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O’Keeffe ready to add Renault to the winner’s list
Further developments undertaken during the mid-season break has Garry Rogers Motorsport Renault Megane R.S. TCR driver Dylan O’Keeffe confident of improved performances in the final three rounds of the season.
Using its unique position as a development partner to homologation agent Swiss-based Vukovic Motorsport, GRM has continued to develop the Megane R.S. TCR and was rewarded when O’Keeffe took pole at Sydney Motorsport Park in May.
Working day-to-day at GRM, O’Keeffe has been involved in the development process and can’t wait to hit the track to find out the results.
“The other cars you buy all the parts off a supplier where it’s pretty much a set and forget,” explained O’Keeffe.
“With the Renaults, we’re fortunate we can do some development with them whether it’s the bodywork, but not so much about performance.
“We are able to service and maintain the cars to our standards.
“I think Sydney showed we had unlocked a hell of a lot more speed and the car is capable when things are right, so we’ve just got to make sure it’s right all the time.
“I think now we’re at that point, which is great but we weren’t there early in the year.”
Renault has finished runner up twice in Supercheap Auto TCR Australia, but it is the only brand on the 2021 Supercheap Auto TCR Australia grid not to have scored a win across the two seasons held.
O’Keeffe expects this to change as the next two venues on the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia calendar are expected to suit the French hot hatches at Sandown and The Bend.
“I’m really driven to get the first win so that’s what we need to do,” emphasised O’Keeffe.
“I think for us it’s just small goals to mainly get the Renaults running reliably and well, then if we can do that, we should really be getting podium results.
“That’s what I’m looking forward to for the rest of the year.”
A recent test was cancelled due to inclement weather as GRM Director Barry Rogers shares O’Keeffe’s outlook for the rest of the season.
“Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to show any of it on-track except for at Sydney Motorsport Park when Dylan put it on pole, so we’ve certainly made some real big improvements with those cars,” said Rogers.
“It’s just ironing out a couple of those reliability things that seem to keep haunting us, but we’re fairly confident we’re on top of it, so really keen to get back on-track.”
The next round of the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series will be held at Sandown International Raceway on September 17-19.