MOTORSPORT: SBS to live air Aussie TCR

Every round of this year’s inaugural TCR Australia hot-hatch racing series will be aired live and free on SBS.

Negotiated by the Australian Racing Group and CAMS, the landmark TV broadcast deal is claimed to offer motorsport fans the best free-to-air coverage of any motorsport category in Australia.

Unlike Australia’s premier Supercars championship, which is paid for its TV rights, both the Saturday and Sunday races of every TCR Series round will be telecast live and free in high definition.

All seven TCR rounds, to be held in conjunction with the 2019 Shannons Nationals, will be screened on the primary SBS channel and available on SBS’s digital platforms.

Airing alongside the Shannons Nationals, the new turbocharged touring car series will join the channel’s long-standing Speedweek program and SBS continues to hold the rights to the Dakar Rally.

“It’s great news that live motorsport is returning to our screens at SBS,” said SBS Head of Sport, Ken Shipp.

“I have no doubt the upcoming season will bring with it some exciting wheel-to-wheel moments and superb on-track entertainment which will be available free-to-air to all Australians.”

The opening TCR Series round will be held at Sydney Motorsport Park over May 17-19.

Five eligible TCR Series manufacturers have so far been confirmed for 2019, including Alfa Romeo, Audi, Honda, Hyundai and Volkswagen.

HMO Customer Racing recently took delivery of its third Hyundai i30 N, while Garry Rogers Motorsport is confirmed to run two Alfa Romeo Giuliettas, although we understand that number will double.