► TVR returns to sports car racing
► Partners Rebellion Racing LMP1
► First step of GT racing masterplan
TVR is returning to its motorsport roots for the first time in a decade, as it is confirmed as the automotive partner of Swiss team Rebellion Racing for the 2018 World Endurance Championship (WEC).
Essentially, then, the reborn car maker is merely a sponsor in its first year; the car will be called the Rebellion Racing TVR, when it makes its debut at Circuit Paul Ricard on 6 April ahead of the 2018-19 LMP1 season.
However, TVR chairman Les Edgar has told CAR magazine he is keen to take the sports car brand racing in its own right. We interpret the sponsorship deal as a stepping stone to TVR returning to the track with its own GT entry, once the new Griffith sports car project is fully up and running.
‘When we bought TVR we weren’t prepared for the groundswell of positivity and support,’ Edgar told us. ‘Everybody has a TVR story, and that support sweeps you off your feet, pushes you on. Would we have done it had we known the mountain we’ve had to climb? Are you kidding? The chance to bring back a 70-year-old sports car name and, from a clean sheet of paper, build a brand new, balls-out road racer and take it to Le Mans? It doesn’t get any better than that.’
Read the full story of the new TVR Griffith here
TVR claims the sponsorship deal will help it develop its 200mph road car plans, too. The classic ‘race on Sunday, sell on Monday’ philosophy?
‘Learnings from TVR’s collaboration with Rebellion Racing will flow directly into the development and production of its road car line-up, and into its future racing projects,’ it said in a statement today.
TVR and endurance racing: a quick history
The much-loved British sports car brand raced its first three models – the TVR 1, 2 and 3 – and raced at Le Mans in 1962 with the Grantura.
Edgar added: ‘When we resurrected the TVR brand, we knew that we wanted to achieve a return to the race track. Our partnership with Rebellion Racing allows us to achieve that goal, while bringing about valuable operational and technical knowledge, which directly transfers to our road car operation and future racing activities.
‘We have a long-standing relationship with Rebellion Racing and have been following them closely in WEC over the last few years. We greatly look forward to working with the team and are confident that Rebellion Racing TVR will see much success during the Super Season.’
The TVR racers will be raced by experienced endurance drivers, including André Lotterer and Bruno Senna.