Category: News

HMO Customer Racing has welcomed Tom Oliphant to partner reigning champion, Josh Buchan, in a revised line-up for the 2024 Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Championship.

Oliphant, 33, brings a wealth of high-level international experience to HMO Customer Racing having raced in some of the most competitive touring car series around the world, including Formula Renault, the British Touring Car Championship, GTs and Porsche Supercup

He made his TCR Australia debut last year after relocating to Australia from his birthplace in the United Kingdom and scored a sensational maiden victory in the fourth round at Winton Motor Raceway on his way to finishing eighth on the championship standings.

Tom will start his 2024 title campaign in proven championship-winning machinery behind the wheel of a Hyundai i30 N TCR, which scored five race victories in 2023 in the hands of Bailey Sweeny.

He is excited to join the championship-winning team and confident he will be a front-running title contender in the 2024 Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Championship which starts at Sandown Raceway in Victoria on Feb 9-11.

Tom Oliphant – Driver, Hyundai i30 N TCR car #15

“I’m very excited to be back in the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series for 2024 and joining the reigning champions in HMO Customer Racing. They are a team that knows how to win and the Hyundai i30 N has proven its pace over the last few years. I gained lots of experience and made big steps forward in my debut season and I feel HMO will provide a great environment for me to progress further. I’ve already tested the car and I feel right at home, so I’m confident we can push for some strong results from the opening round.”

HMO Customer Racing team owner, Barry Morcom.

“As the defending teams’ champions in the TCR Australia Championship, it is critical that HMO Customer Racing has race-winning drivers in race-winning cars, and we believe we have all the right ingredients to defend our title in 2024. Tom had a stellar debut last year with some outstanding results and I am confident that with Josh Buchan and Tom in our cars this year we have one of the most exciting and talented driver line-ups on the grid.”

HMO Customer Racing chief engineer, Rob Benson

“HMO Customer Racing is excited to welcome Tom Oliphant to the team for the 2024 TCR Australia Championship alongside our defending champion, Josh Buchan. Tom brings a wealth of knowledge to us from his previous experience racing in some of the most competitive touring car championships in the world. His race victory at Winton during his rookie season in the TCR Australia Championship was a standout performance, and we are confident that HMO Customer Racing and Hyundai will provide him with more opportunities to visit the winner’s podium this year.”

Tom Oliphant Bio

Born: 21/8/1990, Tarporley, United Kingdom

Lives: Wollongong, NSW, Australia

Racing Career

2002-2011: British go-karting championships

2012: British Formula Renault Championship, 16th

2013: British Formula Renault Championship, 13^th and British Ginetta GT Supercup, 21^st

2014: British Ginetta GT4 Supercup, 5^th and British GT Championship (GT4), 4^th

2015: British Ginetta GT4 Supercup, 1st and British GT Championship, 24^th

2016: Porsche Carrera Cup GB, 4^th and Porsche Supercup, NC

2017: Porsche GT3 Middle East, 4^th, Porsche Carrera Cup GB, 4^th and Porsche Supercup, NC

2018: Porsche GT3 Middle East, NC and British Touring Car Championship, 22^nd

2019: British Touring Car Championship, 11^th

2020: British Touring Car Championship, 6^th

2021: British Touring Car Championship, 16^th

2022: British Touring Car Championship, 30^th2023: TCR Australia Championship, 8^th and TCR World Tour, 23rd

HMO Customer Racing’s Josh Buchan clinched the 2023 TCR Australia Championship in a dramatic final round at Mount Panorama on Sunday.

The 28-year-old Sydneysider battled against the best touring car drivers in the world as Bathurst played host to the second Australian TCR World Tour round, overtaking his teammate Bailey Sweeny who was hampered by mechanical gremlins all weekend.

Buchan finished the season with 807 points with team mate Bailey Sweeny in third, helping HMO Customer Racing score its third TCR Australia Teams’ Championship.

