Family affair for the Tanders as Leanne joins Garth in Audi TCR

Victorian Hamish Ribarits will join Melbourne Performance Centre in the #22 Audi RS3 LMS TCR for Round 2 of the 2019 Carsales TCR Australia Series at Phillip Island this weekend.

The former karting champion will drive the Audi that Dutchman Rik Breukers drove in the opening round of the turbo-charged touring car series at Sydney Motorsport Park last month.

Ribaritis currently leads the Super3 Supercars Series after two rounds, racing a Ford FG Falcon for MW Motorsport. Last year, the 19-year-old finished runner-up in the Australian Formula Ford Championship for Sonic Motor Racing Services.

The Mildura-born driver has already found success at Phillip Island this year after winning a race at the opening round of Super3. That race meeting was his maiden event in a touring car.

Ribarits will be one of four cars fielded by the MPC squad this weekend. Garth Tander will drive one of the brand-new Audi RS 3s, while the driver of the other new Audi will be confirmed soon. The team’s fourth entry is for Aaron Cameron, who will driver the team’s Volkswagen Golf GTI.

The carsales TCR Australia Series is the headlining act on the Shannons Nationals bill this weekend that will see qualifying and Race 1 held on Saturday ahead of Races 2 and 3 on Sunday.

Supporting the TCR Australia Series is a bumper list of categories, including Australian GT, Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge and Australian Formula 4.

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QUOTES

Leanne Tander
Driver, Melbourne Performance Centre Audi 

“I’ve been hopeful of some sort of drive in the TCR Australia Series. It has been bubbling along for a while now, so I’m really glad that we’ve finally been able to pull it together for this weekend,” said Leanne Tander.

“I’m really excited about driving it at Phillip Island. I’ve done plenty of laps around there in a wide range of categories, but this is a different type of car to what I’m used to.

“I drove one of the Audi TCRs in Sydney last year, but I didn’t get a lot of laps to really feel what it was about, so I’m looking forward to having a go and seeing what it can do.

“It is fantastic to be sharing the track with three other female racers too. I’ve never raced at this high-level level in the sport with some many girls in the same race. It’s really a huge step forward and a big tick for TCR.

“To have four out of 18 drivers being female – that’s a pretty good ratio, given you generally only ever have one in the field.

“I respect Molly, Chelsea and Alexandra as a drivers. I thought they all did a great job in the first round in Sydney, and as the year progresses, I reckon we’ll see them get towards the front of the field.”