Country New South Wales driver Braydan Willmington will have to watch next month’s Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series round from the sidelines.
Budget constraints mean the Marulan-born driver will miss the next SpeedSeries round at Queensland Raceway on August 5-7.
Having made his series debut earlier this year without a primary sponsor, Willmington rallied around to acquire the necessary funding to continue competing.
Stan Sport is the only place to watch the 2022 SpeedSeries with every race streaming ad free, live and on demand. Start your free Stan Sport trial here!
The 24-year-old said he made more than 300 calls to prospective sponsors but ultimately came up short.
“It’s a shame. I really wanted to get to Queensland Raceway, but there was no feasible way I could do it,” Willmington said.
“While I’ve had some great support from a few minor backers with product and other bits, the reality is that I have no sponsors and I’ve been funding it alone. It has been difficult.
“The whole season, I’ve been going round to round, struggling to get there. I’ve managed to make it work up to Sydney, but with a few things that happened in Sydney like the turbo issues and damage, we’ve had to make this call.
“I reckon I’ve made more than 300 phone calls to companies, but I just haven’t been able to find the right partners to join us.”
Although competing in Queensland is off the cards, it’s hoped a return to the series in Victoria is still possible.
The penultimate round of the 2022 season takes place at Sandown in Melbourne on September 16-18.
“It has been a struggle, but I’m not giving up,” said Willmington.
“I want to be at Sandown and Bathurst. Whether we can get the money to do it or not, that’s another question. I really wanted to be at Queensland too, but it was just impossible.
READ MORE: Schumacher’s family slammed for telling ‘lies’
READ MORE: Iconic golf event in chaos as $72M star defects
READ MORE: The Horn taunt that led to epic final slugfest
“It’s gutting to not be there when I had my most competitive run at the last round in Sydney.
“I was passing cars, but got drilled. I reckon we would have been better again, and we have still done no testing, but the budget does not allow for anything at the moment.”
Willmington sits 16th in the standings with a season-best finish of eighth at Phillip Island.
The youngster has followed in the footsteps of his father Garry Willmington, who was a prolific privateer in the Australian Touring Car Championship.
Willmington Sr made 21 starts in the Bathurst 1000, his son’s TCR-spec Alfa Romeo sporting a livery harking back to his cars from the 1980s.
Dirt speedways have largely been the domain of the TCR privateer until recently stepping into single-seater circuit racing in S5000.
The Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series headlines the Speed Series at Queensland Raceway.
Support classes include Turtle Wax National Trans Am, Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia Powered by AWS, Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge, GC Marine Australian Prototype Series, Australian Production Cars, and Radical Australia Cup.
For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!