Honda Civic Type R named 2019 TCR Model of the Year
The Honda Civic Type R is the winner of the classification for the 2019 TCR Model of the Year, succeeding the SEAT León and the Audi RS 3 LMS that were named winners in 2017 and 2018 respectively.
This honorary accolade is awarded every year by WSC Group Ltd. on the basis of a classification that takes into account the results achieved by all the TCR-certified model cars in all the TCR-sanctioned races held during the season.
In 2019, a total of 313 races awarded points for the Model of the Year classification and the final result was only decided during the last WTCR event at Sepang, in a face-to-face between the Honda Civic Type R and the Audi RS 3 LMS.
Eventually the Honda prevailed by 169 points, a slim margin considering that the total score of both models was around 9500 points.
Hiroshi Shimizu, General Manager Motorsport Division, Honda Motor Co, Ltd. said: “It is fantastic to receive this award from WSC on behalf of the success of the Honda Civic Type R. The TCR formula is based on customer racing and we have always insisted that teams participating with the Civic Type R do so in the true spirit of the category. The effort put in by our customers all over the world has been exceptional and we would like to express our sincere thanks to them for their trust in Honda. Our congratulations go to all of them as well as to JAS Motorsport; the support they have given has been second-to-none. It also shows what a strong base car the Civic Type R production vehicle is with exceptional handling and a strong engine. Let’s hope for more in 2020.”
Alessandro Mariani, CEO, JAS Motorsport, commented: “It is a huge honour to see the Honda Civic Type R named as the TCR Model of the Year. We are extremely proud to be an official technical partner of Honda – a relationship that has been unbroken since 1999 and included the design, build and running of many different competition vehicles – and to have achieved this for them. This award is both a testament to the determination and professionalism of our customer TCR teams across the world and also a vindication of both the quality of the Honda Civic Type R production model and of the technical and sales support we offer to those competing with the car. There is an incredibly hard-working group of people at our headquarters in Arluno, Italy, headed by our TCR Project Leader Mads Fischer, and comprising mechanics, engineers, logistic, sales and support staff, and this shines a light on the fantastic job they have all done on the Civic Type R TCR project.”
JAS Motorsport has built 133 Civic TCR cars so far.
WSC President Marcello Lotti added: “We are especially pleased to see the Honda Civic Type R being named the 2019 TCR Model of the Year. Honda and its technical partner JAS Motorsport have embraced the TCR concept from its very beginning. A strenuous commitment that has been rewarded by the brilliant results achieved by their customer teams in all the TCR competitions around the world. Winning the TCR Model of the Year is the ultimate recognition of their professionalism and loyalty to the TCR concept.”
2019 TCR Model of the Year – Top-six positions
- Honda Civic Type R, 9652.00 pts
- Audi RS 3 LMS, 9483.00
- Hyundai i30 N, 8720.75
- Volkswagen Golf GTI, 8529.75
- CUPRA, 7784.00
