The Romeo Ferraris-built Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR completed a two-day test at Vallelunga, where four drivers took turns at the wheel.
Kevin Ceccon who drove the Italian car in the WTCR and claimed one race win in Japan was joined by two other World Cup regulars: Tom Coronel and Ma Qing Hua.
TCR China @ Guangdong, last 2018 TCR China races:
The first race was dominated by Freely Racing's
Ma Qing Hua who claimed the maiden victory in China for the Romeo Ferraris-built Alfa Romeo Giulietta. Ma pipped Wong at the start and never looked back, winning with a comfortable margin ahead of the Golf cars of Li Lin (Leo Racing) and Tian Li Ying (HE Racing).
Ma Qing Hua provided another show in the first part of the 60-minute Race 3, building a 25-second lead before handing the Giulietta to Xia Yi Li in the compulsory pit-stop. However, Xia beached the Italian car onto the gravel with 25 minutes left, handing a comfortable victory to Hui and Wong. Photo: TCR China
IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge endurance 2019 USA, KMW and TMR to run an Alfa Romeo
KMW Motorsports and TMR Engineering have joined forces to run an Alfa Romeo Gulietta TCR in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge; the car will be driven by
Roy Block and
Tim Lewis Jr.
“We are excited to have Tim and Roy representing our team in 2019,” said team principal Louis Milone. “This is a historic season as we are bringing Alfa Romeo to professional endurance racing in North America. I cannot imagine a more exciting season than the one ahead of us.”
Block and Lewis Jr. have put in over 1000km of testing each in the Gulietta built by Romeo Ferraris.
“It is fair to say that not many TCR teams have completed so many miles on the new Michelin tyres for 2019. That should certainly allow us to hit the ground running when the transporter doors open in a few weeks,” said KMW Motorsport's Kevin Wheeler.
The car is expected to appear at this weekend's test at Daytona.
The Alfa Romeo Giulietta entered by KMW Motorsport with TMR Engineering struggled to stay on the pace in the beginning, but in session 5 Roy Block (2:01.253) and Tim Lewis (2:01.293) were able to reduce the gap from the fastest car to 1.3 seconds.
KMW Motorsports with
TMR Engineering will field 2 Alfa Romeo Giulietta cars in the TCR class of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge.
Both cars were at Daytona for the Roar Before the Rolex 24 test days, with Roy Block and Tim Lewis Jr. making laps. The driver lineup for the second (red) car will be revealed in the coming days.
“The level of support from the Romeo Ferraris engineering company has been overwhelming and I feel like we’re the full factory team,” said team manager Louis Milone. “They sent people and they’ve been great with getting us all the parts we need to make this thing happen.”
With so many new beginnings – team, car, drivers – Milone has learned to adjust his expectations and goals for the upcoming season. “I would like to be competitive in every race and be a contender. But it would be a great season if we finish every race and somewhere in the championship that’s respectful. The ultimate goal is to represent the brand well and look professional.”