18-year-old Pauwels in TCR Europe with Comtoyou Racing

Belgian youngster Kobe Pauwels will make his circuit racing debut in the 2023 TCR Europe, driving an Audi RS 3 LMS II for Comtoyou Racing.

So far the 18-year-old Pauwels has competed in karting becoming the 2016 European Mini Max champion before moving to rallycross in 2020; he then claimed the Euro RX3 title last year.

“I also have a lot to learn, moving from rallycross to circuit racing, such as tyre management and car behaviour. It will be a challenge from the beginning, but we have a good test programme before the start of the season. My goal is to enjoy myself and hopefully good results will follow,” said Pauwels.

Team manager Francois Verbist added: “We are glad to have Kobe in the team. We have had two tests with him, and from the beginning we saw a big opportunity for success. Our winning experience in TCR championships together with Kobe’s talent makes a really competitive package.”

Picture: Comtoyou Racing