By Mick Palmer
Steve Gales will return to the TCR UK series for 2023 in an MPHR run Audi RS3 LMS.
After scoring a best result of 12th in 2022 Gales – who will be garaged with Brad Hutchison in a similar first generation RS3 – will build on his experience to challenge for the Diamond Trophy this term.
The former Porsche Carrera GB racer made his TCR UK championship debut in 2022 and endured a challenging campaign that was beset with a bit of bad luck, thanks to a sizeable amount of accident damage during an incident at Brands Hatch.
After missing out on the second Oulton Park round while the RS3 was being repaired, Gales competed at Castle Combe in a VW Golf GTI, before the Audi returned for Donington and a withdrawal at the season closing Snetterton meeting – which resulted in a fourth place ranking in the Diamond Trophy standings.
“I’m really happy to be returning to TCR UK this year and to be able to work with everyone at MPHR once more,” Gales stated. “Despite switching over halfway into last year, Martin (Hutchison – MPHR Team Boss) and the team really looked after me and it’s great to be back with them for a full year this time. I learned a lot from them in 2022 and I’ll be putting that knowledge to good use in 2023.
“My aim for this year is to try and win the Goodyear Diamond Trophy, so sticking with the same ca gives me the chance to work on going faster and racking up the points early on in the season. It’s great working with Brad again this year as we both aim to show that the Gen1 Audi is a competitive car to have in the championship.”
The 2023 TCR UK season launches at Donington Park on March 28th with the first race meeting scheduled for Snetterton on the 8th and 9th of April.
motorracinguk.com 