A new three-event TCR Malaysia series will get underway in 2019 promoted by WSC Asia Ltd, with all rounds taking place at the Sepang International Circuit and aimed at taking advantage of the off-season lull in action.
The Sepang circuit is the only venue which has always hosted a round of the TCR Asia series, being a mainstay of the regional competition since its inaugural season in 2015.
The new series will kick off in Sepang on the 19-20 January, returning one week later for a new night race under newly installed infrastructure at the Malaysian circuit.
The series will conclude on the 23-24 February in conjunction with the Asian Le Mans Series.
“It’s funny, we say ‘winter’ in Asia, but that is just a term for the months at that time of year as the weather here in Malaysia is still as hot as usual,” said TCR Malaysia promoter David Sonenscher.
“The reality is that conditions are perfect that time of year especially for the those teams and drivers who cannot run cars whilst it is snowing or very cold elsewhere, and for TCR it provides a fantastic platform to prepare for the season ahead.
“As it turns out, a large number of teams are also based at Sepang International Circuit, so it is low cost for them. Last year I noticed that they did a huge amount of off-season testing and so we decided it would be a good idea to give them more of a purpose to run the cars, especially as the cost difference between racing and testing in a single venue is marginal.
“Sepang has also just installed a track lighting system and this gives us an opportunity to run the second event under lights, our first since the Singapore Grand Prix in 2015. This is sure to be a nice twist to attract teams to try the demanding Grand Prix circuit under conditions they’ve not experienced in the past.”
2019 TCR Malaysia Championship
Rounds 1-2: Sepang International Circuit – 19-12 January, 2019
Rounds 3-4: Sepang International Circuit – 26 January, 2019
Rounds 5-6: Sepang International Circuit – 23-24 February, 2019