Tom Boardman's return to the World Touring Car Championship has been delayed with the news that he will miss this weekend's season opener at Monza.
Boardman's family run Special Tuning Racing team has suffered a delay in receiving specialist parts for their new SEAT Leon 1.6T.
As a result, BTCC race winner Boardman will sit out the Monza races, though teammate Darryl O'Young will be able to race. Both drivers will be in action at round two in Valencia.
“This is very disappointing for the Team, especially after all the hard work we have been carrying out in preparing the cars in the run up to the championship,” said the team's technical director Gary Robertshaw.
“Everyone concerned has done their best to get the car ready, but in the end the parts just could not be delivered in time. We will obviously be focused on Darryl O'Young's car which will be running this weekend, and we are excited about the competitiveness of the car.”
Boardman added: “I'm extremely disappointed obviously, but I've accepted I won't be involved, so I'll now be focusing all my efforts on making sure the team and Darryl have a good weekend.”