TCR 2019 SERIES DATES ANNOUNCED – TCR AND S5000 NOT ALIGNING WITH SUPERCARS
TCR Australia announce inaugural schedule – Photo: Supplied
Neither TCR nor S5000 will race at Supercars events in their inaugural seasons next year.
By MARK FOGARTY
TCR Australia has announced a seven-round series that will only run at Shannons Nationals events.
AUTO ACTION has been reliably informed that S5000 – which we also hear will be renamed to align the category with its new Trans-Tasman summer series focus – will not appear on the support race programs at Supercars-run events either.
TCR Australia and S5000 are being promoted by the Australian Racing Group, which is backed by a consortium of wealthy businessmen/enthusiasts.
ARG director Matt Braid had sounded out Supercars on running TCR Australia and S5000 rounds at selected Supercars-run events.
No agreement could be reached and the TCR Australia series has been aligned with the CAMS-run Shannons Nationals.
ARG is expected to confirm the rebranded S5000 calendar at the media and competitor launch of TCR Australia at Sydney Motorsport Park on Monday, November 19.
AA also understands there will be an expanded senior management of ARG, which so far has been headed by former Volvo Australia boss and Supercars No.2 Matt Braid.
Despite S5000 having part of its roots in a still-born Supercars plan for V8-powered open-wheelers, Australia’s premier motor racing championship has declined overtures to include S5000 on the undercard at selected events.
That is only slightly less surprising than Supercars’ decision not to embrace TCR, which is a rival touring car category with global reach.
S5000 likely to run Trans-Tasman series – Photo: Supplied
ARG is now understood to looking at a trans-Tasman summer series in NZ and Australia for S5000 in 2019/20.
Australian rounds will run at Shannons Nationals fixtures or standalone events, taking into account restrictions on where the 650 horsepower five-litre Ford V8-powered single-seaters can race.
With a switch of emphasis to a NZ/Australia summer series, S5000 would revive the spirit of the Formula 5000 era of the Tasman Cup in the early to mid 1970s.
It was the original concept for S5000 category manager Chris Lambden’s Formula Thunder 5000 initiative, which was merged with the failed Super5000 project.
Under ARG, the big-banger single-seater formula adopted a brand new carbon-fibre chassis – complete with halo cockpit protection – made by Onroak-Liger in the USA to ally safety concerns.
The official ARG announcement of the 2019 TCR calendar is as follows:
The inaugural TCR Australia Series has released its calendar for the 2019 season, with Sydney Motorsport Park set to host the first round of the international touring car racing phenomenon.
The category has confirmed that it will host a seven round championship at all Shannons Nationals events.
The confirmed seven rounds will see the championship visit four Australian states and six different circuits, including two visits to The Bend in South Australia.
Race formats and other series regulations will be announced in the near future.
Negotiations concerning television broadcast coverage of all TCR Australia series races are underway and will be announced in the near future.
The TCR formula has been a worldwide success. Developed in 2014 as a cost-effective touring car racing alternative, the category currently has four internationally-sanctioned TCR Series competing around the world, plus 12 national or regional series utilising the TCR regulations as their main rule book.
Eligible cars include all front-wheel drive C-Segment hatchbacks or sedans, powered by production-based turbocharged engines with a capacity of up to 2-litres.
There are four makes of car already confirmed for the inaugural Australian series, with teams set to race Audi, Volkswagen, Honda and Hyundai entries.
Ahead of the launch of the category next year, an official media and competitors launch will be held at Sydney Motorsport Park on Monday November 19.
Matt Braid
Director, Australian Racing Group
“Releasing the calendar is a great milestone for TCR Australia, and we are very pleased to launch the category alongside the Shannons Nationals events,” said Matt Braid.
“The seven events at six circuits give us variety at the best permanent circuits in Australia.
“The events give us great flexibility on race formats too, and we look forward to announcing those in the coming weeks.
“TCR Australia is one of most anticipated new racing categories to land on the Australian motorsport scene in many years. It will be fresh, exciting and action-packed.
“There are still a number of factors to confirm, including the broadcasting of the TCR events, and we are close to locking in all the details of what will be a great debut series for the teams and drivers that commit.”
Mike Smith
Director, Shannons Nationals
“We are absolutely delighted to be welcoming the TCR Australia Series to the Nationals in 2019,” Smith said.
“There is a genuine excitement about this category coming to Australia and we can’t wait to host what will be a really competitive and accessible category on some of the best tracks in Australia.
“In 2019, our expanded seven round calendar promises to deliver a really diverse range of motor sport, featuring some new categories, like TCR, as well as categories that already have a strong following.
“After significant investment in our media product for the Nationals this year, we’re expecting an even better product to showcase some terrific motor sport, including TCR, in 2019 and beyond.”
CONFIRMED CALENDAR
Round 1: Sydney Motorsport Park, 17-19 May
Round 2: Phillip Island, 6-9 June
Round 3: The Bend Motorsport Park, 12-14 July
Round 4: Queensland Raceway, 2-4 August
Round 5: Winton, 31 August-1 September
Round 6: Sandown, 20-22 September
Round 7: The Bend Motorsport Park, 15-17 November
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