2019 TCR Australia title contender Dylan O’Keeffe will switch from racing an Alfa Romeo to a Renault in 2020, after signing to join Garry Rogers Motorsport for the coming season.
O’Keeffe was one of the star performers of the inaugural season in 2019, taking the fight to eventual champion Will Brown throughout the year.
The 22-year-old won four races, including doubles at Phillip Island and Queensland Raceway, to spend most of the year second overall in the drivers’ standings.
However, unreliability and bad luck plagued his campaign, and a non-score in the final three races at The Bend Motorsport Park meant O’Keeffe ended the year fifth overall in the championship.
O’Keeffe is no stranger to GRM, as despite racing for Ashley Seward Motorsport in last year’s TCR Australia series, he competed for GRM in the Dunlop Super2 Series and works full-time at their workshop during the week.
“I had spent that much time around the Renault TCR at work, I felt like I knew it intimately before I even got behind the wheel, so it was cool to finally turn some laps in anger,” said O’Keeffe, who also received the award for most pole positions in 2019.
“Compared to the Alfa, the biggest difference is with the gear selection; it’s the only car in the field that doesn’t have paddle-shift, but I got used to it very quickly.
“In terms of performance and handling, it feels very similar to the Alfa; the fundamental driving style is much the same.
“We had a good setup out of the box at Sandown, and I was able to punch out some competitive times throughout the day.”