RENAULT AUSTRALIA EXPAND GRM PARTNERSHIP

Renault Australia expand GRM partnership – Photo: InSyde Media

After beginning an involvement with Garry Rogers Motorsport in TCR Australia at Queensland Raceway earlier this year, Renault Australia has confirmed it will expand on this partnership in 2020.

By HEATH McALPINE

As it has done during the inaugural TCR Australia season, Renault signage will feature prominently on James Moffat’s Renault Megane RS TCR, while further branding will be carried on the car Chris Pither drove last season and a new chassis set to arrive early next year. The team name will also change to acknowledge the increased level of support to Renault Sport GRM.

Renault Australia managing director Anouk Poelmann is excited by the new venture and is eager to watch the partnership debut at next year’s Australian Grand Prix.

“We are proud to announce our partnership with Garry Rogers Motorsport for the 2020 TCR Australia Series, and can’t wait to see the Renault Megane R.S. competing at the top end of the field in 2020,” Poelmann said.

The team will also receive monetary and spare parts support as well as the use of Renault light commercial vehicles throughout the year. GRM director Barry Rogers is ecstatic that Renault Australia has demonstrated confidence in the team and TCR Australia by increasing its commitment.

“Obviously, the financial support is a very important part of it, the sport doesn’t happen without considerable investment,” Rogers told Auto Action. “But over and above the financial support from our point of view the positive for us has been the ability to attract such an iconic motor sport company.

“They see TCR in Australia something they want to engage in, we’ve obviously dipped the toe in a bit throughout 2019, where we’ve become involved in a few of its activations and they’ve seen some results thereafter.

“Manufacturers in motor sport are not easy to get involved, we know about that. They approached us, we got the cars here, started racing, they came to us and said we want to get involved. It’s great to see what it has grown to now.”

It comes after autoaction.com.au revealed GRM’s growing involvement with TCR through an alliance with Renault’s homologated team, Vukovic Motorsport. The new Renault Megane RS TCR will be based off the new Trophy edition, featuring the model’s 1.8-litre Vukovic Motorsport-developed engine, a new front-end designed in-house at GRM and composite components also manufactured in the team’s Melbourne base.

GRM will retain Moffat and are hoping to do the same with Pither, while 18-year-old British driver and reigning UK Clio Cup champion Jack Young is primed for the third Megane RS TCR to debut at the Australian Grand Prix.

The current model will be utilised for the event, with the cars set to be upgraded to the Trophy-based model by the opening round of TCR Australia at Sydney Motorsport Park on March 27-29.

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