British touring car talent Tom Oliphant will make his Australian racing debut this season as he enjoys a much-anticipated return to competition in the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series with leading team Autoglym ASM.
Following four seasons competing in the British Touring Car Championship, Oliphant stepped away from racing in 2022 after moving over 10,000 miles around the world to live in Wollongong, Australia, to support the career of his fiancée Gen.
The two-time BTCC race-winner will now get back on track after signing a two-year deal with Autoglym ASM (Ashley Seward Motorsport) in their Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce TCR. The Melbourne-based squad have taken the Alfa to race victories in each of the opening three seasons of TCR Australia.
Making history as the first ever international driver to mount a full-time campaign in the championship, Oliphant’s Alfa features headline backing from British car care brand Auto Glym. Alongside this, he has personal support from WIN Television and NSW radio stations, i98FM and C91.3FM.
Oliphant’s 2023 campaign will see him get the opportunity to tackle the best tracks in Australia for the first time, while an exciting finale on the world-famous Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst will pit him against the best TCR drivers on the planet when the TCR World Tour joins the Australian series.
The former Ginetta GT4 SuperCup champion is ready to hit the ground running in pre-season testing ahead of the season opener in just over two weeks-time with the AWC Race Tasmania event at Symmons Plains Raceway (February 24-26).
Tom Oliphant: “Taking a year away from racing wasn’t easy, but it was necessary for me and my partner as we settled in Australia. To get back on track in TCR Australia with Autoglym ASM is very exciting; it’s a competitive series with great racing on track and superb television coverage.
“Ashley Seward Motorsport are a hugely experienced team, running a lot of cars across different categories, so I’m delighted to be starting a partnership with them and I’m confident they’ll give me a really good race car through the season.
“I’m thrilled to be joining the Auto Glym family. They’re a British brand that have come over to Australia and been involved in the series for a few years, so it’s great to be starting a relationship with them and building that going forwards.
“I’d also like to welcome WIN Television, i98FM and C93.1FM as personal partners for 2023 and beyond. It’s great to have them onboard, and I’m excited about the creative projects we have planned for the year ahead. I can’t wait to get the season started.”
David Turney - Head of Marketing, Autoglym Australia: “We’re thrilled to partner with ASM for another year of what promises to be great TCR racing.
“And naturally, we’re excited to welcome Tom onto the team for 2023. He has fantastic racing creds in a variety of machines, and we can’t wait to witness his skills on the track.
“Of course, we want to tip our hat to Michael Caruso, for steering the Autoglym Alfa through last season.”
Andrew Lancaster - CEO, WIN Corporation: “WIN Network is excited to be partnering with Tom Oliphant Racing in the 2023 TCR Australia season.
”It is great to be able to support a Wollongong driver in the National and International TCR Racing series and having half the races in Regional Australia and broadcast on the WIN Network adds further value.
“Tom’s experience and professionalism, both on and off the track, is very attractive to us as a partner and we are looking forward to seeing him race on Australian soil.”
The Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series is a domestic variant of the hugely successful Touring Car Racing formula adopted in more than 30 countries and regions worldwide. The championship competes as part of the Shannons SpeedSeries package, with the 2023 calendar consisting of 24 races across eight events.
The championship will benefit from an expanded domestic television package in 2023. Stan Sport in conjunction with the Nine Network will show live, uninterrupted and on-demand coverage of all rounds, while international viewers, including those from the UK, can tune in through motorsport.tv.
Image from TCR Australia.
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