Brad Harris will make his Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series debut at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit this weekend, as the world-famous venue hosts the third round of the Shannons SpeedSeries.
Harris joins a Phillip Island field that will feature two brand-new cars to TCR Australia, in the form of Tom Oliphant’s Lynk & Co entry and Michael Clement’s Cupra Leon.
The series heads into the second round led by Round 1 winner, HMO Customer Racing’s Bailey Sweeney, with Wall Racing Honda Civic Type R driver and defending champion Tony D’Alberto in close company.
Harris joins the series aboard the same Wall Racing Honda Civic FK7 TCR that won the Phillip Island round last year in the hands of Fabian Coulthard.
The 30-year-old New South Welshman began racing at the age of 16, where he competed in the Mazda Group Production Series before joining the RX8 Cup in 2019 and is now the newest entrant on the star-studded TCR Australia grid.
Harris has purchased the car from Wall Racing, however the defending TCR Champions continue to support the newcomers transition to the category.
“Wall racing has been very accommodating, helping us get in the car and get used to the car, meaning we were able to learn a lot on the test day,” Harris said.
“They have been very helpful with the production side of things, and I cannot wait to get started.”
“I’m used to front wheel drives, but I will just need to get used to the TCR wings while gaining valuable experience on the slick tyres,” Harris added.
“The car has plenty of power, more than I have driven with before but everything went really well at the test, so that gives me plenty of confidence.
“We want to go out and have some fun, the aim isn’t to break any records but to see if we can be somewhere in the mid pack, It’s a big learning weekend.”
Phillip Island will see the debut of the Auto Glym Lynk & Co 03 TCR to be driven by former British Touring Car Championship race winner Tom Olliphant, the first of its type to race in Australia.
Michael Clemente, meanwhile, will debut his new Cupra Leon Competicion TCR with the car having arrived in Australia last week.
The car will be wrapped this week and then formally launched at Phillip Island on Friday, with the Victorian-based Privateer keen to step after spending last season learning the ropes aboard his existing Honda Civic.
The Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series will tackle three races this weekend at Phillip Island, all broadcast live, ad-break free and on demand on Stan Sport. Saturday’s opening race of the weekend will also be broadcast on the Nine Network around Australia.
International viewers can watch via speedseries.com.au.
Tickets for the second round of the season are still available via motorsporttickets.com.au.
For those who are unable to make the trip to Phillip Island, Stan Sport will provide live and uninterrupted coverage from most of Saturday and Sunday’s action, while 9Gem will also broadcast three hours of Saturday afternoon’s racing.
The second round of the 2023 Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series kicks off at the Shannons SpeedSeries Phillip Island event on 12-14 May.
ENTRY LIST
Car # | SPONSOR | DRIVER | STATE | VEHICLE | MODEL | CC | COLOUR |
1 | Honda Wall Racing | Tony D’Alberto | VIC | Honda | Civic FK7 TCR | 1998 | Red/White |
9 | MPC Team LIQUI MOLY | Will Brown | QLD | Audi | RS3 LMS TCR | 1984 | White/Blue/Red |
14 | Forza Brakes Motorsport | Lachlan Mineeff | NSW | Audi | RS3 LMS SEQ | 1998 | Orange |
15 | Carl Cox Motorspport | Michael Clemente | VIC | Cupra | Leon Competicion TCR | 1998 | Black/Purple |
18 | Team Valvoline GRM | Aaron Cameron | VIC | Peugeot | 308 TCR | 1600 | Red |
30 | HMO Customer Racing | Josh Buchan | NSW | Hyundai | i30N Sedan | 1999 | Blue/Orange |
33 | Schaeffler GRM | Jordan Cox | NSW | Peugeot | 308 TCR | 1600 | Green/White |
41 | Valvoline Racing GRM | Kody Garland | NSW | Peugeot | 308 TCR | 1800 | Red |
71 | Burson Auto Parts Racing | Ben Bargwanna | VIC | Peugeot | 308 TCR | 1600 | Blue/Red/White |
74 | Wall Racing | Brad Harris | NSW | Honda | Civic FK7 TCR | 1998 | White |
110 | Team Soutar Motorsport | Zac Soutar | VIC | Audi | RS3 LMS TCR | 1998 | Black/Yellow |
115 | Ashley Seward Motorsport | Tom Oliphant | NSW | Lynk & Co | CO 03 TCR | 1750 | White/Red/Green |
130 | HMO Customer Racing | Bailey Sweeny | NSW | Hyundai | i30N TCR | 1999 | Blue/Orange |