History will be made this weekend (28-29 March), as WestCoast Racing will become the first Swedish team in precisely three decades to compete at a Formula 1 World Championship event.

The Halmstad-based operation has an entry in the inaugural TCR International Series and believes it’s “very well prepared” for the season-opening round, which will be held as part of the Malaysian Grand Prix support bill at the spectacular Sepang International Circuit near the majestic city of Kuala Lumpur (28-29 March).

Two heavyweights of Scandinavian motorsport, WestCoast Racing and Sportpromotion, have combined forces for the first time ever, formalising a long-held and shared desire to go racing on the international stage.

Greger Petersson and his company, Sportpromotion, first formed a relationship with WestCoast Racing founder, Dick Jönsson-Wigroth, in 1980 and the bond between the two parties has only strengthened over the decades.

The continued cooperation between the companies has resulted in an attack on the newly-launched TCR International Series as one combined force and the amalgamated outfit will field a trio of Honda Civics, built and developed by JAS Motorsport to the new TCR technical regulations, for Italian ace Gianni Morbidelli, American ‘tin-top’ star Kevin Gleason and Germany’s Rene Munnich.

Hailed as the future of touring car racing, the TCR International Series is a brand new global concept that is designed to be a marketable, profitable and spectacular, yet cost-effective competition platform and boasts a coveted spot on the F1 support package in Malaysia, China and on the floodlit streets of Singapore.

While the opening round of the 2015 TCR season in Malaysia heralds the beginning of an exciting new chapter, WestCoast Racing will also make history as the first Swedish team to appear on the F1 roster since 1985.

“This is the first time in exactly 30 years that a Swedish team competes at a Formula 1 event, at an international level,” said Petersson. “It was in 1985 when the DTM ran in support of F1 that a Swedish outfit made an appearance with a Volvo 240 Group A and, 30 years later, the same guys make a return under the WestCoast Racing banner, this time as a competitor in the new-for-2015 TCR International Series.

“This is a very proud moment because, having achieved so much since the Eighties, we never really expected to get back into this circus again. But, when Marciello Lotti presented the TCR concept as cost-effective and a level playing-field, it was something we couldn’t pass up. Ultimately, it’s a fair concept that will hopefully bring touring cars back to where it used to be 30 years ago. We have applied all available resources to ensure we’re competitive and everybody involved with WestCoast’s programme believe we will be very well prepared compared to many others. We have good drivers and a good team behind us, so we’re going for the top – that’s the only aim.”