As the countdown for the inaugural TCR Australia season begins, the category’s diverse cars has been bolstered with the arrival of a new vehicle in Sydney.
The new Honda Civic Type R TCR is expected to take part in next year’s series as Honda’s official global racing partner, J.A.S. Motorsport, begins the search for a local Australian race team to enter the car with.
With J.A.S Motorsport’s main headquarters in Italy and a bespoke base in Malaysia, Sydney-based Wall Racing is currently assisting to house and prepare the car.
“Australia has a rich history in motorsport, so it was no surprise to see a TCR Series created down under,” J.A.S. Motorsport’s Business Development Manager, Mads Fischer said.
“We have a long history with Honda’s global racing programs and we are very proud of the business that we have developed alongside Honda to create the best race cars.
“We will be paying close attention to TCR Australia and are looking forward to partnering with the right team to help put Honda on the map in Australia.”
The Honda’s arrival marks the second vehicle to make its way down under for the new series, with the recently confirmed Audi R3 LMS currently being held by Melbourne Performance Centre (MPC).
While MPC has secured the exclusive local rights to supply vehicles from Volkswagen Audi Group, HMO Customer Racing have confirmed the purchase of two Hyundai i30N with the intention of racing in in the series.
With the TCR field of both cars and manufacturers gradually increasing, Matt Braid from the series’ promoter, Australian Racing Group, was thrilled with the international interest.
“It’s great to see another brand of TCR car arrive in Australia. You can really start to feel the momentum building now ahead of the 2019 season,” Matt Braid said.
“The J.A.S. Motorsport squad is world famous for their engineering capabilities and racing developments. They are also race and championship winners in their own right too. They offer a terrific, turn-key product.
“At this stage, the car is on loan from J.A.S, however, the intention is for someone to purchase the car, and secure a local distributor for the Civic Type R. There has been lots of interest, so I’d say that it is just a matter of time before we are able to confirm this.
“In the meantime, Wall Racing has been kind enough to keep the car at its race shop and will assist with running the car in upcoming test sessions.”
The TCR Australia series is expected to soon announce next year’s inaugural calendar, but has confirmed their rounds to be taking place across a combination of Shannons Nationals and Supercars events in 2019.
