MOTORSPORT: Honda backs TCR touring car series

Honda is the first manufacturer to formally throw its support behind Australia’s new 2.0-litre customer racing touring car series, TCR.

Honda Australia has announced today that it will back the Wall Racing Civic Type R to be driven in the TCR Australia series starting at Sydney Motorsport Park on May 17-19 by Australian GT endurance champion Tony D’Alberto.

D’Alberto’s Civic will carry the number 50, celebrating Honda’s 50th year in Australia.

Honda Australia general manager of product, customer and communications, Robert Thorp, said the hot-hatch was “a special car” and “we’re looking forward to the series kicking off and seeing Tony and the team put the car through its paces”.

“This is a category all about customer racing and we are supportive of that – Tony is a very accomplished driver and someone we are really happy to see take the helm of the Civic Type R in this new series,” Thorp said.

D’Alberto said it was “great to have the support of Honda Australia” for the debut season of TCR, a category already operating in about 20 other countries.

“The category’s cost-effective nature and market relevance gives Honda Australia a platform to showcase one of their hero cars – the Civic Type R – in front of a big audience and in a competitive field,” D’Alberto said.

“I’ve driven a lot of GT cars and Supercars, but these front-wheel-drive cars are so rewarding when you get it right.

“The racing is going to be really close, so I can’t wait to see how we go amongst the competitive field in the first round at Sydney.”

Two more drivers were named for TCR over the weekend – West Australian teenager Alex Rullo and Porsche and Super2 (Supercars) racer Dylan O’Keeffe – and most of the expected 18 cars that will race in Sydney in little more than 10 days are being tested at Victoria’s Winton circuit today.

Rullo is driving one of the Opel Astras to be fielded by Kelly Racing (along with two Subaru WRX STIs – one driven by rally champion Molly Taylor and Dylan O’Keeffe is the first driver for the two Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloces entered by Garry Rogers Motorsport (as well as the Renault Megane RSs that outfit will run for James Moffat and New Zealander Chris Pither).

The other Honda will be driven – without the livery of the D’Alberto Civic – by John Martin, an Australian with vast international experience.

The seven-round TCR series, with three 30-minute races at each meeting, will headline the Shannons Nationals meetings and be televised live on SBS.

Updated TCR Australia line-up (make, model, team, drivers):

Alfa Romeo
Giulietta Veloce
Garry Rogers Motorsport
Dylan O’Keeffe, another driver to be named

Audi
RS 3
Melbourne Performance Centre
Rik Breukers (Netherlands), another driver to be named

Honda
Civic Type R
Wall Racing
Drivers Tony D'Alberto, John Martin

Hyundai
i30N
HMO Customer Racing (Barry Morcom)
Drivers Narhan Morcom, Will Brown

Opel
Astra
Kelly Racing
Alex Rullo, another driver to be named

Renault
Megane RS
Garry Rogers Motorsport
James Moffat, Chris Pither

Subaru
Impreza WRX STI
Kelly Racing
Molly Taylor, another driver to be named

Volkswagen
Golf GTI
Team Tradie (Jason Bright Racing)
Jason Bright, another driver to be named

TCR Australia debut season calendar:
May 17-19 — Sydney Motorsport Park
June 6-9 — Phillip Island, Victoria
July 12-14 — The Bend, South Australia
August 2-4 — Queensland Raceway
August 31-September 1 — Winton, Victoria
September 20-22 — Sandown, Melbourne
November 15-17 — The Bend, South Australia

Australia’s Caitlan Wood is on the scoreboard in the W Series, the new open-wheeler category exclusively for women that began at Germany’s Hockenheim at the weekend.

Wood, 22, started 12th, gained a few places, then dropped to 11th after a brake lock-up and finished 10th to collect the final point in the race, won by Englishwoman Jamie Chadwick.

The youngest driver in the field, Spaniard Marta Garcia, finished third, behind another Englishman Alice Powell.
Some of the frontrunners in the field reported gearbox problems when downshifting in the 1.8-litre turbocharged Formula 3 open-wheelers.

Wood said 10th was the best she could “salvage”.

“I was trying to modulate an issue whilst coming through the field and a small mistake undid all my passes in the later stages of the race,” she said.

“[But] it was such great fun battling it out on track in my first F3 race.

“It was tight hard racing and I can't wait for more!

“Potential is there, Zolder (in Belgium) is up next (on May 17-18).

“Let's bag some more points.”

All the women will change cars, engineers and mechanics for the next round in a random reallocation.