Alfa Romeo joins touring cars
Italian hatches and GRM to debut in fledgling Aussie racing seriesAlfa Romeo is the latest badge to be confirmed for the inaugural series of TCR hot hatch racing Down Under.
Established Supercar squad Garry Rogers Motorsport announced today it has committed to the TCR Australia Series, "securing" two Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloces.
The Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloces are brand new racers built by Italian team Romeo Ferraris to the latest 2019 specifications for the new series.
It’s not the first time Garry Rodgers Motorsport (GRM) has raced Alfa Romeos on Australian soil either. GRM’s debut season of touring car racing was via the entry of an Alfa Romeo 155 in the 1995 Australian Super Touring Championship.
GRM’s two TCR Alfa Romeos are currently under construction in Milan, Italy.
The opening round of the 2019 TCR Australia series is at Sydney Motorsport Park (NSW) on May 17-19. Hyundai i30, Audi RS3, Honda Civic and Volkswagen Golf TCR cars have all arrived in Australia ahead of the series debut.
TCR regulations mandate front-wheel drive and turbocharged four-cylinder engines of up to 2.0-litre capacity.
The Giulietta's 1.8-litre turbo four is allowed extra boost to match the performance of their 2.0-litre opposition.
GRM boss Barry Rogers [Pictured: (L-R) GRM Chief engineer, Richard Hollway; Mario Ferraris and Barry Rogers] confirmed the squad’s involvement early this week. With father Garry, Rodgers was "an interested observer" at TCR’s first test day at Sydney Motorsport Park late last year.
"We have been looking with interest in the TCR Series from a far, at both the local and international competition, and we have been really impressed," Rogers stated via an official TCR Australia release.
"We are in the motorsport business, and we will consider anything where we feel there is value for our business… There’s no doubt that TCR competition is a cost-effective way to compete, which is why we have decided to secure two Alfa Romeos for the 2019 season in Australia.
"Obviously, GRM is heavily invested in Supercars and that remains our primary focus, however, like our involvement in S5000 [open-wheel series], we have seen a new market and we are very keen to be involved.
"We were particularly impressed with the Romeo Ferraris team. The way they are in business is very similar to us – family run business, strong ties with car makers and we were impressed by their enthusiasm.
"We’ve formed a collaboration where we will help group the Alfa Romeo brand in the Asia Pacific region, and having the brand-new Giulietta Veloce at our disposal is perfect timing too.
"We’ll have the latest-spec car that will be competitive and unique," Rogers said.
The GRM Giulietta’s will arrive Down Under with Alfa Romeo Australia’s best wishes but no direct, nor dealer involvement.
"We have no involvement in the racing program. And as far as I’m aware there’s no support via our dealers either," Alfa Romeo Australia’s Tracie Stoltenberg told carsales.com.au.
2019 TCR Australia calendar
Rd 1: Sydney Motorsport Park (NSW), May 17-19
Rd 2: Phillip Island (Vic), Jun 6-9
Rd 3: The Bend Motorsport Park (SA), Jul 12-14
Rd 4: Queensland Raceway (Qld), Aug 2-4
Rd 5: Winton (Vic), Aug 30 – Sept 1
Rd 6: Sandown (Vic), Sept 20-22
Rd 7: The Bend Motorsport Park (SA), Nov 15-17
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