Mixed reaction to TCR support bill switch

NEWS THAT THE BRITISH RACING and Sports Car Club’s Mazda MX-5 Supercup will join the TCR UK support package next year has drawn a mixed reaction from within the Mazda paddock.

Talk centred on the fact that the Supercup and its sister MX-5 championship for the Mk1 model – in which many Supercup competitors also compete – will now have to split.

Tom Roche, whose Blendini team runs cars in both series, questioned the logistical implications of the move.

“It’s twice the weekends away, it’s twice the cost of everything,” he told Autosport.

“It’s going to make people and teams choose one or the other. The format [as it is] is great, having the three races every weekend, and everyone in the Mk1 and Mk3 series are friends.

“There’s a lot of negatives to going on a big package. You’re going to be first out in the morning and last out at night; you’re going to be in the field in the middle of nowhere in the paddock; and if a race is going to get cancelled, it’s going to be yours.”

Newly crowned Supercup champion Luke Herbert confirmed he plans to remain in the series, and welcomed the move.

“It will be a good step up for the Mk3s,” he said. “We’ve proven we’ve got a good championship, good drivers and competitive cars.

“It’ll provide some exciting racing and it will be a stepping stone to TCR. I think it will attract people for next year.”