Clemente switches to Audi for TCR Bathurst finale

Michael Clemente will drive an Audi RS3 in the final round of the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series at Bathurst.

Clemente will switch from his existing Honda Civic Type R to the Melbourne Performance Centre (MPC)-provided Audi, for the final round at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst International, from November 11-13.

The Victorian’s first two seasons in TCR Australia have been about learning and development, with Clemente recording his best results in Round 5 at Queensland Raceway in August where he finished in the top 10 in all three races.

“When we got the Honda it was about entering the series, really learning what it’s about, learning how to drive the cars, how the cars behave, pretty much all the fundamentals,” the 21-year-old told Speedcafe.com.

“The last couple of years we’ve been privateers and that’s been really good for our growth. We’ve been able to really understand a lot of about the car, start growing and performing under our own strength.

“However, we knew eventually that we were going to seek other pathways and we were really focused on trying to align ourselves with a team.”

Clemente said his team made the decision to swap from the Honda to the Audi as it explores alternative options ahead of the 2023 season.

“We’ve just been wanting to push the results a little bit further up, so we thought we’d join MPC,” he explained.

“We’re still going to be privateers running the car, but we’ll be alongside them, sharing data, and I think that is really what we need to help our progression.

“The fact that they deal with Audi is really good [and] the Audi is a strong platform to work from.”

While the deal with MPC is purely a one-off outing at Mount Panorama, Clemente will be hoping to maximise the opportunity and cement his plans for next year.

“We want to really align ourselves with MPC and see how we work together as a team,” he added.

“Nothing is set in stone, but we’re really liking the pathway that we’re going with at the moment.”

In addition to the new car, Ryco is Clemente’s naming rights partner for the Bathurst event.

The TCR Australia Series is the headline act for the Supercheap Auto Bathurst International, with the category to take to the track for two practice sessions, two qualifying sessions, as well as three races, over the course of the event.