The HMO Customer Racing teammates were evenly matched during practice, with Buchan and Sweeny finishing fourth and fifth in the opening session. The duo reversed the order in the second hit-out, with Sweeny crossing the line with the 10^th fastest time while Buchan was less than 0.1sec slower in 11^th.

The drama began to unfold in qualifying as Sweeny’s Hyundai i30 N TCR was hobbled by a turbo charger problem that significantly affected his top speed on the critical long straights of Mount Panorama. Although he set the fastest sector across the twists and turns across the top of the mountain, he missed out on promotion to the top 10 shootout for the first time this season, finishing in 16^th position.

Buchan, meanwhile, progressed into the final session of qualifying as one of only two TCR Australia competitors to match the TCR World Tour rivals, setting the eighth fastest time in his Hyundai i30 Sedan N TCR.

He maintained that position in a relatively trouble-free first 11-lap race, which handed him a second row start for the reverse-grid second race and closed the championship gap to Sweeny, who recovered a few positions to cross the line in 12^th.

Buchan lost ground during the opening laps of the second race after he was boxed out by the aggressive international competitors and lacked pace on used tyres, falling back to 11^th – but third among the TCR Australia drivers – at the chequered flag.

Sweeny, meanwhile, further succumbed to turbocharger issues, and made numerous unscheduled visits to the pitlane to rectify the issue. While he crossed the finished line in 21^st position, he wasn’t officially classified.

With a point to prove in the final race, Sweeny bolted from 17^th on the grid to charge through to eighth place – and second of the TCR Australia competitors – only to be disqualified after the race for a technical infringement owing to the turbo charger issues, relegating him to third in the championship standings.

Buchan, meanwhile, nursed his advantage and stayed out of trouble to finish 12^th (fourth in TCR Australia) in the final race to seal his first Australian motor racing championship.

Car 30: i30 Sedan N TCR – Josh Buchan

“What a crazy weekend, and a tough way to wrap up the championship. We started off with good pace in practice, made it into the Top 10 shootout for qualifying and then had a good result in the first race that really set us up for the rest of the weekend.

I didn’t have much in the last two races and really was just holding on. I was on the radio for the whole time during the last race just asking where I was and what I needed to do to bring it home. Thankfully, it was enough… and here we are, champions for 2023!

“It’s a massive relief. I haven’t won a national championship before, and I’m lost for words at the moment. But super relieved it’s done.”

Car 130: i30 N TCR – Bailey Sweeny

“It’s been a bittersweet weekend at Bathurst, and a weekend of what could have been. We started off strong in practice on Friday and should have had a top five car, which would have been enough to clinch the title. But we were on the back foot from Race 1 with mechanical issues that we kept chasing.

“It was good to show the pace we should have had in the final race, as we were one of the fastest cars on track and it was great fun racing from 17^th through to eighth.

“To come so close is hard to take and to say I’m disappointed is a bit of understatement. But congratulations to Josh and the team, and I’m proud of the results we’ve had this year on my side of the garage with race wins, pole positions and leading the championship for almost the entire year.”

Race Results: Round 7, Mount Panorama, NSW

	Josh Buchan	Bailey Sweeny
Practice 1	P4 (2:17.0646sec)	P5 (2:17.1395sec)
Practice 2	P11 (2:16.0020sec)	P10 (2:15.9286sec)
Qualifying	P8 (2:15.1008sec)	P16 (2:15.9187sec)
Race 1	P8 (2:16.6804sec)	P12 (2:16.7331sec)
Race 2	P11 (2:17.3900sec)	DNF (2:26:9432sec)
Race 3	P12 (2:18.1057sec)	DSQ (2:16.2725sec)

2023 TCR Australia Championship Standings

Position	Name	Car	Points
1.	Josh Buchan	Hyundai i30 Sedan N TCR	807
2.	Tony D’Alberto	Honda Civic Type R	759
3.	Bailey Sweeny	Hyundai i30 N TCR	748
4	Aaron Cameron	Peugeot 308 TCR	743
5.	Lachlan Minneef	Audi RS3 LMS	659
6.	Jordan Cox	Peugeot 308 TCR	656
7.	Ben Bargwanna	Peugeot 308 R	602
8.	Tom Oliphant	Lynk&Co 3 TCR	564
9.	Michael Clemente	Cupra Leon TCR	504
10.	Zac Soutar	Audi RS3 LMS	477

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Hyundai drivers Josh Buchan and Bailey Sweeny matched the world’s best touring car drivers in a challenging, weather-effected first Australian round of the TCR World Tour at Sydney Motorsport Park.

