Following the news that Craft-Bamboo Racing Lukoil will be joining the TCR International Series in 2015, Russian driver Sergey Afanasyev has been announced as the team’s first driver.
The 26 year old, who combined with Stef Dusseldorp to finish tenth in last year’s Blancpain Sprint Series in a HTP Motorsport Mercedes SLS AMG GT3, has been supported by Lukoil throughout his racing career, which also encompassed stints in Formula Two and Auto GP. He was crowned the Pro-Am champion in the 2013 FIA GT Series.
“I am delighted to welcome Sergey to the team,” said team CEO Richard Coleman. “He is a true professional and has already been adapting well to front wheel drive racing. I am sure that he will achieve success this season, he has impressed in his attitude and shown very good pace in testing.”
Following a four-day test in Spain to familiarise himself with the new SEAT León, Afanasyev professed himself happy with his machinery.
“The TCR International Series is a new challenge for me and I’m looking forward to the season,” he said. “We conducted several tests, in which I learned the car. The new SEAT León is very different from GT cars, but I did not have any problem adapting.”
West Coast Racing have also announced their first driver, 27-year-old American Kevin Gleason, a sometime Pirelli World Challenge and Continental Tyre Sports Car Challenge racer who partnered WTCC star Rob Huff in the 2013 25 Hours of Thunderhill winning entry.
“I feel very fortunate to be a part of the Westcoast Racing team for the inaugural TCR International Series season,” said Gleason. “The team is well proven and brings a vast array of experience that I’m sure will help see it quickly adapt to the new challenge it faces in 2015. Beyond the team itself, I expect the Honda Civic TCR to be a competitive package, especially with the support of JAS Motorsport and Mugen. I look forward to building these relationships into a successful campaign.”