2020 TCR Australia Series explained

The 2020 TCR Australia Series (known for sponsorship reasons as the 2020 carsales TCR Australia Series) ^[1] was to be an Australian motor racing competition for TCR cars. It was planned to be the second TCR Australia Series and was to be run as part of the renamed Motorsport Australia Championships. The Series was sanctioned by Motorsport Australia as a National Series with the Australian Racing Group appointed as the Category Manager.^[1]

The series was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[2]

Teams and drivers

The following teams and drivers were under contract to compete in the 2020 series:

Team Car Drivers Class Rounds Ref. HMO Customer Racing Hyundai i30 N TCR 1 Will Brown TBA TBA ^[3] 11 nowrap Nathan Morcom TBA TBA ^[4] Melbourne Performance Centre nowrap Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR 2 nowrap Chelsea Angelo TBA TBA ^[5] Audi RS 3 LMS TCR 35 nowrap Alexandra Whitley TBA TBA ^[6] 75 nowrap Garth Tander TBA TBA ^[7] 97 nowrap Liam McAdam TBA TBA 100 nowrap Hamish Ribarits TBA TBA Garry Rogers Motorsport Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce TCR 7 Michael Caruso TBA TBA ^[8] 74 Jordan Cox TBA TBA ^[9] Peugeot 308 TCR 17 Jason Bargwanna TBA TBA ^[10] 18 Aaron Cameron TBA TBA ^[11] ^[12] 71 nowrap Ben Bargwanna TBA TBA Renault Mégane R.S TCR 33 Dylan O'Keeffe TBA TBA ^[13] 34 James Moffat TBA TBA ^[14] Ashley Seward Motorsport Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce TCR 9 Jay Hanson M TBA ^[15] 10 James Allen TBA TBA ^[16] 65 David Brabham TBA TBA nowrap Michael Clemente Motorsport Honda Civic Type R TCR (FK8) 15 nowrap Michael Clemente M TBA ^[17] Track Tec Racing nowrap Audi RS 3 LMS TCR 22 Jack Milligan M TBA ^[18] ^[19] Wall Racing Honda Civic Type R TCR (FK8) 24 nowrap John Martin TBA TBA 50 nowrap Tony D'Alberto TBA TBA ^[20] 51 nowrap Takuya Shirasaka TBA TBA ^[21] Tilton Racing Hyundai i30 N TCR 26 Bradley Shiels TBA TBA ^[22] nowrap Team Soutar Motorsport Honda Civic Type R TCR (FK8) 110 Zac Soutar M TBA ^[23] DashSport Hyundai i30 N TCR 111 Michael King M P TBA ^[24]

Key Icon Class M nowrap Michelin Rookie of the Year P nowrap Panta Cup

Summary

• Ashley Seward Motorsport will expand to enter three cars. The team had entered a single car throughout the 2019 series before entering a second car at the final event. Australian Formula Ford driver Jay Hanson will make his début in the series with the team.^[15]
• Reigning Hyundai Excel Cup - a series run as part of the Shannons Nationals competition - champion Michael Clemente will make his series début after purchasing a Honda Civic Type R used by Wall Racing in 2019. Clemente's team will compete under the name Michael Clemente Motorsport.
• Garry Rogers Motorsport will expand from a three-car entry to a six-car entry. The team will add one Renault Mégane R.S at selected events to their two full season entries from 2019, one of which will be driven by James Moffat; and a second Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce alongside the single entry from the previous season, with Michael Caruso and Jordan Cox driving them. The team will also run two Peugeot 308 cars under the GRM Customer Racing banner for New Zealand Touring Cars champion and former Supercars driver Jason Bargwanna, who will make his series début, and Aaron Cameron, coming from Melbourne Performance Center. A third Peugeot will be entered by the team at the TCR Asia Pacific Cup for 2019 TCR BeNeLux Touring Car champion Julien Briché.^{[8] [9] [14] [25] [26]}
• Australian Formula Ford driver Zac Soutar will make his series début with the family-run Team Soutar Motorsport. The team will enter the Honda Civic Type R used by Tony D'Alberto in 2019.
• Production Touring Car driver Michael King will make his series début in a new Hyundai i30 N run by DashSport.^[24]
• Kelly Racing, who ran Subaru WRX STI and Holden Astra cars during the 2019 season, withdrew from the championship to focus on their Supercars team following their switch to Ford cars.^[27]
• Toyota 86 Champion Jack Milligan and Stan van Oord will make their series début with Track Tec Racing. They will drive a pair of Audi RS 3 LMS.^{[18] [28] [19]}
• Wall Racing will enter three Honda Civic Type R cars retaining John Martin and Tony D'Alberto with Paul Ip joining the team. In addition to the three full season entries, the team will enter a fourth Civic for Münnich Motorsport founder and 2019 TCR Middle East Series champion René Münnich at the TCR Asia Pacific Cup.^{[21] [29]}
• Chelsea Angelo will drive for Melbourne Performance Centre driving a Volkswagen Golf GTI.^[5]
• Declan Fraser will make their series début with Milldun Motorsport driving a Volkswagen Golf GTI.^[30]
• Bradley Shiels will make his series début in a Hyundai i30 N run by Tilton Racing.^[22]

