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Matching Mostert the aim for Luke King
Melbourne Performance Centre driver Luke King is aiming to recapture his early season form where he matched teammate and Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series title leader Chaz Mostert.
Currently second in the title race, King put in an eye-catching display at Phillip Island where he and Mostert raced wheel-to-wheel during the second event of the weekend.
It’s performances like these that King hopes will attract opportunities in TCR competition overseas.
“I still have plenty to prove to try and match Chaz’s pace as it is a huge opportunity for me because I want to show anyone watching TCR Australia that we can at least be competitive against a driver of Chaz’s calibre,” King emphasised.
“That is my main goal. As long as I can do that, I’ll be happy and if we end up having an Audi 1-2 in the series, I’ll be even more stoked.”
King highlights the opening qualifying season at Symmons Plains as a confidence boost when he bettered his highly-rated teammate during the first segment of qualifying.
“I think that was a turning point for us,” King explained.
“I think Round 1 we went under the radar. In Q1 at Symmons Plains, I was the first Audi to drop into the 55s and we were P3 to the two Alfas.
“I think that gave me a lot of confidence going into Phillip Island knowing if I was on the pace, we could race door-to-door with Chaz and that’s exactly what we did during the second race there.”
Following on from his performance at Phillip Island, King’s Audi RS3 LMS TCR encountered braking problems at Bathurst, which were resolved by the last round at Sydney Motorsport Park where a low qualifying performance forced him to battle amidst the midfield at his home circuit.
Upgrades were also completed to the Audi enhancing the brake ducting, air intake and front aero in high-speed applications.
Less than 100-points separate second to 12th in the standings with King heading the pack. Although he aimed to complete a track reconnaissance before next month’s event, King has reverted to his simulator to keep match fit.
Morgan Park is the next round on the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia schedule, a venue in which King believes will suit each model represented in the field.
“I think Morgan Park will be a bit of an equaliser for everyone,” he said.
“I’m hoping we’ll be around that top five pace, which I think we had at Sydney but whatever happened in qualifying put us to the back.
“Qualifying is more important than ever because once you’re stuck in the pack it can be difficult to pass.
“I think it’ll be confidence on the tyre, maximising that and getting used to the track first.”
The next round of the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series will be held at Morgan Park Raceway in Queensland on August 13-15. CLICK HERE for ticketing information.