It may have been a challenging debut for Tufflift Racing TSM in Monochrome GT4 Australia at Phillip Island’s opening round, but it’s one the squad will build on at future events.
Joining Monochrome GT4 Australia following a twin-attack in TCR Australia last year, Indonesian Glenn Nirwan and team owner Zac Soutar endured a tough Monochrome GT4 Australia initiation in their Tufflift-supported McLaren Artura GT4.
After an incident during the first practice session forced the McLaren out for the rest of Friday, Tufflift Racing TSM got it back out for Saturday’s schedule resulting in finishing sixth at the end of Race 1 in Silver-Am.
It was a short Race 2 for the team after being heavily involved in an opening corner incident, which set the crew a big task to repair the McLaren.
“There’s quite a lot of work to do in terms of repairs,” said Soutar.
“It went through the whole right-hand-side, so it needs a new door, front bumper, guard, uprights and even the windscreen was smashed as well.
“Zagame Autosport handling the McLaren Customer Racing support has been great, so we can’t wait to get back into it at Sydney Motorsport Park.”
Tufflift Racing TSM is committed to Monochrome GT4 Australia through not only its own McLaren, but also running the Love Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4 for father-son pairing Rob and Bailey Love.
“Monochrome GT4 Australia itself is an amazing category really well run by SRO and enjoyable events to be part of,” said Soutar.
“The McLaren Artura GT4 is a fantastic car and there’s no doubt about that.
Adding a new category to his resume brings with it new challenges for Soutar, including the compromises that come with sharing the car with another driver.
“It’s an interesting challenge because most of my racing up to this point has been for making myself comfortable, getting the car fast no matter if it's loose or understeering or whatever it may be,” Soutar said.
“It’s always been a focus of what I wanted from the car.
“It’s very interesting when you go to a two-driver set-up because it’s not just about me, it’s about the other driver in terms of Glenn. We’ve got to work closer together because there’s things I’m more comfortable with that he doesn’t like and vice versa, so it’s about coming to a compromise.”
Repairs have Team Soutar Motorsport McLaren primed for Sydney
