Kelly Racing will field four cars in the inaugural TCR Australia series in 2019, running two Subaru WRX STi cars and two Opel Astra TCR cars, taking the number of manufacturers on the grid to eight.
The team are the latest to commit to TCR Australia, which begins in mid-May at the Sydney Motorsport Park.
The two Subaru cars have been purchased from Top Run Motorsport in Italy, whilst the Opel Astras have been sourced from German team Lubner Motorsport, which ran the cars in TCR Germany.
Kelly Racing is based in Victoria and run by renowned racing brothers Todd and Rick Kelly, who have successfully raced in Australia’s premier Supercars series.
No drivers have yet been revealed, with the line-up to be announced ‘in due course’.
“It is very exciting to add to the TCR Series cars to our racing program for 2019 and beyond,” said Todd Kelly.
“We’ve been keeping an eye on the developments of the category, both here in Australia and around the world, and with the resources and skill-base we have at Kelly Racing, it was a logical fit for us.
“The Opel Astra is a proven race-winning car in other championships. With the right driver line-up, there’s no reason why they will not be competitive straight away.
“It’s going to be great to have the Subarus as well. I feel they are going to suit the Australian conditions and circuits as its one of only two sedan shapes in the field, up against the hot hatches.
“The WRX is a very iconic racing vehicle too. It’s going to be very popular amongst the fans of Australian touring car racing.
“Now that we have secured the cars, we will make our announcements around drivers and partners in the near future.”
Australia Racing Group Director Matt Braid, who promoted TCR Australia, welcomed the new additions to the grid for the first year of the series.
“It is extremely pleasing to see another professional, high profile racing team like Kelly Racing join the TCR Australia Series for 2019 and beyond,” said Braid.
“Kelly Racing is one of the best resourced teams in Australian motorsport with a strong commercial structure that has delivered results for their partners in motorsport and business for the past 10 years.
“Subaru is a very prominent brand in the Australian market and it is extremely exciting for our category to have the Impreza WRX STi TCR car competing in the series.
“Subaru has a long and distinguished history in rallying in Australia, and we look forward to seeing them mirror that success in circuit racing here too.
“The Opel Astras are proven race winners and no doubt will be fast in the TCR Australia Series also. The addition of Opel now brings the number of brands represented in TCR Australia to eight, which is a significant milestone for the inaugural year of the series.
“It provides Australian motorsport fans with a diverse field of cars to watch and support when the first race starts in Sydney next month.”
The team are planning to test with the new cars upon arrival in Australia later in the month.