The HMO Customer Racing teammates scored a double podium – finishing second and third on points among the local drivers – in the sixth and penultimate round of the TCR Australia Championship.

The duo now heads into the championship-deciding final round of the 2023 TCR Australia series – and another round of the TCR World Tour – at Mount Panorama next weekend at the top of the driver’s standings, with Sweeny holding a 29-point advantage over Buchan.

The condensed two-day schedule at Sydney Motorsport Park started on a positive note for HMO Customer Racing with Buchan setting the fastest time in a 15-minute warm-up session.

Both drivers fine-tuned their machines on used tyres during the opening practice session to finish with the 12^th and 13^th fastest times respectively and backed-up their pace with Buchan slotting into the top 10, in ninth, in second practice, followed by Sweeny in 11^th.

A light rain shower hit the track moments before qualifying, throwing a spanner in the works. Both drivers made it through the first section but chose an alternate tyre strategy for the top 10 shootout: Sweeny opting to run on four slick tyres while Buchan continued with an off-set slick front/wet rear set-up. With the track drying, Sweeny’s inspired gamble paid dividends as he set the fourth fastest time while Buchan could only manage seventh.

The first 17-lap race, held under lights, was a frantic affair. Buchan and Sweeny were among the fastest cars in the opening segment and closing in on the leaders when a sudden downpour created havoc and the majority of runners – including both Buchan and Sweeny – skidded off the track at Turn Two, leading to a red flag stoppage.

When the race re-started, both drivers struggled on wet tyres and fell back through the field with Sweeny crossing the finish line in 14^th and Buchan in 16^th.

Fired-up for the second race, held in dry conditions, Buchan showed the true pace of his HMO Customer Racing Hyundai i30 Sedan N TCR by charging into the top five and challenging factory Hyundai driver and TCR World Tour Championship leader, Hungarian Norbert Michelisz, with Sweeny tailing him home in sixth.

Buchan repeated his form with another fifth-place finish in the final 17-lapper under lights, while Sweeny consolidated his TCR Championship lead by staying out of trouble in 11^th.

The seventh and final round of the 2023 TCR Australia Championship will be held at Mount Panorama, Bathurst, on November 10-12 as part of the TCR World Tour.

Car 30: i30 Sedan N TCR – Josh Buchan

“Wow, what an up-and-down weekend that was. It started off pretty well being the quickest in the warm-up, and then we just fine-tuned the car through the practice sessions. We proved to be the quickest in every race and were flying in race one before the downpour.

“We definitely had a car to fight at the front this weekend, but we lost track position on the wet tyres in the second half of the opening race and had to fight back from there. Picking off 15 spots in the last two races was pretty crazy and shows what could have been.

“Now, it’s just eyes forward looking at Bathurst. I’ve reduced the gap to Sweeny out in front and increased the gap to third behind me, so all-in-all it’s not too bad. Sweeny is pretty quick up at the mountain, but we’ve always picked up a trophy at Bathurst and if there is a move to be made then we’ll take it.”

Car 130: i30 N TCR – Bailey Sweeny

“Our goal this weekend was to protect the championship lead heading into Bathurst, and we managed to do just that. But it wasn’t easy. We looked good after qualifying on the second row, but then really struggled for pace in the wet in the second half of race one – that was crazy!

“That put us on the back foot for the rest of the weekend, but we had great speed in the dry and we showed our pace coming through from 14^th to sixth in race two. The last race, I just got boxed around a bit at the beginning, so I let them go to stay out of trouble.

