Former Supercars star investigating TCR Australia entry

Bright, who stepped back from full-time Supercars racing at the end of the 2017 season, is looking to run a two-car team in the new-for-2019 TCR Australia series, one of which he'd drive himself.

He was at the official series launch at Sydney Motorsport Park late last year, his new plans building on a more informal level of interested expressed at that time.

Bright says he's been talking to a number of manufacturers, and is hoping to have a deal locked in by the first round in May.

“I’m very interested in TCR Australia and I’m actively pursuing a deal to compete with a multi-car programme for this year,” said Bright

“For me, the interest TCR has created with manufacturers around the world and success it has enjoyed is evidence the formula has what it takes to work in Australia.

“There’s a couple of different manufacturers that I’ve been talking to. There is some good interest out there, so I’m really keen to get something locked away for the start of 2019, or worst case, midway through the season.

“It is important to be aligned with a manufacturer, but not essential. The key is to do it with a two-car team as a minimum.

“There’s a really great opportunity for young guys to progress their careers with a direct alignment to a manufacturer. It has always been difficult for young guys to achieve that here in Australia, but I feel that TCR is the perfect place to establish yourself on the track with different car brands and take that overseas.

“From what I’ve found so far, there’s definitely a lot of interest at the car dealer level. The dealers of these types of cars haven’t had a motorsport programme to support. There’s many dealers out there that love motorsport and see this as direct value.”

Bright, a former Holden and Ford factory driver, enjoyed a stint as a Supercars and Australian Rally Championship team owner during the Britek era in the mid-to-late 2000s.

He is still part-owner of a Supercars Racing Entitlement Contract, which is currently leased to Matt Stone Racing for Todd Hazelwood's entry.

Any TCR deal, however, is more likely to involve working with an existing team, rather than reviving Britek or a similar set-up.

Bright is the latest Supercars personality to show interest in TCR, with current Supercars team Garry Rogers Motorsport locked in to run a pair of Alfa Romeos this season.