The long-awaited Kumho TCR World Tour double-header kicks off this weekend with Shannons SpeedSeries competitors to unite for Race Sydney. 

A record 25 competitors will take to the track when both TCR World Tour and Supercheap Auto TCR Australia enter the pointy-end of their respective 2023 campaigns, with Race Sydney the first of two international rounds for the year.  

The field will comprise 10 international drivers from 10 different countries, all serious contenders for this year’s title race.

Tickets for the event can be purchased at motorsporttickets.com.au

The exciting category will see a slightly modified format for Race Sydney, with its qualifying sessions to take place on Friday, setting the field for race one under lights before rounding out the weekend with two more races on Saturday.

Joining the combined TCR category for the two-day jam-packed event at Sydney Motorsport Park will be the ever-popular National Trans Am Series, Series X3 NSW and the Workhorse Radical Cup Australia.

There will be plenty to play for in Trans Am following a points shake-up earlier this month, with DJ Pioneer’s Elliot Barbour to lead the field in a title race that is expected to go right down to the wire.

The Garry Rogers Motorsport duo of James Moffat and Lochie Dalton will be eager to return to contention, while Tom Hayman and Brett Holdsworth will look to spoil the party for the usual frontrunners.

For only the second time this year, the exciting category will have four races across the two days.

The Workhorse Radical Cup Australia will be holding its final round of the 2023 season, with young Alex Gardner in the box seat to claim the ultimate glory in what is only his rookie year in the category.

Chasing competitors will have three opportunities across the weekend to spoil the part for Gardner, with Elliott Schutte and Chris Perini having a serious chance at the race win.

While there’s plenty of international competition headlining this year’s Race Sydney, the Shannons SpeedSeries will also welcome a large field of state competitors from Series X3 New South Wales as a part of an entertaining on-track spectacle. 

The Excels are no strangers to the Shannons SpeedSeries, having already run at AWC Race Tasmania and the Hi-Tec Oils Bathurst 6 Hour this year. 

Race Sydney will serve as a non-points-scoring event for the NSW group after the category concluded its exciting five-round season last month.

A twilight schedule awaits motorsport enthusiasts, with more than 17 hours of track confirmed across the two days. 

Fans won’t have to wait long to see the international TCR stars in action, being the first of a mammoth 15 sessions to occur throughout the day on Friday at 11:10am AEDT.  

The opening day will feature an array of practice and qualifying sessions before the racing action kicks off later in the afternoon, concluding with race one of TCR under the lights at 9:10pm AEDT.  

A busy Saturday will then see Workhorse Radical Cup Australia open with race two at 1:30pm AEDT, with the schedule to run through to the final chequered flag is waived in TCR race three again at 9:10pm AEDT.  

Motorsport Australia Director – Motorsport & Commercial Operations Michael Smith was looking forward to finishing the Shannons SpeedSeries with a bang – starting this weekend.

“It’s fantastic that we finally get to see the best TCR competitors from around the globe competing on Australian soil, starting with Race Sydney this weekend,” Smith said.

“Of course, while TCR World Tour will be very exciting for multiple reasons, there is also a great array of other categories in action. From the national-level Trans Am and Radicals to the state-level Excels, there truly is a little something for everyone.

“We encourage everyone to get down and witness some of Australia’s best drivers compete in such a unique motorsport event under the lights at Sydney Motorsport Park.

“The Shannons SpeedSeries has seen some great success this year with some incredible stories along the way, and we expect Race Sydney to be no different.”

There are special ticket offers available for those who are planning on making the trip to Sydney Motorsport Park this weekend.  

From $20 Friday-evening-only passes to a $100 ‘City to the Mountain Pass’, which includes access to both Race Sydney and next week’s Supercheap Auto Bathurst International, there are plenty of ticketing options available for fans.

Tickets for the event can be purchased at motorsporttickets.com.au

As always, Stan Sport will provide live, on-demand and ad-free coverage of the event on both Friday and Saturday, with Friday’s broadcast kicking off at 5pm AEDT – just in time for National Trans Am Series qualifying.  

Saturday’s Stan Sport broadcast will see an earlier starting time of 2pm AEDT, where fans will be treated to both World Tour races for the day.  

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The Nine Network will also provide free-to-air coverage of the event on 9Go! and 9Gem on Saturday, kicking off at 2pm AEDT and running through to 5pm AEDT.  

The penultimate round of Shannons SpeedSeries and the first of two Kumho TCR World Tour rounds will be Race Sydney and take place at Sydney Motorsport Park on 3-4 November.