“Bathurst is one of my strongest tracks: we had two rounds there last year and I won both of them. So I’m confident we can repeat that next weekend and take home the championship.”

Race Results: Round 6, Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW

	Josh Buchan	Bailey Sweeny
Practice 1	P13 (1:36.4157sec)	P12 (1:36.2981sec)
Practice 2	P9 (1:35.8777sec)	P11 (1:35.9231sec)
Qualifying	P7 (1:43.1993sec)	P4 (1:39.3579sec)
Race 1	P16 (1:37.0801sec)	P14 (1:37.7386sec)
Race 2	P5 (1:36.0981sec – FL)	P6 (1:36.4159sec)
Race 3	P5 (1:36.4657sec)	P11 (1:36.8123sec)

2023 TCR Australia Championship Standings

Position	Name	Car	Points
1.	Bailey Sweeny	Hyundai i30 N TCR	708
2.	Josh Buchan	Hyundai i30 Sedan N TCR	679
3	Aaron Cameron	Peugeot 308 TCR	659
4.	Tony D’Alberto	Honda Civic Type R	612
5.	Jordan Cox	Peugeot 308 TCR	598
6.	Lachlan Minneef	Audi RS3 LMS	571
7.	Ben Bargwanna	Peugeot 308 R	526
8.	Tom Oliphant	Lynk&Co 3 TCR	470
9.	Michael Clemente	Cupra Leon TCR	434
10.	Will Brown	Audi RS3 LMS	404

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HMO Customer Racing’s Bailey Sweeny and Josh Buchan are looking to match it with the world’s best touring car drivers at Sydney Motorsport Park this weekend in the first of two back-to-back rounds of the TCR World Tour in Australia.

The Hyundai teammates head into the penultimate round of the TCR Australia Championship at the top of the driver’s standings having dominated the early stages of the season with seven race victories from the previous 15 starts.

However, the team will face a host of additional challenges at Sydney Motorsport Park with 10 international drivers joining the field, including reigning champion Mikel Azcona and current TCR World Tour championship leader, Norbert Michelisz, both driving the latest-generation Hyundai Elantra N TCRs for the title-winning BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse.

The 25-car field – the largest grid ever for a TCR Australia Championship event – will compete over a condensed two-day program that culminates with two of the three races run under lights.

Sydney Motorsport Park has been a happy hunting ground for HMO Customer Racing, particularly for Buchan who scored his first TCR victory at the 3.93km circuit in 2021 and dominated the most recent round held there last year with pole position and two race wins.

HMO Customer Racing will have two 30-minute practice sessions at Sydney Motorsport Park on Friday afternoon to fine tune the cars ahead of qualifying in the evening and the opening race, which starts at 8:40pm. The team will return on Saturday afternoon for the two remaining 17-lap sprints, with the top-10 finishers from Friday’s race reversed for the second race.

Fans can catch all the action from Sydney Motorsport and the Motorsport Australia Shannons Speed Series live and on-demand via Stan Sport and the Nine Network.

What the drivers said:

Car 30: i30 Sedan N TCR – Josh Buchan

“There’s been a lot of excitement building up to the TCR World Tour rounds in Australia, and it’s going to be really interesting to see how competitive we are against the best touring car drivers in the world. But, really, it’s just another race weekend for us with a whole bunch of new drivers that we don’t know their names.

“I just want to put on a good performance for myself, and the guys on the team – they’re the ones I’m racing for – and hopefully jag some great results against the internationals. Sydney Motorsport Park has been a happy hunting ground for me in the past, and I’m confident we’ll be fast again this weekend. But I’m not going to be driving any faster just because they are here, and I’m certainly not going to drive any slower. We’ve got a better idea of the car the more rounds we do, and if it’s fast enough at Sydney then we will be right up there.

“It would be amazing to perform well against those guys: win or lose. The Australian standard is ridiculously high, and I think we can race hard against them.”

