2024 SUPERCHEAP AUTO TCR AUSTRALIA CALENDAR
Round 1: Sandown International Raceway – 9-11 February
Round 2: Race Tasmania – 15-17 March
Round 3: Phillip Island – 12-14 April
Round 4: Shell V-Power Motorsport Park (The Bend) – 31 May – 2 June
Round 5: Queensland Raceway – 12-14 July
Round 6: Race Sydney (Sydney Motorsport Park 2) – 1-3 November
Round 7: Supercheap Auto Bathurst International – 8-10 November
THE SUPERCHEAP Auto TCR Australia Series has confirmed a seven-round 2024 calendar that will see the series compete at a host of Australia's best permanent circuits next year.
The announcement was made on the grid at Mount Panorama ahead of the first joint Supercheap Auto TCR Australia and Kumho TCR World Tour race to be held at the iconic circuit.
TCR Australia will continue to race exclusively with the Shannons SpeedSeries in 2024.
The SpeedSeries program will be bigger and better than ever next year, coming off the back of a season with strong attendance and broadcast growth this year, capped off by the remarkable Kumho TCR World Tour double header which has shown the strength of the series against the best in the world.
The 2024 schedule includes both familiar circuits and some returning to the tour for the first time in several seasons.
Commencing at Sandown International Raceway in Melbourne in early February, the series will then return to the Apple Isle for Race Tasmania in March.
A stop at the iconic Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit will follow in April that year before TCR returns to Shell V-Power Motorsport Park at The Bend in May.
TCR has competed at the South Australian circuit twice previously, both times in TCRs 2019 debut season. The second visit that year also doubling as the season finale'.
A trip to Queensland Raceway in July follows, before a mid-season break to prepare for the back-to-back Kumho TCR World Tour rounds in November.
That double act will see Race Sydney followed by the Supercheap Auto Bathurst International in the first two weeks of November.
The full broadcast package for the 2024 series will be announced at a later date.
https://tcraustralia.com/2023/11/11/2024-supercheap-auto-tcr-australia-calendar-confirmed/
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Anyone have a guess at what Sydney Motorsports Park 2 is? Both it and Bathurst are part of the TCR World Tour.
no idea why they would have marked it as SMP2?? Maybe they were planning on a run at SMP early in they year and when finalised forgot to take the '2' off?
I maybe thought it referred to the layout/course to be used?
Definitely won't be the dirt track, eh? ::)
Quote from: mikeamerica84 on January 18, 2024, 12:47:28 AMI maybe thought it referred to the layout/course to be used?
Definitely won't be the dirt track, eh? ::)
Nope, def not... would be a bit too spicy for them!
I guess it could refer to the layout with 4 available.
There is another SpeedSeries event at SMP which is Sydney Motorsport Park 1, but without TCR on the schedule.
Quote from: Kytabu on January 18, 2024, 06:41:21 PMThere is another SpeedSeries event at SMP which is Sydney Motorsport Park 1, but without TCR on the schedule.
The Smartest Man in the Room.
Thanks, Kye.
How quickly things sneak up on us. Sandown is this weekend. Opening round. ;D
Quote from: mikeamerica84 on February 06, 2024, 12:15:56 AMHow quickly things sneak up on us. Sandown is this weekend. Opening round. ;D
see if you can spot the dreads anywhere LOL :) I'll be there snapping away on Sat/Sun
Tip us off as to what kind of hat you might be wearing, or something if the sort.
Quote from: mikeamerica84 on February 06, 2024, 11:36:15 PMTip us off as to what kind of hat you might be wearing, or something if the sort.
it will likely be a blue bucket hat. the dreads will stand out, getting pretty long now! think we all have to wear pink series vests too so we will all stand out if we get anywhere near a tv camera! :)
I have been reading lately about all the drivers running TCR, BUT there is still less than 20 cars competing.
People make a fuss about only 24 cars in Supercars.
(Trans Am also had many driver announcements but still less than 20 cars, and there are about 80 TA2's in Australia.)
Hey, Steve. It is something to watch when the Supercars are off - like this weekend.
8-10-12..... it's a race, and it is always at a track that everyone like to watch.
But yeah..... if they could get more cars involved, win-win.
Agreed! It is good to have racing.
But is there a problem in SpeedSeries?
Surely there have been a lot more TCRs imported to Australia. Surely, they haven't all been sold overseas and some are just sitting at the back of workshops.
TA2 cars abound in Australia, yet enough owners do not enter SpeedSeries to make a full grid.
TCM were unhappy with the series.
S5000 are also absent, although there may be other reasons.
Maybe the sponsors, car owners and drivers feel that they are not getting value for the costs involved.
Quote from: stevo qld on February 08, 2024, 03:08:11 PMAgreed! It is good to have racing.
But is there a problem in SpeedSeries?
Surely there have been a lot more TCRs imported to Australia. Surely, they haven't all been sold overseas and some are just sitting at the back of workshops.
TA2 cars abound in Australia, yet enough owners do not enter SpeedSeries to make a full grid.
TCM were unhappy with the series.
S5000 are also absent, although there may be other reasons.
Maybe the sponsors, car owners and drivers feel that they are not getting value for the costs involved.
TA2... 2 series competing against each other cutting the numbers... but if your number of 80 is right that still leaves about 40 in garages somewhere
TCM is massively overpriced (imo) and they have nowhere near the cars they should have. esp for a fan favourite category
TCR... a hard one. seem to be doing ok elsewhere but just never gaining traction here. a shame as they can put on a good show.
