New Zealander set for his TCR Australia debut on Mt Panorama

This weekend he will debut in the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series at the wheel of Marcus LaDelle’s 99motorsport Audi RS3 LMS SEQ.

Knowles will be the second kiwi to tackle TCR Australia in 2024 after Ben Stewart raced at Queensland Raceway in August.

The 18-year-old scored multiple class wins at the wheel of a Hyundai and an Audi TCR in New Zealand’s Endurance championships. He recently triumphed in Formula Ford and had his introduction to Bathurst in the Heritage Revival races at the 1000.

“I’ve absolutely always followed along with TCR Australia. When I did the Highlands 6 Hour, it was with Clay Richards, so I was watching his progress earlier in the year and it’s something that’s always been on my radar,” said Knowles.

“The historic stuff was more about the cars than the racing, so getting to go around Bathurst and actually have a crack will be pretty cool. Having a rough idea of what the track’s like will help.

“Some of those drivers in the TCR field are insanely quick, so I’m just going to give it the best crack I can and hopefully we can be fighting within the pack.

“The goal is to try and do a championship in Australia eventually, and TCR is one we’ve always watched so that would be the dream if we could make 2025 happen.”

There will be two new cars on the grid at Bathurst. The Team Valvoline GRM’s Aaron Cameron and Ryan Casha will make the switch to the new Peugeot P51 308 TCR.

The latest global TCR competition cars hit the track with their teammates Jordan Cox and Ben Bargwanna at last round in Sydney. Now all four GRM drivers will have the latest generation Peugeots for the final TCR round.

With 141 points up for grabs, there are still seven drivers in mathematical contention for the 2024 title. Reigning champion Josh Buchan is 36 points clear and is looks to become the first multiple time champion in the series, driving a HMO Customer Racing Hyundai.

Tufflift Racing’s Zac Soutar is second. He lost the series lead after an opening lap crash in Race 2 at Sydney Motorsport Park. Should either falter, Wall Racing’s Brad Harris can swoop as he is third and 61 points behind Buchan.

Bargwanna, Cox, Casha and Dylan O’Keeffe (Lynk & Co) remain a theoretical chance of stealing the season glory.

All three races will be live on 7plus, with Race 1 on Saturday and Race 3 on Sunday live and free on 7mate.