The KMW Motorsportswith TMR Engineering team is a long-standing entrant in the American IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge championship, where GT and TCR classes coexist. Between 2019 and 2024, the team used a Michelin tyre in the TCR class. Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce, which has established itself as one of the major players on the North American TCR scene.
The Giulietta TCR: the self-made car
This Giulietta TCR has an ultimately strange history, since its motorsport career began late, in 2015, when the compact sedan had already been around since 2010. The Veloce evolution, based on the 1750 turbo engine with 350 hp, was homologated in 2019, when the Giulietta was clearly at the end of its career, without being entitled (what a heresy) to a descendant!
What's more, the Giulietta TCR was developed entirely independently by Italian tuner Romeo Ferraris, without any involvement from the automaker. This was not the case for other TCR compacts, such as the Honda Civic, Cupra Leon and Audi RS3, which were developed with official technical support. Some thirty cars were delivered, running all over the world.
An Alfa Romeo Giulietta racing in America was all the more surprising given that it was not sold there, but it was also a way of making the link with the first Giulietta, from the 50s and 60s, which had been sold in the USA and had enjoyed a fine sporting career there, notably in the SCCA championship.
A Giulietta conquering America
The Giulietta TCR made its debut with KMW Motorsports in 2019. Initially seen as an outsider against the likes of Audi, Honda and Hyundai, it quickly showed its potential. The crew of Roy Block and Tim Lewis scored several top-5 finishes in their first full season.
In 2021, the Giulietta reaches maturity: historic victory at Road America in August, followed by a second win at Road Atlanta at the end of the season. These successes gave KMW Motorsports third place in the TCR championship. The following year, the team won the opening round at Daytona, held in conjunction with the 24 Hours, and ended the 2022 season in second place in the team standings. The title was not far off, but the team lacked consistency despite its three victories!
Between 2023 and 2024, the Giulietta continues to perform steadily despite increased competition, as the venerable Italian begins to suffer from its advancing age. In all, the car will have claimed nine IMSA victories and made history as the only Alfa Romeo to triumph in a modern North American touring car championship. The Giulietta was a great hit with the public, thanks in part to its beautiful black and gold livery, which in a way recalled the splendid Lotus JPS single-seaters of the 70s and 80s.
The end of an era
At the start of the 2025 season, KMW Motorsports announces a major change, abandoning the Giulietta in favor of a Honda Civic Type R TCR. The reason for this choice was the ageing of the Italian chassis and the desire to remain competitive with newer models. However, the end of the official Alfa Romeo program does not mean the end of the cars' lives. According to an article in Grassroots Motorsports, dated January 2025, the ex-KMW Giulietta TCRs will not remain inactive and will be entered in historic competitions such as HSR (Historic Sportscar Racing), where they can continue to race against other iconic models from the first TCR generation.
"We've enjoyed an incredible relationship with Alfa Romeo," said team principal Louis Milone. "However, we are delighted to be starting a new chapter with Honda."
Awards
- 2021 - Victories at Road America and Road Atlanta, 3rd in the championship
- 2022 - Victories at Daytona (Rolex 24 weekend), Laguna Seca and Road America, 2nd in the championship
- 2023 - Victories at Sebring, Watkins Glen and Road America, 5th in the championship
- 2024 - Victory at Road America, 7th in the championship
Giulietta TCRs also raced in Australia until 2024, but most of them are now being recycled in ancillary championships such as the Challenge Alfa Romeo UK or hill-climbing races, like the one in the led by Matteo Bacci, whom we spoke to very recently. So, when will we see a new Giulietta?
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