TCR ready for 2021 opener

After a year of silent race tracks around the country and virtual racing doing its best to fill the void, motorsport fans are gearing up for a return to the tracks in 2021. Spearheading the action is the popular TCR Australia series which arrived Down Under in 2019 and quickly established itself as a category to what.

Making its comeback after the COVID restrictions of 2020, the 2021 will kick off in just over a week with the first round at Tasmania’s Symmons Plains Raceway and V8 Supercar star, Chaz Mostert, will make his TCR debut behind the wheel of the Melbourne Performance Centre RS 3 LMS.

The 2014 Bathurst 1000 winner is no stranger to fierce competition across a number of motorsport categories and says he relishes the opportunity of taking part in the growing TCR series in the Audi RS 3 LMS. The car, prepare by Melbourne Performance Centre (MPC), saw plenty of action in the hands of both Garth and Leanne Tander in 2019, showing its impressive turn of speed throughout that season and netting several podiums and race wins in the process.

This year, the #25 Audi will sport new livery when it comes up against a strong field in Tasmania for what will be the opening of the 2021 motorsport calendar.

“It’s great to get back into a race seat and start the session nice and early down at Symmons Plains,” Mostert said at a practice session and his first stint in the RS 3 at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit.

“Melbourne Performance Centre have put this deal together for me, and it’s great that I will have the chance to get some early miles for 2021.”

“TCR is a pretty cool series. Racing door to door is what all drivers want to be involved in. I’m excited to drive the Audi.

Mostert has initially signed on for the practice session in Melbourne and the opening round of the series, after which, more announcements will be made concerning the rest of the series, but MPC Director, Troy Russell says he is looking forward to getting back to the track after last year and seeing Chaz take the RS 3 back into competition.

“It’s great to have Chaz on board with us,” says Russell, “He is obviously a great driver and an excellent person to have around the team.”

“And of course Chaz represents an excellent opportunity to get some strong results. We saw in 2019 with Garth (Tander) that the Audi is capable of running at the front, so we’re looking forward to seeing what Chaz can do in the pack.”

The new TCR season will see six rounds contested in what is to be known as the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series after the signing of a five year naming rights deal with the automotive retailer.

All rounds will be telecast live and free to air on the Seven Network.

The first round at Symmons Plains takes place from the 24th through to the 26th of January.