Race calendar

The calendar was announced in October 2019 with seven confirmed rounds, plus two non-championship rounds.^[31] The final calendar was published in January 2020.^[32] A revised calendar, expanding into 2021 was released on 26 May 2020.^[33]

Round	Circuit	Location	Date
1	Sydney Motorsport Park	nowrap	Eastern Creek, New South Wales	15–16 August
2	Sandown Raceway	Melbourne, Victoria	12–13 September
3	Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit	Phillip Island, Victoria	TBA October
4	Mount Panorama Circuit	Bathurst, New South Wales	12–15 November
5	Symmons Plains Raceway	Launceston, Tasmania	24–26 January
6	Baskerville Raceway	Hobart, Tasmania	30–31 January
Cancelled due to the 2019-20 coronavirus pandemic
Circuit		Location	Original Date
Winton Motor Raceway	Benalla, Victoria	1–3 May
The Bend Motorsport Park	Tailem Bend, South Australia	12–14 June
Morgan Park Raceway	Warwick, Queensland	3–5 July
Mount Panorama Circuit	Bathurst, New South Wales	nowrap	13–15 November^[34]
Partially cancelled due to the 2019-20 coronavirus pandemic
Circuit		Location	Original Date
Albert Park Circuit	nowrap	Melbourne, Victoria	13–15 March

Calendar changes

• The series will visit the Mount Panorama Circuit for the first time, originally having been planned to occur as part of the Bathurst 6 Hour weekend over Easter. Due to the cancellation of the Easter event, the round was rescheduled to the date originally planned to hold the non-championship Bathurst International event.
• The Bend Motorsport Park was originally scheduled to only host one event rather than two as in 2019, while Queensland Raceway was also not listed on the initially released calendar. Neither circuit appeared on the revised calendar.
• Morgan Park Raceway was intended to host a round of the series, marking its first competitive event since 2011.^[32] However, it also did not appear on the revised calendar.
• In addition to the seven series rounds originally scheduled, there were originally also planned to be two associated events; a round supporting the Australian Grand Prix weekend was intended to be held as the TCR Asia Pacific Cup, along with an endurance race at Mount Panorama late in the year. Both of these rounds were to be non-championship events. The TCR Asia-Pacific Cup event was cancelled after qualifying was held, due to its status as a support event to the Australian Grand Prix, which was cancelled on the Friday morning. The Bathurst International endurance race was also cancelled, as it had been intended to draw international entries alongside the local teams; the event slot is to be used instead to host the rescheduled series round, along with a rescheduled Bathurst 6 Hour.
• The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic forced a major reschedule before the first series round took place. All events barring the Sandown round were rescheduled, with an intended March start being pushed to August, and the extension of the season into the 2021 calendar year. Apart from the above-mentioned circuits which were not on the rescheduled calendar, Winton Motor Raceway was also removed from the schedule, while two Tasmanian circuits, Symmons Plains Raceway and Baskerville Raceway were added.

The series was ultimately cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[2]

Rule changes

• The 2020 series winner will drive in either the World Touring Car Cup or an International TCR race as a wildcard entry as a prize.^[35]
• The winner of the Michelin Rookie of the Year will be awarded a test day with a European TCR team.
• Another new class will also be introduced - the Panta Cup, named after the series' fuel supplier, Panta Fuels - in which six semi-professional and amateur drivers will be eligible for. The winner of the Panta Cup will get a drive in an International TCR Endurance race.^[36]