Car 130: i30 N TCR – Bailey Sweeny

“I’m looking forward to seeing how we compare to the international competition this weekend. I don’t think we’ll have as much advantage at Sydney Motorsport Park as we will the following weekend at Bathurst, as the track is very similar to European circuits in its character. Plus, they’ve got an extra practice session to get up to speed. It will be gloves off that’s for sure.

“Racing under lights will introduce a pretty cool dynamic, and an extra challenge for us all to chase the car to suit the changing conditions. It will be the same for everyone.

“From my perspective, the priority is to protect our lead in the championship heading into the final round at Bathurst where I’m confident we will have a strong result. So, it’s important to have a clean weekend at Sydney and not get tangled up in any incidents and score good points in every race.”

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2023 TCR Australia Championship Standings – after Rd 5, Sandown Raceway.

Position	Name	Car	Points
1.	Bailey Sweeny	Hyundai i30 N TCR	589
2.	Josh Buchan	Hyundai i30 Sedan N TCR	559
3	Aaron Cameron	Peugeot 308 TCR	551
4.	Tony D’Alberto	Honda Civic Type R	506
5.	Jordan Cox	Peugeot 308 TCR	496
6.	Ben Bargwanna	Peugeot 308 R	486
7.	Lachlan Minneef	Audi RS3 LMS	465
8.	Michael Clemente	Cupra Leon TCR	434
9.	Kody Garland	Peugeot 308 TCR	389
10.	Tom Oliphant	Lynk&Co 3 TCR	356

HMO Customer Racing has reclaimed its front-running form with two race victories – and the overall victory – for Bailey Sweeny in the fifth round of the 2023 TCR Australia Championship at Sandown International Raceway.

It is the third outright victory for Sweeny this year, and the fourth for HMO Customer Racing which has now won seven of the 12 races held so far this season.

Sweeny also scored his maiden pole position in the TCR Australia Championship at Sandown and returned to the top of the championship standings. The 20-year-old holds a 30-point advantage over teammate Josh Buchan as the series heads into the final two rounds at Sydney Motorsport Park and Mount Panorama where they will face an international challenge with 12 of the world’s best TCR drivers arriving in Australia as part of the new-for-2023 TCR World Tour.

In typical Melbourne fashion, the Sandown round began in wet and cold conditions for the opening practice session on Friday which both drivers treated conservatively with Sweeny setting the eighth fastest laptime while Buchan was 13^th.

The conditions improved in the afternoon, allowing the team to focus on fine tuning the Hyundai i30 N and Hyundai i30 Sedan N TCR machines. Both drivers improved their positions, with Sweeny in fifth and Buchan in seventh.

In qualifying, Sweeny literally saved his best for the very last lap to snatch his first pole position in TCR Australia while Buchan mustered the sixth fastest time in the i30 Sedan N TCR.

Unfortunately, Sweeny didn’t hold the top spot for too long when the lights went green for the opening race as he was swamped off the start line and then boxed out in a mixed-field melee on the opening lap. He crossed the finish line in fifth place but was later relegated to ninth following a post-race five-second penalty, which in turn elevated Buchan to seventh.

Coincidentally, this gave Sweeny another front-row start in the second race where the top 10 grid positions are reversed. He didn’t waste the opportunity this time around and quickly stormed into the lead to win by a comfortable 2.5 second margin and score HMO Customer Racing’s first victory at Sandown Raceway. Buchan battled with the mid-field runners to greet the chequered flag in fifth place.

Starting from pole position again in the third race, Sweeny once again lost ground off the start line but charged his way to the front after just three laps and managed the rest of the race to cross the finish line first, with Buchan in seventh.

The sixth round of the 2023 TCR Australia Championship will be held under lights at Sydney Motorsport Park on November 3-4 as part of the TCR World Tour.

What the Drivers said

Car 30: i30 Sedan N TCR – Josh Buchan

“We knew coming into Sandown that the track wouldn’t play to the strengths of the Hyundai i30 Sedan N TCR, and we weren’t wrong – it was a pretty tough weekend on our side of the garage. We lack straight line speed, and Sandown’s long straights really highlighted that. We had good lap speed, but we couldn’t race when there were cars around us, and it made me a bit of a sitting duck.

