MOTORSPORT: Honda set for big TCR series tilt

The big freeze in the carsales TCR Australia Series is beginning to thaw ahead of a resumption of racing in January.

There has been no competition through the coronavirus shutdowns in 2020 but teams and drivers are now preparing to restart their turbocharged hot hatches.

Honda Australia is first to commit as a company, while marquee driver Michael Caruso has extended his TCR campaign to the end of 2022.

A revised plan for the 2021 season will see competition begin with a double-header in Tasmania at Symmons Plains near Launceston and the short, sharp Baskerville track outside Hobart from January 24-31.

The renewed Honda deal is for next year and is shaped around Tony D’Alberto and its Civic Type R. D’Alberto was runner-up in the inaugural TCR Australia series behind Will Brown and Hyundai.

Honda Australia is planning more linkage of its competition program to showrooms, an approach that is likely to be mirrored by Renault Australia once its plans for 2021 are revealed.

“We’ve just launched a major update for the Civic Type R last month and we have some special plans in development to bring the road car and race car programs together during the 2021 season, so fingers crossed the current (COVID-19) situation continues to improve,” said Honda spokesman Robert Thorp.

“After such a successful first year of TCR racing for Tony and the Wall Racing team in 2019, with the first TCR pole position and claiming second place in the championship, it will be an exciting way to kick off the new year with some racing through the summer months.

“I know the entire team at Honda Australia can’t wait to see the Civic Type R TCR car back on track in Tasmania in late January. Of course, we want to go one better than last year, but after a year like 2020, just getting on the track will feel like a win.”

Although Wall Racing has only confirmed D’Alberto, the Sydney-based team is expected to continue with at least three Civic Type Rs into 2021, with John Martin likely to return to fill one of the seats after being re-signed for 2020 off the back of some pacy performances in the original 2019 championship.

For Caruso, who co-drove Lee Holdsworth to seventh in the Bathurst 1000, a renewal and extension of his deal with Garry Rogers Motorsport and Valvoline in an Alfa Romeo Giulietta is a major breakthrough.

Caruso is gearing up for his full two-year stint in TCR after grabbing a front-row qualifying spot at Albert Park back in March before the Australian Grand Prix meeting was canned.

“Having not done any racing this year, it’s great that both Valvoline and GRM are keen to roll the partnership on for the intended two years, so we are all pretty excited to get it going,” said Caruso.

“We feel that it is going to be a successful partnership. The TCR series is a fantastic, global product, and despite the fact that we’ve been a full year out of the seat, there is some really strong interest out there to see the cars go back around.

“When I got to Albert Park, it was only my second time in the car. I was so looking forward to getting into that race, starting alongside Garth Tander. To not even get onto the track that day was a real letdown.

“That’s all behind us now, so we have full focus on 2021. There’s no doubt that the ingredients are there to get some strong results in the Alfa Romeo.”