External links

• Official website

Notes and References

1. http://web.archive.org/web/20200407142447/https://motorsport.org.au/docs/default-source/sporting-technical/national/2020-carsales-tcr-australia-series-sporting-regulations---version-1.pdf?sfvrsn=ccd1421f_6 2020 carsales TCR Australia Series Sporting Regulations, motorsport.org.au, as archived at web.archive.org
2. http://web.archive.org/web/20210130115707/https://www.carsales.com.au/editorial/details/motorsport-tcr-australia-series-is-go-128081/ TCR Australia Series is go, January 11, 2021, www.carsales.com.au, as archived at web.archive.org
3. Web site: Will Brown confirmed for return to defend TCR Australia title. TouringCarTimes. 18 February 2020. 18 February 2020.
4. Web site: Morcom continues with HMO for 2020. Mat. Coch. speedcafe.com. Speedcafe. 14 February 2020. 14 February 2020.
5. Web site: Chelsea Angelo back in TCR with Volkswagen ride. TouringCarTimes. 6 March 2020. 6 March 2020.
6. Web site: Alexandra Whitley secures Albert Park entry. TouringCarTimes. 9 March 2020. 9 March 2020.
7. Web site: Tander, Ribartis and Shirasaka added to finalised 22-car TCR Asia Pacific Cup grid. TouringCarTimes. 11 March 2020. 11 March 2020.
8. Web site: Caruso joins TCR with two-year GRM deal. Tom. Howard. speedcafe.com. Speedcafe. 9 February 2020. 9 February 2020.
9. News: Cox to drive GRM Alfa in 2020 TCR Series. Mat. Coch. speedcafe.com. Speedcafe. 23 January 2020. 23 January 2020.
10. Web site: Ben Bargwanna to partner father Jason for 2020. TouringCarTimes. 5 August 2020. 5 August 2020.
11. Web site: Aaron Cameron lands Peugeot drive at Garry Rogers Motorsport. TouringCarTimes. 12 February 2020. 12 February 2020.
12. Web site: Garry Rogers Motorsport unveil Peugeot livery. TouringCarTimes. 24 February 2020. 24 February 2020.
13. Web site: Dylan O'Keeffe secures Renault drive for Garry Rogers Motorsport. TouringCarTimes. 12 February 2020. 12 February 2020.
14. Web site: Renault Australia confirm sponsorship with GRM for 2020. 4 December 2019. TouringCarTimes. en-US. 4 December 2019.
15. Web site: Ashley Seward Motorsport takes on 16-year-old for TCR Australia campaign. TouringCarTimes. 10 December 2019. 10 December 2019.
16. Web site: Ashley Seward Motorsport expand to three Alfa Romeos for 2020. TouringCarTimes. 18 October 2019. 18 October 2019.
17. Web site: Michael Clemente confirms 2020 entry with a Honda. TouringCarTimes. 20 November 2019. 20 November 2019.
18. Web site: Track Tec Racing enter second Audi for Jack Milligan at Melbourne. TouringCarTimes. 24 January 2020. 24 January 2020.
19. Web site: Track Tec Racing unveil liveries for TCR Asia Pacific Cup. TouringCarTimes. 5 March 2020. 5 March 2020.
20. Web site: Tony D'Alberto confirmed for continued Honda Australia programme. TouringCarTimes. 13 February 2020. 13 February 2020.
21. Web site: Three Hondas for Wall Racing in 2020 campaign. TouringCarTimes. 14 February 2020. 14 February 2020.
22. News: Bathurst lap record holder enters TCR. Daniel. Herrero. speedcafe.com. Speedcafe. 10 June 2020. 10 June 2020.
23. Web site: Formula Ford ace secures ex-Tony D'Alberto Honda for 2020. 15 December 2019. TouringCarTimes. en-US. 15 December 2019.
24. News: State racer to make TCR Australia jump in brand new car. Mat. Coch. speedcafe.com. Speedcafe. 12 December 2019. 12 December 2019.
25. Web site: GRM to take delivery of second TCR Peugeot. 2020-01-25. Speedcafe. en-US. 2020-02-09.
26. News: French TCR racer joins Asia Pacific Cup field. Mat. Coch. speedcafe.com. Speedcafe. 11 February 2020. 11 February 2020.
27. News: Kelly Racing to step away from TCR after Ford Supercars switch. Tom. Howard. speedcafe.com. Speedcafe. 19 December 2019. 27 December 2019.
28. Web site: Track Tec Racing confirm Stan van Oord for Melbourne race. TouringCarTimes. 17 January 2020. 17 January 2020.
29. Web site: René Münnich joins Wall Racing for Melbourne race. TouringCarTimes. 31 January 2020. 31 January 2020.
30. Web site: Declan Fraser lands TCR Asia Pacific Cup drive for Milldun Motorsport. TouringCarTimes. 10 March 2020. 10 March 2020.
31. News: TCR Australia announce 2020 calendar including Bathurst. 28 October 2019 . TouringCarTimes. 28 October 2019.
32. Web site: TCR Australia to head to Morgan Park in 2020. 16 January 2020.
33. News: SIX EVENT 2020/21 CALENDAR CONFIRMED FOR TCR AUSTRALIA. 26 May 2020. TCR Australia. 26 May 2020.
34. News: November date confirmed for Bathurst International. Mat. Coch. speedafe.com. Speedcafe. 16 January 2020. 16 January 2020.
35. News: TCR Australia announce WTCR entry and European test as prize for 2020. 5 November 2019. TouringCarTimes. 5 November 2019.
36. News: TCR Australia launch Panta Cup for semi-pro racers. Mulach. Jordan. 7 January 2020. TouringCarTimes. 7 January 2020.