Audi TCR presence to grow

Melbourne Performance Centre (MPC) has announced it will field two more Audi RS 3 LMS cars in the second round of the Australian TCR series next weekend at Phillip Island. These two cars which will be for sale or lease, will join the Audi RS 3 LMS car fielded by MPC at the opening round of the Australian TCR at Sydney Motorsport Park earlier this month. 

MPC has long been the official agent for Audi Sport customer racing in Australia, successfully preparing R8 LMS cars for the Australian GT Championship, and the advent of the TCR Australian series is a great addition to Australian motorsport according to Troy Russell, Managing Director of Melbourne Performance Centre.

“After Sydney, we received an incredible amount of positive feedback about TCR,” says Troy Russell.

“Everyone realised that TCR Australia is real and it’s happening, and potential customers of ours were pleasantly surprised about how well it ran.” 

“For our business, and the feeling amongst the industry, TCR is the way forward. The interest has been massive. Hence why we have two new cars on the way.”

The two new cars have been sourced from Audi Sport in Germany and are set to arrive this weekend, giving MPC the week to prepare the cars to run along side the existing Australian RS 3 LMS at Phillip Island on June 7 to 9.

Local interest in the TCR series has eclipsed all expectation, with good crowds and a strong field in Sydney for the inaugural round. The addition of the two new Audis will see the field grow to more than 20 entries and the tremendous success of the Audi RS 3 LMS in the international TCR arena bodes well for those looking to race the car Down Under. 

Director of Australian Racing Group (ARG), Matt Braid, welcomed the news of the two additional Audi entrants, saying: 

“It is fantastic to see two more cars coming into the Melbourne Performance Centre stable for this year,” he said of the announcement. “This will mean that we are well over 20 cars in the country and more on the way.”

“The Audis are one of the strongest and consistent performers on the TCR global front. The RS 3 was awarded the TCR ‘Model of the Year’ in 2018, so it’s no surprise to us that there has been strong interest in people racing it here.”

Troy Russell says the first of the three drivers for Round 2 will be announced tomorrow with the remaining two confirmed next week ahead of the Phillip Island round.