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WORLD CHAMPIONS TO TACKLE AUSSIE TRACKS AS KEY TCR WORLD TOUR CONTENDERS CONFIRMED
THE FIRST nine world-class Touring Car drivers and key teams to tackle the pair of Kumho TCR World Tour rounds in Australia this November have been confirmed.
Racing alongside the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series, a host of international competitors will join the locals at two events: Race Sydney at Sydney Motorsport Park on November 3-4, and the Supercheap Auto Bathurst International the following November 10-12 weekend.
The first nine international entries have been confirmed and include a pair of former World Champions, drivers’ from nine nationalities accounting for more than 100 international TCR race wins and four manufacturer supported teams.
Their confirmation signals a powerful return of international Touring Car Racing to Australia for the first time in more than three decades.
The highly successful Cyan Racing Lynk & Co team will deliver four of the Sweedish-Chinese racers to Australia this November.
Their squad is headed by current TCR World Tour leader Yann Ehrlacher, the 27-year-old Frenchman – a two-time TCR World Cup Champion – having won two races so far this season to entrench himself in the series lead.
2017 World Touring Car Champion, Sweedish ace Thed Björk, former TCR China champion Ma Quing Hua and Uruguayan driver Santiago Urrutia will complete the Lynk & Co team.
The factory-backed BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse team has confirmed a pair of Hyundai Elantra N TCR entries, with Hungarian fan-favourite Norbert Michelisz leading the charge.
Michelisz is a former TCR World Touring Car Cup winner, a runner-up in the World Championship and is a two-time race winner in the current TCR World Tour season.
He will be joined by Spanish driver Mikel Azcona, a double TCR Europe Champion and the reigning TCR World Cup champion.
Azcona was also part of the Hyundai team that claimed the TCR class win in this year’s Nürbugring 24 Hour.
Audi Sport Team Comtoyou will field a pair of Audi RS 3 LMS TCR entries with two drivers familiar to Aussie fans via their exploits at the Bathurst 12 Hour.
Both drivers, Belgian Frédéric Vervisch and British ace Rob Huff, have tackled the Mountain in GT Machinery and will hope that experience translates into early form when the TCR World Tour field hits Bathurst in November.
Vervisch has long been a star of Audi’s customer racing program, and last year claimed the Nürburgring 24 Hour for the brand and finished runner-up in the 2021 TCR World Touring Car Cup.
Huff is the 2012 World Touring Car Champion, has more than 30 wins in the World Championship and is also a race winner in the British Touring Car Championship, claimed the 2020 TCR Scandinavia and is a race winner this year in the TCR World Tour for the Comtoyou Racing squad.
Honda will field at least two of their latest-generation Honda Civic Type R FL5 TCR entries but have only confirmed one driver to date – though he will be familiar to Aussie fans.
That driver is Argentinian Néstor Girolami, who drove for Wall Racing in Supercheap Auto TCR Australia competition at Sandown in 2019.
He will be joined by a yet-to-be-named second driver representing the brand at Sydney Motorsport Park and Bathurst later this year.
More teams and drivers will be confirmed in the leadup to the dual international events this November.
Round 4 of the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series is underway this weekend at Queensland Raceway alongside the Shannons SpeedSeries – the races will be broadcast live on Stan Sport all weekend, and 9Go! on Saturday.
Tickets are now on sale for both Kumho TCR World Tour events with a range of ticketing, camping, VIP Parking and other options available for both events via motorsporttickets.com.au now.
KUMHO TCR WORLD TOUR – CONFIRMED ENTRIES (12/08/2023)
Thed Björk (SWE) – #111 Cyan Racing Lynk & Co / Lynk & Co 03 FL TCR
Santiago Urrutia (URU) – #112 Cyan Racing Lynk & Co / Lynk & Co 03 FL TCR
Ma Qing Hua (CHN) – #155 Cyan Racing Lynk & Co / Lynk & Co 03 FL TCR
Yann Ehrlacher (FRA) – #168 Cyan Racing Lynk & Co / Lynk & Co 03 FL TCR
Rob Huff (GBR) – #179 Audi Sport Team Comtoyou / Audi RS 3 LMS TCR
Frédéric Vervisch (BEL) – #122 Audi Sport Team Comtoyou / Audi RS 3 LMS TCR
Mikel Azcona (ESP) – #196 BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse / Hyundai Elantra N TCR
Norbert Michelisz (HUN) – #105 BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse / Hyundai Elantra N TCR
Néstor Girolami (ARG) – #129 / Honda Civic Type R FL5 TCR