“We worked hard all weekend and still scored good points in each of the three races. We’re still second in the championship and we’ve got two tracks to finish off the year that I’m really looking forward to and think will suit our car a lot better.”

Car 130: i30 N TCR – Bailey Sweeny

“I couldn’t be happier with two race wins, my first pole position and reclaiming the championship lead that I’ve held all year except for after the last round in Queensland. It’s great to have a bit of a buffer on the championship ladder heading into the final two rounds with the TCR World Tour, because I reckon there could be a bit of chaos with those guys on the grid at Sydney Motorsport Park and Bathurst. But I can’t wait to get stuck into it against them.”

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Race Results: Round 5, Sandown Raceway, Victoria

	Josh Buchan	Bailey Sweeny
Practice 1	P13 (1:24.1734sec)	P8 (1:23.2276sec)
Practice 2	P7 (1:16.2149sec)	P5 (1:15.9433sec)
Qualifying	P6 (1:14.6466sec)	P1 (1:14.1457sec)
Race 1	P7 (1:15.6938sec)	P9 (1:15.1425sec
Race 2	P5 (1:5.5556sec)	P1 (1:14.89065sec)
Race 3	P7 (1:15.5163sec)	P1 (1:14.9583sec – FL)

2023 TCR Australia Championship Standings (provisional)

Position	Name	Car	Points
1.	Bailey Sweeny	Hyundai i30 N TCR	589
2.	Josh Buchan	Hyundai i30 Sedan N TCR	559
3	Aaron Cameron	Peugeot 308 TCR	551
4.	Tony D’Alberto	Honda Civic Type R	506
5.	Jordan Cox	Peugeot 308 TCR	496
6.	Ben Bargwanna	Peugeot 308 R	486
7.	Lachlan Minneef	Audi RS3 LMS	465
8.	Michael Clemente	Cupra Leon TCR	434
9.	Kody Garland	Peugeot 308 TCR	389
10.	Tom Oliphant	Lynk&Co 3 TCR	356

Hyundai drivers Josh Buchan and Bailey Sweeny are doing a rain dance to help extend their title lead ahead of this weekend’s fifth round of the 2023 TCR Australia Championship at Melbourne’s Sandown Raceway.

Buchan overtook Sweeny at the top of the championship ladder in the previous round at Queensland Raceway, and heads into a potentially soggy Sandown showdown just one point clear of his teammate.

Both drivers are hoping the predicted cold and wet weather is accurate as it will potentially negate the success penalties they carry from dominating the opening part of the championship, in which HMO Customer Racing has won five of the 12 races run so far this season.

The historic 3.1km Sandown Raceway is located in the south-west suburbs of Melbourne and is dictated by its two long straights, which rewards a car with excellent traction out of slow corners and good straight-line speed. These attributes are compromised in dry conditions when carrying additional weight.

So, Buchan and Sweeny are hoping to use their wet weather driving talent at Sandown to storm to the front in their respective i30 Sedan N TCR and i30 N TCR machinery and maintain their championship momentum.

Sandown will host the last event of the Shannons Speed Series before the teams face an armada of international competitors in the Australian leg of the TCR World Tour with the final two rounds at Sydney Motorsport Park and Mount Panorama.

HMO Customer Racing will have two 30-minute practice sessions at Sandown on Friday to fine tune the cars ahead of qualifying on Saturday before three races over the remainder of the weekend.

Fans can catch all the action from Sandown Raceway and the Motorsport Australia Shannons Speed Series live and on-demand via Stan Sport.

What the drivers said:

Car 30: i30 Sedan N TCR – Josh Buchan

“I’m hoping for a repeat of last year, with lots of rain and lots of chaos. It’s what we want, as – like Queensland Raceway – it’s not the kind of track that will play to our strengths in normal conditions. Having said that, the two sections of corners in between the drag strips are some of my favourite stretches of bitumen in Australia.

