Australian Racing Group, the promoter of the upcoming TCR Australia series, has revealed the race formats for the new series, as well as confirming Michelin as the tyre supplier, at an event in Sydney.
Michelin has been signed up on a multi-year deal to be the sole tyre supplier, joining TCR Asia, China, Scandinavia, Thailand and the Spanish CEZ as championships running the French rubber.
The Promoter has also confirmed the race formats – with each event on the seven-round calendar having three sprint races per weekend.
Longer, endurance-style, races will be investigated for inclusion on the calendar in 2020.
The announcements came on a day when private testing of four TCR-spec cars (Audi, Honda, Hyundai and Volkswagen) was being held at the Sydney Motorsport Park, where competitors and media have been invited to find out more about the new series.
“We are very pleased to announce a prestigious and world-renowned brand such as Michelin to be our official tyre supplier to TCR Australia from next year,” said Matt Braid, Director Of Australian Racing Group.
“There was significant interest in the control tyre supply agreement for the category, and we feel very privileged to have Michelin as our inaugural tyre partner.
“The decision to select Michelin as the tyre supplier was based on their experience in Asian and European TCR competition, their comprehensive level of support they are able to provide on and off track, and their intention to use TCR Australia series in their consumer marketing activities.”
Michelin’s Director for Asia-Pacific, Patrick Dias, said that the resemblance of TCR cars to their road-going counterparts was an important factor in the decision to sign up as the control tyre supplier.
“We are very excited about partnering with the TCR Australia category and vehicle manufacturers that serve it,” said Dias.
“We use motorsport as a laboratory for our tyre development. The data collected during races allows engineers to work on new technologies which are carried over to our road tyres.
“Michelin’s interest in the TCR championship is based on two chief considerations. First of all, TCR’s international status provides Michelin with visibility not only in the world’s mature markets, such as Europe, but also in the fast-emerging markets of South America and southern Asia.
“Secondly, the philosophy behind the TCR series enables cars derived from production models to compete, and the idea of racing with cars that are similar to their road-going counterparts – fits perfectly with the Michelin group’s vision.”