Tony D’Alberto’s campaign in the inaugural TCR Australia Series has received a major boost with Honda Australia set to support the former Super2 champion for the season.
The reigning CAMS Australian GT Endurance Champion will compete in the series in one of two Wall Racing-prepared Honda Civic Type R TCRs, with D’Alberto’s Civic to don a Honda-inspired livery.
Inspired by other global Honda motorsport entries from around the world and in celebration of the manufacturer’s 50th anniversary this year, D’Alberto will compete in the series with the #50 on his car.
With the series set to be D’Alberto's first solo drive for quite some time, the 33-year-old was excited for the extra backing.
“It’s great to have the support of Honda Australia for the 2019 TCR Australia Series,” said Tony D’Alberto.
“I’ve known the team at Honda for a while now, working with them on new car launches across the country. So when the opportunity came up to drive a Honda in TCR, I jumped at the chance.
“The category’s cost effective nature and market relevance gives them a platform to showcase one of their hero cars – the Civic Type R – in front of a big audience and in a competitive field.
“I think my Honda Civic looks terrific. It has that classic Honda feel and I know that all of the Honda staff and the dealers will be cheering for us at each TCR round.
“I’ve driven a lot of GT cars and Supercars, and these front-wheel drive cars are so rewarding when you get it right. The racing is going to be really close so I can’t wait to see how we go amongst the competitive field in the first round at Sydney.”
Honda Australia General Manager of Product, Customer & Communications Robert Thorp was also thrilled to support both D’Alberto and the series.
“We know what a special car we have in the Civic Type R and while this is a new series in Australia, the Honda performs well in the category at a global level,” Thorp explained.
“For us this is a category all about customer racing and we are supportive of that – Tony is a very accomplished driver and someone we are really happy to see take the helm of the Civic Type R in this new series.
“We’re looking forward to the series kicking off and seeing Tony and the team put the car through its paces.”
Broadcast live, free and in HD on SBS, the TCR Australia Series will kick off at Sydney Motorsport Park as part of the Shannons Nationals on 17-19 May. All sessions will be streamed live on thenationals.com.au.
Tickets to the historic round can be purchased here.