The first joint event featuring Supercheap Auto TCR Australia and the Kumho TCR World Tour will be hosted at Sydney Motorsport Park.

Sydney joins the much revered and highly anticipated trip to Mount Panorama as part of the Supercheap Auto Bathurst International, forming Australia’s two legs of the Kumho TCR World Tour.

Confirmed to take place on November 3-5, Sydney Motorsport Park’s race meeting will not just host the Kum-ho TCR World Tour’s maiden Australian appearance but also be the first event to run under lights.

Supercheap Auto TCR Australia’s roster of drivers will take on some of the world’s best, including previous world champions Mikel Azcona, Thed Björk, Norbert Michelisz and Yann Ehrlacher aligned with global TCR racing’s leading teams.

Sydney Motorsport Park is the seventh round of the inaugural Kumho TCR World Tour, to be followed a week later by the Supercheap Auto Bathurst International in its second running. Mount Panorama will again host the final round of Supercheap Auto TCR Australia in addition to the penultimate stop on the Kumho TCR World Tour calendar.

The National Trans Am Series is confirmed to be part of the event bill and is expected to be joined by further Shannons SpeedSeries categories to be announced in due course.

A joint effort between the Australian Racing Group, Motorsport Australia, Sydney Motorsport Park and the WSC Group, the owner of the TCR trademark and technical regulations, has enabled this event to occur.

It will be a history-making event for Australian motorsport as it marks the first time since 1987 a touring car event in Australia has attracted such top-level international participation and 25 years since the final Super Touring Bathurst 1000 in which world-leading teams ventured down under to race.

Portimao, Portugal, will host the Kumho TCR World Tour opening round on April 28-30, followed by Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium, both of which Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series star Ben Bargwanna will contest.

Vallelunga (Italy) is the third round, followed by Hungaroring (Hungary), Autodromo de El Pinar (Uruguay) and San Luís (Argentina).

The two Australian rounds follow, with the final round taking place at the Macau street circuit one week after Bathurst.

Both Australian TCR World Tour events will be broadcast on Stan Sport, plus free-to-air coverage of Saturday, including Sydney’s night race, on the Nine Network’s channels.

In other news, confirmation of the TCR World Tour event locks in the 2023 Shannons SpeedSeries calendar, meaning that the originally slated June event will transfer to November.

This change also means that Trans Am will also switch its calendar, with the Sydney round becoming its penultimate round.

Other classes for the SMSP November date will be confirmed in due course.

QUOTES

Liam Curkpatrick
Chief Operating Officer, Australian Racing Group

“We are pleased to formalise this deal that will see two weeks of world-class motorsport in New South Wales,” said Curkpatrick.

“To have the best TCR drivers and teams come to Australia is great for our local competitors, really testing themselves against the world.

“And to conclude the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series with back-to-back rounds at Sydney and Bathurst is going to bring a lot of excitement and interest to TCR.”

Eugene Arocca,
Motorsport Australia CEO

“It’s terrific to confirm that both Sydney Motorsport Park and the iconic Mount Panorama will host back-to-back rounds of the Shannons SpeedSeries and Supercheap Auto TCR Australia/Kumho TCR World Tour in No-vember,” Arocca said.

“The opportunity to see more international level motorsport on two of our most iconic circuits is certainly an exciting prospect.

“This is certainly a boost for TCR in Australia and will also be an economic boost for NSW, both in the western Sydney and Bathurst regions with many competitors, officials and fans expected to attend each event. The Supercheap Auto Bathurst International will be a brilliant way to conclude the Shannons SpeedSeries for 2023.

“We look forward to delivering these events in collaboration with the team at ARG.”

Glenn Matthews
CEO, Australian Racing Drivers’ Club

“The Australian Racing Drivers’ Club celebrated its 70th year in 2022 with some phenomenal events, and we are thrilled to follow up in 2023 with the opportunity to promote the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia/Kumho TCR World Tour event at our world-class Sydney Motorsport Park venue,” said Matthews.

“Our club’s history includes the creation and establishment of hallmark motorsport events such as the Bathurst 1000; for our club and circuit to be part of bringing an international touring car class to Australia is another great achievement.

“We look at TCR as a class that has variety, great appeal for motorsport and motoring enthusiasts, and we can’t wait to see how our local stars go up against the world’s best under lights at Sydney Motorsport Park.”