Kumho FIA TCR World Tour at the AirTouch 500

The best touring car drivers from across the world will race in the Australian round of the Kumho FIA TCR World Tour, to be held during the AirTouch 500 at The Bend.

The international motorsport category features privateer teams driving TCR race-spec hatchbacks from some of the most prestigious car manufacturers in the world.

TCR cars are 2.0L turbocharged racing versions of C Hatch vehicles, closely related to the most popular road car models in the market, with the category adopted by more than 40 championships across the world.

The Kumho FIA TCR World Tour has already visited Mexico, Spain, Italy and Portugal this year and after its Australian round at Shell V-Power Motorsport Park in September will head to South Korea and China, before culminating in Macao in November.

Former World Champions Norbert Michelisz, Yann Ehrlacher, Thed Bjork and Mikel Azcona will be among the international contingent racing across the AirTouch 500 at The Bend weekend.

They will be joined by Australian TCR drivers in the three races, creating a mixed field for fans to cheer on.

WSC president Marcello Lotti, who devised the TCR concept, says Australia’s long-standing tradition in touring car racing made it a logical choice to include in the World Tour’s calendar in 2025.

Australia was first included on its calendar in 2023, when it raced at Sydney and Bathurst, but Lotti says The Bend stood out as host this year for several reasons that suit both drivers and fans.

“The circuit has state-of-the-art facilities and a track layout that is especially suitable to touring car competitions,” he says.

“On top of this, the fact of sharing the bill with a strong national championship represents the icing on the cake, because it makes the whole event especially attractive for the fans, offering an exciting mix of enduro and sprint races.

“I’m sure that Australian motorsport fans still remember the thrilling show that the pair of World Tour events delivered in 2023.

“So, they know what to expect: three short races with plenty of door-to-door battles.

“And I wish to stress that the layout of The Bend Motorsport Park will foster close competition even more.”

Lotti says the World Tour’s concept to put international drivers in direct competition with local drivers particularly enhances the competitive racing fans will see.

“We saw in 2023 the competitors of the TCR Australia championship proved to be a serious challenge, scoring two race wins and claiming one pole position and two other podium finishes,” he says.

“We are pretty sure that they will prove competitive again this year.”

Lynk & Co Cyan Racing driver Thed Bjork is one of the international drivers confirmed to be taking part in the Kumho FIA TCR World Tour.

Currently classified fourth in the standings, Bjork, from Sweden, last raced in Australia when the series was run in Bathurst and Sydney in 2023 and says fans can expect similar battles on the racetrack.

“It was all chaos!” he says of the previous racing.

“The Australian TCR series will also be with us (racing at The Bend), it will be their first race this year and I think the fans will be in for exciting racing, as the Australian drivers were not giving us any quarter last time.

“Hopefully we can be as exciting as Supercars.

“We’ll be the short races, so we’ll be providing the exciting sprint races.”

Without prior experience on The Bend’s International Circuit, the international drivers have been preparing for the three races on race simulators.

“It’s a very typical track, something like Hungaroring in Europe, but bigger,” Bjork says.

“I’m expecting a lot of overtaking, close to how it was when we raced in Sydney.

“It’s very difficult to get the elevation feeling from the sim, so it’s difficult to see how the track is when you’ve never been there before.”

However, he says the racing is not actually what he is looking forward to most about the event.

“The best thing is the atmosphere with the fans, as they really appreciate racing,” he says.

“To be there with Supercars will be really cool.

“It’ll also be interesting to see who’s going to be the best there from our series, as the top four in the championship now are very tight.”

The Kumho FIA TCR World Tour will be on track for practice and qualifying sessions on Friday, two races on Saturday and the third race on Sunday. For the full schedule, visit thebend.com.au