadcast package and the event coverage is amazing too. We have been blown away by how much interest there has been in the category after just one season. We are definitely excited to be a part of that growth.
“I’ve always loved the Honda Civic road cars too. They are a classic and, obviously, very competitive in the TCR world.
“There are so many Honda Civics out there on the road. There’s also plenty of Honda owners clubs and lots of support for such an iconic brand, so I’m confident that we’ve picked the right car to be in.”