Bargwanna joins GRM for 2020 TCR tilt
Bathurst 1000 winner Jason Bargwanna will spearhead a Peugeot TCR Australia programme run by Garry Rogers Motorsport for the next two seasons.
Jason Bargwanna
TCR Australia
The former Supercars regular will return to active driving next year at the wheel of the Peugeot 308 that was delivered to Australia for the 2019 season finale last month.
The entry will be run by Garry Rogers Motorsport Customer Racing, effectively the same squad that gave Bargwanna his Supercars break back in 1998, and helped deliver a Bathurst win alongside Garth Tander in 2000.
“It is really exciting to confirm that I’m making a return to the driver’s seat, and even more exciting that it is going to happen in an emerging class like TCR,” said Bargwanna.
“I’ve been involved in motor racing for a long time, and TCR has lit a fire inside me. There is so much energy and hype and genuine excitement around the category. It’s a category that makes sense and I can’t wait to get back into race mode."
As it stands Bargwanna is only locked in as the driver for the first of the two years, opening the door for his son Ben to take over in 2021.
The 18-year-old is set for a second Australian Formula Ford campaign in 2020, before teaming up with his dad in the Peugeot for the 500-kilometre Bathurst International TCR race at the end of the season.
“One of my motivations is to team up with my son Ben for the new endurance race at Bathurst," said Bargwanna Senior.
"Having the chance to race alongside your own son in the same car is rare. We’ve seen the likes of the Setons, Johnsons and the Richards families do it at Bathurst, and I feel privileged to be able to share a car at such a special track.
“This TCR programme is a two-year commitment for us. I have no doubt that Ben will be out buying me fishing gear for Christmas next year, and won’t be afraid to try and pry me out of the seat after he finishes his Formula Ford campaign."
Ben Bargwanna, who worked as a mechanic for GRM's TCR programme this season, said his primary focus is winning the 2020 Formula Ford title, not what happens beyond next year.
“Garry and Barry [Rogers] have given me the opportunity to work with on the TCR programme this year, and it has been unbelievable to work in a professional team environment," he said.
“A full-time seat in the series would be amazing, but my focus is on Formula Ford at the moment. I’m a strong believer that you need to do your apprenticeship right, and I still have some things to work on.
"My goal for 2020 is to win the national Formula Ford championship next year, then take on the world's best at Bathurst.”
GRM, even more committed to TCR since shutting down its Supercars programme, is also set to field Renault and Alfa Romeo hardware un the series next season.
Jason Bargwanna, Ben Bargwanna and Garry Rogers
Photo by: TCR Australia
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