New team Roja Motorsport will field a Hyundai i30 N TCR in this year’s ADAC TCR Germany series, with 30-year-old German Robin Jahr getting behind the wheel.
Jahr, whose self-run team has previously competed in the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Series (NLS) for endurance racing, will step up to spring touring car racing in 2021.
“In the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Series I drove with Felix Schumann and my father, and now and then with Luca Engstler,” explained Jahr. “We had different driver combinations.
“But now in the ADAC TCR Germany I’m the only driver in our team. TCR has interested me for a number of years. But first and foremost we got back into endurance sport.
“At that point we already had the TCR car parked, but we didn’t know where to use it. After discussions with Franz Engstler, ADAC TRC Germany was the only logical option. You have to say that.
“It is probably also the category that demands the most from a driver’s point of view and the one where the car ultimately belongs. I’ve followed the series for the past few years.”
Jahr competed in karting until the age of 17, and moved on to Formula 4 before racing touring cars. He admits that he still has a lot to learn about his Hyundai i30 N.
“Our experience with the Hyundai is still very limited to date. Last year we had one or two test days with the car at the Nürburgring, during which I also got to know the car for the first time.
“We are supported up to one point by experienced Hyundai employees. We are also a Hyundai dealer in the Berlin-Brandenburg area, which is why we have an affinity for this brand. But it is very clear that we still have a lot of experience to gain.”
Jahr is expecting a stronger field in TCR Germany this year, after 2020 saw the lowest grid numbers in the series’ five-year history.
“I expect that the starting field in the ADAC TCR Germany will be very strong again. As a rule, the drivers in the TCR are very experienced.
“The first year is easy for us to gain experience and even make it into the ADAC TCR Germany. Where we will position ourselves in the starting field cannot currently be assessed at all.
“We have to gain a foothold first, as a driver I have to learn a lot, we have to learn a lot with the car. Then maybe in the middle of the season we can start talking about where we want to position ourselves. That is our current thought.”