Luke Sargeant will be back for his second season in car racing, returning to TCR UK this year, after switching to a CUPRA Leon Competición TCR that will be run by 2023 Teams Champions Area Motorsport.
Having made his debut in the Area Motorsport run Hyundai Elantra N TCR last season, Luke was in his first season of car racing. Testing in a Hyundai i30 N TCR during the winter, it became clear during the season that the larger Elantra was not suited to his driving style.
Despite this, the Leicestershire-based driver finished his campaign last year at the Brands Hatch season finale on a positive, having taken three top-ten finishes in the four events he competed in.
With a switch to the CUPRA Leon Competición TCR for this year, Luke feels that the smaller TCR model will be more suited to his driving style and is aiming higher in 2024.
“Testing the i30 during the winter, before last season, I was setting times that were half a second off front running pace in 2022, so I was confident that moving to the Elantra would work out well. Being a larger car, it required a driving style that I wasn’t comfortable with, however, three top ten finishes showed that I made progress,” explained Luke.
“Moving to the CUPRA means that I’m behind the wheel of a car that I can work better with in 2024 and sticking with Area Motorsport also means I’m working with a team I’m familiar with. I’m looking to score a podium finish by the end of the season and also get some of those top ten reverse grid race pole positions as I work my way up the field.”
Area Motorsport Team Manager Rob Baker is excited to see how Luke goes in his second season in the championship.
“It’s been a great previous year for Luke who only obtained his race licence in early 2023. He progressed extremely well throughout the season with an outstanding performance in the wet at Donington,” explained Rob.
“We’re looking forward to helping him progress further this year with the aim for sure trying to pick up a podium finish in 2024 which is more than possible if he keeps progressing at the rate he did in 2023.”
To find out more about the TCR UK Touring Car Championship visit https://www.tcr-uk.co.uk/ for more information and how to get involved.
To find out more about the events on the 2024 TCR UK Touring Car Championship Calendar, visit https://www.tcr-uk.co.uk/2024-calendar/ for more information.
