Dylan O’Keeffe will be on the grid in the inaugural round of the brand-new TCR Australia Touring Car Series, announcing a deal to drive an Alfa Romeo Guilietta at Sydney Motorsport Park.
The Alfa is owned by Garry Rogers Motorsport, and will be run by Ashley Seward Motorsport, two organisations that have been instrumental in O’Keeffe’s career development to this point.
“Ash has played a major part in my racing life since I started in Porsches five years ago, and now I’m obviously aligned with GRM, working for them full-time and racing with them in Super2,” O’Keeffe said.
“It’s great to see both teams working together and helping each other, and I’m very happy to be a piece of the puzzle.”
The TCR Series may be new to Australian shores, but has become one of the fastest-growing worldwide categories due to its combination of affordability, relevance to popular road cars, and uniform technical regulations.
“I’ve watched some of the TCR races overseas, and they’re always great to watch – the cars are evenly-matched, and they put on close racing with plenty of passing,” O’Keeffe said.
“One of the best things about the category is the cars are the same all around the world, so once you’ve learned the right driving technique, you can go and race in other TCR events and know what to expect.”
While O’Keeffe has vast experience in Porsches, Audi GT cars and now a Commodore Supercar, this will be his first time competing in a front-wheel-drive vehicle.
“I’m expecting the driving style to be completely different to anything I’ve raced before,” O’Keeffe said.
“Fortunately, we have the pre-season test tomorrow at Winton, which will give me a chance to learn and understand the car.”
The TCR Series kicks off with three sprint races at Sydney Motorsport Park, 17-19 May.
2019 TCR Australia Calendar
Round 1 – Sydney Motorsport Park, 17-19 May
Round 2 – Phillip Island, 6-9 June
Round 3 – Tailem Bend, 12-14 July
Round 4 – Queensland Raceway, 2-4 August
Round 5 – Winton Raceway, 31 August-1 September
Round 6 – Sandown Raceway, 20-22 September
Round 7 – Tailem Bend, 15-17 November
