Stefano Comini will contest the 2018 TCR Europe Touring Car Series, with the Swiss driver competing for his fourth different team and manufacturer in four years in the top tier of the WSC Group promoted series, as he races for Top Run Motorsport in their Subaru WRX STi TCR.

The 2015 and 2016 TCR International Series champion already raced for the team in selected rounds of last year’s TCR Italy Touring Car Championship, and will now join them full-time in the new TCR Europe series.

The car has been granted full homologation by TCR promoter WSC, and has been given an initial BoP weight of -20kg. The car was not present at the initial BoP tests conducted by Dan Lloyd and Gianni Morbidelli in March.

Italian team Top Run Motorsport have developed the car, while the new Race Republic team will run the car for Comini.

“It was the longest winter of my racing career,” said Comini. “We have worked a lot and have met with a series of issues that delayed the plan until last week. I am very grateful to

Race Republic as they were finally able to put this programme together.”