FIA World Touring Car Cup newcomer PWR Racing has gone for youth and experience for its step up to international competition in 2019.
It has signed emerging star and TCR Europe title winner Mikel Azcona to join PWR co-founder Daniel Haglöf – a multiple champion in his own right – in its fleet of CUPRA TCRs.
Azcona and Haglöf complete the all-season #WTCR2019SUPERGRID, which stands at 26 cars but allows for wildcard drivers to contest selected races during the year.
Spaniard Azcona, 22, is one of the sport’s hottest properties following his standout 2018 campaign, which included a victory and four podiums in TCR Europe. His inclusion in PWR’s attack means he will continue his rivalry with fellow young gun Attila Tasi. The 19-year-old from Hungary placed fourth in the final TCR Europe table last season and will drive for the Honda-powered KCMG outfit this season.
Swede Haglöf, meanwhile, follows Yvan Muller’s lead from 2018 as a driver and team boss, having co-founded PWR Racing with Peter ‘Poker’ Wallenberg in 2012. He scored two wins and six podiums in the Scandinavian Touring Car Championship last year having achieved success in one-make categories in his homeland.
“Alongside Cyan Racing and two world champions in Thed Björk and Johan Kristoffersson, PWR and Daniel Haglöf will make the Swedish presence in WTCR even stronger,” said François Ribeiro, Head of Eurosport Events, the WTCR promoter. “We’re also delighted to see the 2018 TCR Europe winner promoted to WTCR. Along with drivers like Attila Tassi and Yann Ehrlacher, Mikel Azcona is one of the most promising touring car talents, so it will be a great to follow that super young generation racing against some of the most experienced touring car drivers.”
Jaime Puig, Director and Head of CUPRA Racing, said of Azcona: “His performance last year is proof of his skills and personality. He has taken his youthfulness as an asset, and he has taken a good decision by pairing with a driver like Daniel Haglöf. I expect the best from both Mikel, Daniel and the PWR Racing team this season in WTCR.”
“I feel super-happy and proud to join PWR and CUPRA Racing in the WTCR,” said Azcona “It’s going to be an exciting season full of great challenges. I look forward to the hard work in front of me, to be competitive in this tough field full of world champions. Lastly I want to thank PWR and CUPRA Racing for believing in me as a driver.”
Haglöf, PWR Racing’s CEO, co-founder and driver, said: “I’m really looking forward to be competing on an international level again. I’m driving against the very best in this category of racing. To be doing it with the team that me and Poker have built together is a huge achievement.”
He continued: “My team-mate Mikel is a really promising driver who aligns very well with PWR Racing’s ambition to aid young talent in their racing careers. I think we’ll put on a great show and achieve good results this year.”
The 2019 WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup season begins at WTCR Race of Morocco in Marrakech from 5-7 April.The 2019 WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup season begins at WTCR Race of Morocco in Marrakech from 5-7 April.