THE all-new TCR World Tour kicks off this weekend in what will be a landmark occasion for Ben Bargwanna’s blossoming career.
The son of Bathurst 1000 winner Jason will be on the grid for Round 1 of the global series at Portimao in Portugal, racing a Peugeot 308 TCR.
Backed by familiar supporter Burson Auto Parts, Bargwanna has aligned with Team Clairet Sport for his international debut, a campaign which will also see him compete at Spa-Francorchamps next month.
“I’m itching, I’m shaking, I’m excited, I’m buzzing, I’m going through all the emotions at the moment, but I’m so stoked,” said Bargwanna.
“It’s going to be one of the best experiences of my life and I can’t wait to go racing, I’m really keen.
“As soon as TCR came to Australia, Dad and I looked at the overseas possibilities, but even still we’ve been talking about it for years and it’s never felt like it’s been a real opportunity.
“Then, all of a sudden it is and it seems unreal it’s happening, we’re actually doing this, we’re going overseas to race the best.
“It is a cool feeling especially when I remember watching the first Sydney (TCR Australia) race with Dad and just talking about how cool this category looks to now going over to Portugal to take on the world’s best.”
A 40-car field is expected at Portimao, including representation from Lynk & Co, Honda, Hyundai and Audi.
With his sights set on qualifying for the TCR World Final, it will be important for Bargwanna to match up well against the best in the business.
“The list of big names makes it more exciting and every time there has been an announcement I give Dad a call or send him a message saying look who we’ll be racing,” said Bargwanna.
“That’s what you want to be racing the best of the best and these guys made TCR what it is, these drivers are the superstars of this category.
“It’s going to be cool to shape up against them and hopefully we can mix it up the front, but we’ll have to wait and see.”
Private testing at Portimao begins tomorrow ahead of official practice on Friday and a pair of races across the weekend.
