The all-new JAS motorsport-built Honda Civic Type R TCR will make its racing début in this weekend’s Dubai 24 Hours race, with RKC/TGM Motorsport entering one of the cars in the race.
The car will be raced by Team Principal Ricky Coomber, Tony Gannon, David Drinkwater, Umair Khan and former BTCC racer James Kaye in the 16-car TCR class of the event.
It marks the first of the 25 new cars to hit the race track in anger, with the first deliveries of the new car having already been delivered to customers ahead of the coming racing season.
JAS Motorsport TCR Project Leader Mads Fischer is excited to see how the new car performs in its first-ever race this weekend.
“After the extraordinary success of the previous Honda Civic Type R TCR in 2017, it’s incredibly exciting to be at the dawn of a new era,” said Fischer. “The new Civic has undergone 2800 km testing since the middle of October and we’re confident that it will be an extremely effective racing car.
“The recent announcement of the FIA World Touring Car Cup, for which TCR cars will be the only eligible cars, is extremely exciting news and we hope to see several examples racing there, as well as in domestic TCR series and endurance championships such as the 24H Series.
“We know RKC/TGM Motorsport will do a strong job, but Dubai is the car’s debut so we go into the race without pressure and just aiming to do as well as possible.”
Ricky Coomber, RKC/TGM Motorsport Team Principal, believes a strong result with the new car is possible if the team can avoid any unnecessary trouble.
“We’re extremely excited to give the new Honda Civic Type R TCR its race debut. The car will be transported direct to Dubai, where each of our drivers will get some seat time before the race weekend begins.
“With 16 cars in the TCR class, we know the competition will be tough, but if we can stay out of trouble and get into a good rhythm, I think we can take a strong result.
“The customer support from JAS has been excellent and we’re sure that will continue into the race season.”