TCR Australia Series champion Tony D’Alberto is set to make a sizable switch to vault himself back into contention for wins.
The Honda Civic Type R driver is set to ditch his second-generation FK8 for the third-generation FL5.
The new car will undoubtedly net an uptick in performance with the latest and greatest developments from the Japanese manufacturer.
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Among the improvements between models is better aero efficiency and greater downforce.
A new chassis makes for enhanced cornering stability and greater driver safety. The car also features a new transmission and brakes package.
D’Alberto will remain in his FK8 for the Queensland Raceway (August 12-13) and Sandown Raceway (September 9-10) events before switching to the FL5 for the final two events.
The car will arrive in time for the double-header at Sydney Motorsport Park (November 3-4) and Mount Panorama (November 11-12).
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The latest and greatest TCR cars have proven to be a force with the likes of Jay Hanson, Will Brown, and Zac Soutar among the quickest in their respective Audi RS3 LMS racers.
Josh Buchan has also been a force in his new Hyundai i30 N sedan, although his teammate Bailey Sweeny has been as quick in the hatch equivalent.
“It’s great for Wall Racing, Honda and myself to have a brand-new Civic Type R enter the series,” said D’Alberto.
“From Honda Australia’s point of view it makes a lot more sense to be racing the car that is based on the FL5 road car.
“You don’t get many opportunities to race new cars in your career so it will be really special to debut this car later in the year.”
“It is perfect timing too – right ahead of the TCR World Tour for the final two rounds at Sydney and Bathurst.”
D’Alberto has had a topsy-turvy 2023 to date. In 2022, he was Mr Consistent, winning twice in a season that included 16 top 10 finishes from 20 races.
This year, D’Alberto has twice stood on the podium but had his run dogged by a DNF at Phillip Island.
With news that the team will acquire a new car comes confirmation the team is preparing to field a three-car set-up in the future.
“Having the new Honda Civic Type R TCR is a very exciting proposition for our team,” said team owner David Wall.
“Wall Racing was one of the first teams to commit to TCR, and now we are in the next phase, bringing a new car in, which is great news for all parties.
“It’s great for our team that we can upgrade to the current spec car at the start of the model’s lifecycle and we are looking forward to having it for the tail end of the season.
“The plan for our team is to return to three Honda TCR entries. For us, it’s the perfect number and we hope to make another announcement on this in the near future.”
The TCR Australia Series continues on August 12-13 at Queensland Raceway as part of the SpeedSeries program.
That weekend will also feature the National Trans Am Series, GT World Challenge Australia, V8 Touring Cars, Porsche Sprint Challenge, as well as Australian Production Cars and GT4.
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