MOTORSPORT: Hot hatch racers at the ready
New carsales TCR Australia SimRacing Series starts tonightA brand-new carsales TCR Australia SimRacing Series kicks off tonight, when a field of 13 cars will take on the Albert Park Grand Prix circuit in Melbourne.
After a successful ARG eSport Cup contested by competitors from the Australian Racing Group's stable of categories, the new virtual race series is dedicated to TCR Australia and New Zealand entrants.
The new TCR simulation races will be hosted on the Assetto Corsa platform and broadcast live on Facebook and YouTube.
Tonight’s opening round takes place at the same Melbourne street circuit that was to host the inaugural TCR Asia Pacific Cup in March, before the coronavirus pandemic put a halt to proceedings.
Leading the field of competitors will be reigning real-world TCR Australia champion Will Brown, representing the HMO Customer Racing team in his #1 Hyundai i30 N TCR.
Joining him will be the winner of the ARG eSport Cup, New Zealander Jaden Ransley, who is considered the early favourite for the title in his #30 HMO Hyundai.
Brown and Ransley are two of four Hyundai i30 N drivers in the field, also including Kiwis Peter Vodanovich and Brock Timperley.
Challenging the Hyundai onslaught will be the Wall Racing Honda Civic Type Rs of Tony D’Alberto and John Martin, while young Geelong-based privateer Zac Soutar will also compete in a Honda.
Former Bathurst 1000 winner and current TCR Australia driver Jason Bargwanna will compete in his Burson Auto Parts Peugeot 308 – at this stage the only Peugeot in the field.
Garry Rogers Motorsport is represented by Dylan O’Keeffe (Renault Megane RS), who is sure to be a front-runner after finishing third in the ARG eSport Cup.
A pair of Volkswagen Golf GTI TCRs will also be part of the action, driven by TCR Australia regular Chelsea Angelo and former Toyota 86 racer Luke King.
Rounding out the field will be Australian privateer Liam McAdam and Track Tec Racing’s Rowan Shepard in a pair of Audi RS 3 racers, while Alfa Romeo Giulietta racer Jay Hanson will miss tonight’s first round due to prior commitments.
Other local and international guests are expected to join the field from round two, to be run next week at Mount Panorama, Bathurst.
The Albert Park event will be streamed live on the TCR Australia YouTube and Facebook channels, starting at 8:00pm AEST tonight.
TCR Australia SimRacing Calendar:
Albert Park Circuit – June 25
Mount Panorama – July 2
Sydney Motorsport Park – July 16
Surfers Paradise – July 30
Sandown Raceway – August 6
Adelaide Street Circuit – August 20
Macau – September 3
TCR Australia SimRacing entry list:
| Number | Team Name | Driver | Nationality | Car |
| 1 | HMO Customer Racing | Will Brown | AUS | Hyundai I30N |
| 2 | Luke King Racing | Luke King | AUS | Volkswagen Golf GTI |
| 17 | Burson Auto Parts Racing | Jason Bargwanna | AUS | Peugeot 308 TCR |
| 24 | Wall Racing | John Martin | AUS | Honda Civic Type R |
| 28 | Track Tec Racing | Rowan Shepherd | NZ | Audi RS 3 |
| 30 | HMO Customer Racing | Jaden Ransley | NZ | Hyundai I30N |
| 33 | Garry Rogers Motorsport | Dylan O'Keeffe | AUS | Renault Megane RS |
| 50 | Wall Racing | Tony D'Alberto | AUS | Honda Civic Type R |
| 59 | Brock Timperley Motorsport | Brock Timperley | NZ | Hyundai I30N |
| 84 | Racing Sims NZ | Peter Vodanovich | NZ | Hyundai I30N |
| 97 | LM Motorsport | Liam McAdam | AUS | Audi RS 3 |
| 110 | Team Soutar Motorsport | Zac Souter | AUS | Honda Civic Type R |
| 134 | Astrontech | Chelsea Angelo | AUS | Volkswagen Golf GTI |
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