Hamilton NZ based Toyota Racing Series (TRS) team M2 Competition has brought former Indy Car team owner Steve Horne onboard to join their 2013 TRS campaign.
Horne will act as Performance Director for the five-car squad in the five round TRS series starting 10-13 January 2013 at Teretonga – Invercargill.
M2 Competition Team Principal Mark Pilcher says having access to Horne’s open wheel expertise will be a boost to the team.
“Steve joining us will bring a massive experience base to the team as we look for the missing link between us and the TRS crown. This appointment will no doubt help drivers make the decision as to which team they should compete with this season,” says Pilcher.
“Steve is a master at extracting the very best from his drivers and engineers and to say his track record is good is a huge understatement.”
The team finished 2nd in the teams championship in 2012 and won a handful of races in the hands of Jordan King and Raffelle Marcello.
Horne’s history in single seater racing and driver development is massive, guiding the careers of Indy Car stars Tony Kanaan and Hélio Castroneves, as well a numerous championships and race wins.
Horne’s own Tasman Motorsports Group team is now competing in the New Zealand V8 SuperTourer championship with two TRS graduates Daniel Gaunt and Andrew Waite as they build to the Taupo Endurance round at the beginning of September.
It’s not the first time Horne and Pilcher have worked together, with Pilcher currently the team manager of Horne’s V8 SuperTourer programme.
“I’m excited to be working further alongside Mark with his TRS team. Most of my career has revolved around open wheel racing, and it’s a great opportunity to again work with some young drivers as they further their careers,” says Horne.
Assisting Horne in the teams performance programme will be Jonathan Moury. One of the worlds leading performance engineers, Moury has run New Zealand’s own Jonny Reid and Chris Van der drift in their single seater exploits.
Pilcher says early interest from drivers wanting to compete in TRS with M2 Competition is strong with drivers from Europe, New Zealand and Australia expecting to compete.
M2 Competition will compete in the 2013 TRS season with the great full support of Giltrap Group and SP Tools. Further announcements will be made in the coming months regarding the driver line-up.
