Wall Racing is planning to expand to a four-car operation in TCR Australia, after the outfit placed an order with JAS Motorsport for two further Honda Civic Type-R cars.
The team, which currently runs two cars for Tony D’Alberto and John Martin, says that the new cars could arrive in time for the second round of the series at Phillip Island next weekend.
The cars are currently on their way from Italy to Australia, and if they arrive in time could even be raced in the second event of the year following ‘considerable’ interest from drivers.
“Doubling the fleet is a lot to undertake in a short period of time, but we are looking forward to the challenge,” said David Wall, owner of Wall Racing.
“Thankfully, we are ready and equipped for the task. We typically run multiple cars in other classes, so we already have most of the infrastructure and personal required to do the job.
“We are comfortable taking on the workload, and we have the right people in place. The major factor ahead of Phillip Island is getting the cars in time and being comfortable to let them go out on track.
“If everything falls in line like cars arriving and securing the drivers, then there’s no reason why we won’t have all four at the Island. If there are any hurdles, though, we’ll put a pause on it and wait until The Bend.”
If there are any delays, then the team expect the cars will definitely be out at the third event of the year at The Bend Motorsport Park on July 12-14.
Matt Braid, Director of TCR Australia promoter Australian Racing Group, says the news of the expansion reaffirms the interest in the fledgling new series.
“These are really encouraging signs that our teams are getting such strong interest from new entrants, and we’ve only had one round,” said Braid.
“Honda was the first car brand to support a team in TCR Australia, and after Tony was so competitive at Sydney, it was almost obvious that Wall Racing received enough interest to warrant another two Civics in his fleet.
“This is early days, but it’s a great tick of approval for the category and the interest across the board is very strong.”