New Direction for RYCO and Michael Clemente Motorsport

Michael Clemente Motorsport (MCM) announces a change from his existing Honda Civic Type-R to a Melbourne Performance Centre (MPC) Audi RS3 for the final round, and has again partnered with RYCO for the filter brand to be the naming rights partner for the TCR Australia races at the Bathurst International. The agreement will see a fresh new and prominent RYCO livery adorning the Audi RS3 featuring the RYCO brand. 

The MCM team had assessed the season to date and felt it was a suitable time to look at alternative brands for the final race of the season to provide the perfect comparison for Michael and see what would best suit him as they gear up for the 2023 challenge.  Given the close working relationship the team have Melbourne Performance Centre, and with an Audi RS3 TCR vehicle available, the team made the decision to switch to the Audi and provide a direct comparison given the Bathurst race in

Mike Clemente commented on the numerous changes for the final TCR Australia round:

“We’ve been talking for a while about which direction we take in 2023, and once we made the decision to test the Audi at Bathurst, we advised our principal partners, and RYCO were very keen to extend their relationship and come on board and title partner.  Having the support of RYCO is a tremendous asset to our team, and we are extremely happy to be partnering with them.

While the Honda was a solid foundation, we wanted to look at how we can move up the grid and working with MPC highlighted the opportunity to try a different car on a track I love, and have seen strong results at in the past.   I also took the Audi to The Bend last month so I could get used to it, which was vital as I now know how different it drives.”

RYCO is Australia’s top selling brand of automotive oil, air, and fuel filters, and for the Fourth consecutive year, RYCO Filters has placed in the Top 10 of the prestigious Australian Financial Review’s most innovative companies for the Manufacturing and Consumer Goods list, placing 2nd once again in 2022.

RYCO continues to expand its range to more vehicles and equipment than at any time in the company’s history, utilising its manufacturing experience with a world-class on-site laboratory and R&D facilities at its head office in Melbourne, Victoria.

The MCM partnership further reinforces the burgeoning relationship between Michael Clemente Motorsport and RYCO, according to RYCO Executive General Manager, Stuart Chandler.

“We enjoy our partnership with MCM as we understand their racing philosophy and they understand our position in the market. When they advised they were looking at making a switch to an Audi RS3 for the final round, we jumped at the opportunity.  

It was also obvious that a fresh livery was needed and what better time than to showcase RYCO SynTec brand, one of the most important products in our range.   The colour scheme would also be very different and truly highlight the vehicle on the track,” said Chandler.