Hyundai’s Josh Buchan put up a podium-challenging fight to claim two top five results in the fifth round of the 2025 FIA TCR World Tour at The Bend Motorsport Park in South Australia last weekend.
As a result of finishing as the highest placed driver from the domestic championship, Buchan claimed the inaugural TCR Australia Cup.
The two-time TCR Australia Champion was among the fastest drivers from the outset, setting the third quickest time in Friday’s twilight shakedown session behind the two BRC Squadra Corse Hyundai Elantra N TCRs of former world champions Mikel Azcona and Norbert Michelisz.
The 29-year-old Sydneysider continued his front-running form with fourth in qualifying, cementing a second row starting position alongside 2025 FIA TCR World Tour championship leader Yann Erlacher.
In the opening race, Buchan initially lost a position on the opening lap to Swede Thed Bjork but quickly recaptured fourth place two laps later with a bold overtaking move along The Bend’s 1.1km front straight. Despite massive pressure from the international drivers around him, Buchan never faltered and held his position for the rest of the race.
The grid for the second race saw the top 10 finishers start in reverse order, with Buchan from seventh. He gained two places on the opening lap and held fifth place for the remainder of the race.
Rookie teammate Ryan MacMillan showed plenty of potential during his first touring car race, mixing it with the international drivers and finishing the two races in 15th and 12th.
The 17-year-old reigning Australian Formula Open champion was sixth fastest in the only free practice session and was the only other Australian alongside Buchan to make the cut into the top 12 qualifying shootout.
However, he was forced to start the opening race from the pitlane following a miscommunication error but quickly charged to the back of the field and gained three positions to cross the line in 15th.
In the second race, MacMillan held his own against the international competition, maintaining 12th place from the opening lap to the chequered flag.
After just one round, Buchan now sits in 13th position on the TCR World Tour standings with 44 points, while MacMillan is 28th on 5 points.
HMO Customer Racing will next head to South Korea to continue in the 2025 FIA TCR World Tour for the sixth round of the championship at Inje Speedium on October 17-19.
Car 30: i30 Sedan N TCR – Josh Buchan
“It’s been a little while since I’ve raced the Hyundai i30 Sedan N TCR, and it was a good weekend on the tools. It was great fun to get some miles under my belt, rub some doors and swap some vinyl with the TCR World Tour drivers again.
“All things considered, we are a step behind the international guys in terms of outright speed and where we know the car can be. But we worked so hard – especially the crew over the weekend – to extract what we could out of it. We wore the spanners out trying to turn my car up a notch, but we know we have the ability to run in the top five and hopefully that form can continue with us in South Korea.”
Car 5: i30 Sedan N TCR – Ryan MacMillan
“It was a real baptism of fire for me in my first TCR race, especially considering we didn’t get as much free practice as planned following the delayed arrival of the TCR World Tour cars and equipment.
“Still, I’m proud of my performance and managed to hold my own against the TCR World Tour drivers. I’ve learnt a lot this weekend about the car, and it was great to fine-tune my racecraft again after not racing for almost a full year, which I’m certain we can put to good use in the next round in South Korea.”
Race Results: Round 5, TCR World Tour, The Bend Motorsport Park
| Josh Buchan | Ryan MacMillan | |
| Shakedown | P3 (1:56.5631sec) | P8 (1:57.9355sec) |
| Practice 1 | P4 (1:55.5002sec) | P6 (1:56.0390sec) |
| Qualifying | P4 (1:55.6486sec) | P12 (1:56.6239sec) |
| Race 1 | P4 (1:57.9540sec) | P15 (1:58.7917sec) |
| Race 2 | P5 (1:58.6095sec) | P5 (1:58.8963sec) |
