Young German racer Loris Prattes will join Swiss outfit TOPCAR Sport for the 2018 ADAC TCR Germany season where he will race a SEAT León TCR.
Prattes steps up from the Renault Clio Cup Central Europe, where the 17-year-old competed last year and ended the season tenth overall in the standings.
TOPCAR Sport are entering their third season in the German tin-top series, and have previously run cars for Rudolf Rhyn and Ronny Jost.
“I’m so happy that Ruedi [Jost, Team Owner] and Ronny Jost give me the opportunity to scale the next step on my motorsport career ladder,” said Prattes. “[To drive] a vehicle such as a TCR car with 350 horespower is really cool, because it really gets off the mark.
“I felt right at home in the SEAT León; the SEAT sticks better to the tarmac, allows higher cornering speed and the brakes bite really hard – all in all a completely new experience for me.”
Ronny Jost says that the team will be aiming to fight for the rookie championship in 2018, which was last year won by youngster Luca Engstler.
“We were looking for exactly what all the teams are looking for – a fast young rider,” said Jost. “Loris showed right from the start that he is one of the fastest riders and has a high learning curve.
“We in the team all agreed: In the 2018 season, we will definitely aim for the rookie championship and a good placement in the [overall] championship.”