Sydney sealed as second Aussie TCR World Tour round

The final TCR World Tour slot alongside Bathurst has been sealed with Sydney Motorsport Park getting the honour.

The flowing Sydney circuit will host the seventh stop on the TCR World Tour on November 3-5, while Bathurst takes centre stage a week later.

Not only will Sydney Motorsport Park be the first Australian round of the series, it will also be the scene of the category’s maiden night race with the international drivers to go racing under lights.

The second TCR World Tour Australian based round has been speculated ever since Bathurst was first announced onto the calendar back in November last year.

Sydney was first mooted by Argentine WTCR driver Nestor Girolami on a motorsport show in his native country just three days after the Bathurst International and it is now confirmed. 

It will be a major event in Australian motorsport, being the first time since 1987 an international touring car event has taken place down under and 25 years since the final Super Touring Bathurst 1000, which also featured global teams with Rickard Rydell and Jim Richards taking victory in a Volvo.

Later this year, the likes of previous global TCR champions Mikel Azcona, Thed Björk, Norbert Michelisz and Yann Ehrlacher will be taking on local stars such as Tony D’Alberto and Will Brown.

Sydney and Bathurst join Portimao, Spa-Francorchamps, Vallelunga, Hungaroring, Autodromo de El Pinar, San Luis and Macau on the nine-round calendar, which crisscrosses the globe visiting four continents.

The TCR World Tour will not run as a standalone event at Sydney or Bathurst, with the two New South Wales rounds also being the final rounds of the 2023 Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series.

It has also forced a reshuffle of the SpeedSeries schedule with the Sydney round originally scheduled for June 23-25 featuring TCR, Trans Am, V8 Touring Cars and Hyundai Excels now moved to the new November World Tour date.

The round has been brought about by a joint effort between the Australian Racing Group, Motorsport Australia, Sydney Motorsport Park and TCR owners WSC Group all parties were pleased with the outcome.

“We are pleased to formalise this deal that will see two weeks of world-class motorsport in New South Wales,” Australian Racing Group chief operating officer Liam Curkpatrick said.

“To have the best TCR drivers and teams come to Australia is great for our local competitors, really testing themselves against the world and to conclude the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series with back-to-back rounds at Sydney and Bathurst is going to bring a lot of excitement and interest to TCR.”

Motorsport Australia CEO Eugene Arocca said the global series will have positive ramifications on and off the track.

“It’s terrific to confirm that both Sydney Motorsport Park and the iconic Mount Panorama will host

back-to-back rounds of the SpeedSeries and Supercheap Auto TCR Australia/TCR World Tour in November,” Arocca said.

“The opportunity to see more international level motorsport on two of our most iconic circuits is certainly an exciting prospect.

“This is certainly a boost for TCR in Australia and will also be an economic boost for NSW, both in the western Sydney and Bathurst regions with many competitors, officials and fans expected to attend each event. The Supercheap Auto Bathurst International will be a brilliant way to conclude the SpeedSeries for 2023.

“We look forward to delivering these events in collaboration with the team at ARG.”

2023 TCR World Tour calendar

Round 1. Portugal April 28-30

Round 2. Belgium May 26-28

Round 3. Italy June 9-11

Round 4. Hungary June 16-18

Round 5. Uruguay August 18-20

Round 6. Argentina August 25-27

Round 7. Sydney November 3-5

Round 8. Bathurst November 10-12

Round 9. Macau November 17-19

2023 SpeedSeries calendar

Round 1. Symmons Plains February 24-26

Round 2. Phillip Island May 12-14

Round 3. Winton June 9-11

Round 4. Queensland Raceway August 11-13

Round 5. Sandown September 8-10

Round 6. Sydney Motorsport Park November 3-5

Round 7. Supercheap Auto Bathurst International November 10-12

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