MOTORSPORT: TCR series primed for January restart

A re-set for the carsales TCR Australia Series has shifted the focus to a seven-race championship in 2021.

With no action this year because of coronavirus lockdowns and border closures, the turbocharged pocket-rockets of the TCR championship are being primed for a resumption of racing in Tasmania in January.

The 2021 series will include two visits to Mount Panorama with a second attempt at the Bathurst International, towards the end of the year, as a global headline meeting for the category including a born-again Bathurst 500.

There were tentative plans for racing in Victoria in November, but they have now been completely binned.

“We’re done for this year. We’ve decided to keep our powder dry for 2021 and come out strong,” the CEO of the Australian Racing Group (ARG), Matt Braid, told carsales.

The preliminary calendar for the TCR championship includes the National Trans Am Series as ARG, which is also responsible for several other high-profile categories including S5000 single-seaters and Touring Car Masters, promises their full schedule will be announced soon.

“ARG is pleased to move forward with our racing plans and schedule for 2021 after what can only be described as a difficult and challenging 2020,” said Braid.

“Despite the fact that our TCR cars and drivers have been parked for almost a year, the desire of teams to get back out and showcase this fantastic international touring car formula is second to none. Our competitors have remained patient and resilient during this time.”

The TCR plan is intended to start in 2021 with back-to-back meetings in Tasmania, at Symmons Plains and Baskerville, which were part of the original schedule for 2020.

But there is still a cloud over the early dates and Braid says ARG is ready to react.

“We have also built in a number of contingency plans into our 2021 dates and venues, considering how quickly the world can change. This will keep us flexible and agile in these uncertain times,” he said.

The TCR races will headline on the Shannons Motorsport Australia meetings next year, although some of its supporting categories – led by S5000 and Touring Car Masters – are also likely to run during Supercars race weekends.

A new ‘Race Tasmania’ festival will open the championship, with Symmons Plains from January 24-26 following by Baskerville from January 29-31, before a return to the mainland for events at Phillip Island, Bathurst, Sydney Motorsport Park, Morgan Park in Queensland, Sandown and the Bathurst International.

The carsales TCR Australia Series will wrap at Sandown on September 12 with the crowning of the 2021 champion, but the Bathurst International will follow with the date still to be set.

ARG says all TCR Australia and Trans Am rounds, including the Bathurst 6-Hour and the Bathurst International events, will be broadcast live and free on the Seven Network and its 7plus streaming platform.

carsales TCR Australia Series Provisional 2021 Calendar:

Symmons Plains Raceway, Tasmania, January 24-26
Baskerville Raceway, Tasmania, January 29-31
Phillip Island, Victoria, February TBC
Bathurst, NSW, April 2-4
Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW, April 30-May 2
Morgan Park, Queensland, June 25-27
Sandown, Victoria, September 10-12
Bathurst International, NSW, date TBC