S5000... sadly I am not holding my breath to see them again :'( reckon a bunch of reasons from a bunch of different angles have got us here today going all the way back to when the first car was made and Supercars decided they wanted it.
talk is cars in Prod series aren't ready... not really sure how that works but I hope their numbers grow. it is one of the last few national racing categories left where you have to deal with traffic... (wonder if numbers could be bolstered by saying you can't enter B6HR unless you have done at least 1 round in the previous 12 months?)
either way I am looking forward to being there and seein friends I haven't seen for 3 months :)
Bit disappointed that there are only 7 rounds.
I would love to see that double and an enduro added.
Quote from: Troy01505 on February 10, 2024, 10:21:05 PMBit disappointed that there are only 7 rounds.
I would love to see that double and an enduro added.
They can barely get 15 cars now, can't imagine them getting 14 rounds a year with that lack of demand.
As much as I would want it too, I can't see it happening any time soon. Tbh, I can see the series folding and disappearing into the history books before I can see it getting to 14 rounds. It was supposed to be the next big thing. I know COVID really scuppered a lot of the progress, especially occurring so early in the series life. But the grid is getting smaller and smaller each year.
And the "quality over quantity" line they keep pulling is only valid when there actually is a depth of quality in the field. 5 or 6 good drivers in a field of 15 is
not quality over quantity.
Quote from: Sonic on February 07, 2024, 08:24:34 PMQuote from: mikeamerica84 on February 06, 2024, 11:36:15 PMTip us off as to what kind of hat you might be wearing, or something if the sort.
it will likely be a blue bucket hat. the dreads will stand out, getting pretty long now! think we all have to wear pink series vests too so we will all stand out if we get anywhere near a tv camera! :)
Were you down inside Turn 4 for the first Trans-Am race, Sonic?
.... or were you at the finish line for the third TCR race?
nope and nope. I saw the TA2 incident (I was at t1 for that one) and I have a pic of it through the horse railing but it is a long way off and not really worth anything other than to show I was there.
hopefully I'll have all my pics up tomorrow
Quote from: Sonic on February 12, 2024, 10:12:39 PMnope and nope.
I was going by the blue bucket hat I zeroed in on. Must have been some other good looking photographer bloke, eh? :)
Quote from: mikeamerica84 on February 13, 2024, 10:30:40 AMQuote from: Sonic on February 12, 2024, 10:12:39 PMnope and nope.
I was going by the blue bucket hat I zeroed in on. Must have been some other good looking photographer bloke, eh? :)
:D They can dream ;) :P LOL!!
Looks like only 13 cars for Tassie.
There must be well over 20, possibly 30, TCR cars in Australia. MPC has a bunch of Audis available.
However, TCR is generally a sponsor driven class with car run by commercial enterprises. Effectively it consists of pay drivers and sponsors that seem wary of supporting it. Poor broadcast availability to the public last year could be leading to decisions that is poor value.
(ditto for S5000).
Tony d'Alberto, dropped out of the main TCR race over the weekend.
Because he didn't agree with a Stewards decision, he spat his dummy and chucked his toys out of the pram.
He made claims, on TV, about unprofessional conduct.
Well, it is Tony who was unprofessional.
Honda pay a lot of money in sponsorship and access to the latest version of their TCR.
Wall Racing owner and staff put a lot of effort into preparing the car which is a proven winner.
Without agreement from them he made a selfish decision that they did not agree with and chucked away championship points and possibly a race win.
Now, it is not up to me, but I believe that Honda would be within their rights to tear up his contact, if Tony hasn't already done so.
Similarly Wall Racing, with Honda support, if possible, should replace Tony with a dr4iver who actually wants to race.
IMHO, Clay Richards, who already has points and is running event by event subject to finding finance, would be an ideal replacement and he already has a bag of championship points.
I'll take the low road on this one, Steve.
They run Race 1. There were three grass fires and a huge shunt on the stretch leading into the hairpin which made it a time-limit race. Only 1/3 of the distance.
Race 2: The grid is set from the finish of Race 1 with the Top Ten inverted. Tony starts 10th.
As we get to Race 3, we find out no points were awarded for Race 1 for it only went 1/3 the distance. Yet the FIELD was set for Race 2 based on these finishing results. So now in Race 3 we had cars who basically got a free pass in Race 2 due to the inversion now starting way up the order even though Race 1 didn't count for jack.
The TCR website is mum on all of this. A total jack job of professionalism by the series. You mean to tell me they could not have reached this conclusion overnight PRIOR to Race 2?
Not until someone protested. I see the Bargwannas here somewhere.
You know, I like this series but besides their car counts dwindling, this doesn't help anything. Good for Tony. Walk away. Do Trans-Am.
...and the irony of Race 3, Steve, is that Tony probably would have scored decent points. The race in itself was top shelf as many came from the back to the front back to the back and back to the front again and off track and pieces missing....
But yeah. It's Tony's call. I tip my cap to him for his stance. He has the next move.
14 cars on tap for PI. The results & points (if any) from Race 1 at Symmons Plains are still not official as of three days ago.
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Provisionally, Zac Soutar (Tufflift Racing) leads the points standings by just a single point over both Ben Bargwanna and Jordan Cox (Schaeffler GRM) after a dramatic opening two rounds of the season. At Sandown, Hangcha Racing's Bargwanna dominated to claim his first round victory.
Symmons Plains, the results of which are still to be finalised by the verdict of a Motorsport Australia hearing, saw the second first-time round winner in as many rounds with Tom Oliphant coming out on top for HMO Customer Racing.
https://tcraustralia.com/2024/04/10/seven-manufacturers-set-for-tcr-battle-at-phillip-island/
Tassie Race 1: Race only went 1/3 of the distance so no point s awarded yet field for Race 2 set by Race 1 results.
PI: All races now timed races - not laps.