MOTORSPORT: TCR trumps Supercars as training ground

Touring car legend Russell Ingall is pushing TCR racing as the right route to a career as a professional racer in Australia.

He believes the fledgling touring car category can teach youngsters more about racing than an early graduation to a high-powered Supercar, where errors can be masked or recovered by resorting to V8 power.

With Formula Ford downgraded in recent years, Formula 4 on the ropes and many youngsters taking a touring car fast-track through Super3 and Super2 with the aim of a career in Supercars, The Enforcer says there is not enough emphasis on real racing.

He believes good drivers need more than just quick lap times to complete their education on the way to becoming professionals.

Ingall is also concerned that Supercars teach bad habits and a reliance on fast lap times over passing and dicing, while TCR is about hustling a small front-wheel drive car that needs to be driven at the absolute limit.

“Kids need to learn how to race. Even a simulator can show you how to turn a quick lap, but it can never teach you about real racing,” Ingall tells carsales.

“It’s reacting to dirt on the track, what to do when you make a mistake or the driver in front makes a mistake, just how to pass.”

After a pair of guest-driver starts in the carsales TCR Australia Series in an Audi RS3, which took him back to the podium for the first time in a long time, the feisty touring car racer is pumped about the potential for a new nursery category.

“This is what we need. When you get into a Supercar it’s too easy to recover from a mistake by using the power,” he says.

“And they take a very specific driving style. Driving a Supercar is not like driving other race cars.”

Ingall’s comments come as one of the successful TCR youngsters, internet sensation Jordan Cox, locks a spot for the final three meetings of this year’s inaugural carsales TCR Australia Series in an Alfa Romeo.

He was drafted into Garry Rogers’ squad when Jimmy Vernon was benched for causing too much mayhem, and will now see out the season after a strong showing Queensland Raceway following his TCR debut in a Honda at The Bend in South Australia.

“It’s one of the biggest opportunities I’ve had in my career. It’s great to be in a position where I can solely focus on driving the car and achieving the results,” Cox says.

“The team and I really gelled well. GRM is a hard working team and it was terrific to be involved with them.”

Along with Ingall, Cox is expected to be among the 18 starters at the next TCR round at Winton in rural Victoria next weekend.