Eurocup Mégane Trophy
Bas Schothorst welcomes Tom Coronel as his new teammate for the next Eurocup Mégane Trophy races at the Nürburgring. Coronel will join the McGregor team TDS Racing, replacing Wim Beelen who is unavailable due to other commitments. The current WTCC driver will also race for the French team of Xavier Combet and Jack Morello at the Moscow Raceway next month.
Tom Coronel is an all round professional racing driver in international motorsport. He won the Japanese Formula 3 Championship, as well as the Masters of Formula 3 in 1997. In 1999 he won the Formula Nippon championship and became test driver for the Arrows Formula 1 team. The McGregor driver also raced in the 24 Hours of Le Mans several times in LMP1 and GT class. In addition, Coronel has won several different racing series and is a two-time WTCC Independents’ Trophy champion.
With four wins from four races Bas Schothorst has a huge points lead in the Eurocup Mégane Trophy. He will travel to the Grand Prix circuit in the German Eifel region full of confidence. Schothorst hopes to repeat last year’s strong pace at the Nürburgring and to extend his lead in the championship. The TDS Racing team expects that Tom Coronel will immediately be competitive at the Nürburgring. Coronel previously raced a Mégane Trophy car in the 24 Hours of Barcelona in 2011. Regular TDS Racing drivers Kelvin Snoeks and Jeroen Schothorst complete the team this weekend.
Bas Schothorst : “I am full of confidence as we go to the Nürburgring. Things are really going well at the moment and I am leading the championship with the maximum number of points. It is unfortunate that Wim Beelen cannot be there, but I am really happy to see Tom Coronel joining our team. It is not the first time we are racing together and I am sure it will have a positive impact. Tom really knows how to bring a team to a higher level!”
Tom Coronel : “I will replace Wim Beelen for the race at the Nürburgring and he told me to finish on the podium. I am very curious about the Eurocup Mégane Trophy because it is my first time in the series. However, I once finished third with an almost identical car in the 24 Hours of Barcelona. The car has a lot of power and great handling. Finally, I keep good memories of the Nürburgring. The circuit has many challenging sections and there are a number of overtaking possibilities. I am really looking forward to it!”
Official Renault Sport Press Release.