“I don’t know how realistic it will be to hold on to the championship lead – even after qualifying – this weekend, but I’ll do my best. There are still two big events to come after this with the TCR World Tour at Sydney Motorsport Park and the Bathurst International, and while it’s nice to lead it doesn’t mean much at this point. I’ve got my eyes forward on the rest of the year and making sure I’m there at the end, and not just right now.”

Car 130: i30 N TCR – Bailey Sweeny

“It looks like we’re in for another potential wet weekend at Sandown. We had some pretty horrendous weather there last year, so I’m not scared about that as we had good pace in both the wet and dry conditions.

“It would actually be good for us if it is raining as it will help lessen the impact we have carrying the maximum success penalty from qualifying at Queensland Raceway, even though we had a shocker of a weekend after that.

“My focus is regaining the championship lead again after holding it for the entire year, except for one race, and set us up with good momentum heading into the two TCR World Tour rounds to finish the year.”

2023 TCR Australia Championship Standings – after Rd 4, Queensland Raceway.

Position	Name	Car	Points
1.	Josh Buchan	Hyundai i30 Sedan N TCR	457
2.	Bailey Sweeny	Hyundai i30 N TCR	456
3.	Aaron Cameron	Peugeot 308 TCR	425
4.	Jordan Cox	Peugeot 308 TCR	400
5.	Tony D’Alberto	Honda Civic Type R	387
6.	Lachlan Minneef	Audi RS3 LMS	384
7.	Ben Bargwanna	Peugeot 308 TCR	382
8.	Michael Clemente	Cupra Leon TCR	372
9.	Kody Garland	Peugeot 308 TCR	313
10.	Brad Harris	Honda Civic Type R	273

Round 5: Sandown Raceway

Track Facts
Location	Melbourne, Victoria
Length	3.104 km
TCR Pole Record	1:12.2299 sec, Jay Hanson (Audi RS3 LMS) – 2022
TCR Lap Record	1:14.6863 sec, Will Brown (Hyundai i30 TCR) – 2019

TCR Schedule – Round 5: Queensland Raceway

Friday September 8	Saturday September 9	Sunday September 10
Practice 1: 11:35am	Qualifying: 11:40am	Race 2: 12:40pm
Practice 2: 2:45pm	Race 1: 3:35pm	Race 3: 4:15pm

HMO Customer Racing drivers Josh Buchan and Bailey Sweeny have swapped positions at the top of the 2023 TCR Australia Championship after a challenging fourth round of the series at Queensland Raceway.

On a weekend of missed opportunities for the Hyundai team, Buchan inherited the championship lead – by a solitary point – after Sweeny was forced to fight back from an electrical issue that led to him being disqualified from the first of three races held on the technical 3.13km circuit.

The weekend started with plenty of potential, with Sweeny and Buchan setting the fifth and sixth fastest times in the opening practice session. Sweeny, the 20-year-old winner of last year’s Rookie of the Year award, showcased his pace in the second practice session with the second fastest time, while Buchan’s mechanics fine-tuned the handling of his Hyundai i30 Sedan N TCR but he could only manage 10^th place on well-used tyres.

Sweeny backed-up his speed in qualifying with the second fastest time – just 0.17sec behind the polesitter – while Buchan narrowly missed out on a second-row starting position, ending the session with the seventh-fastest time.

The HMO Customer Racing garage was sent into a frenzy moments before the opening race when Sweeny’s car failed to start with an unexpected electrical issue. The team scrambled to get the Hyundai i30 N TCR out of the garage in time for a pit lane start, but the car stalled moments before the start and was forced back into the garage. He managed to get out on track two laps behind the leaders and soldiered through the remainder of the race while managing the issue.

However, he was later disqualified from the results with the race stewards declaring the vehicle was not re-started in accordance to the regulations.

Buchan, meanwhile, was involved in a titanic mid-field tussle all the way throughout the 21-lap opening race, and eventually made up two positions to cross the finish line in fifth position.

He couldn’t capitalise on the improved starting position in the second race with the top-10 placegetters in reverse order after he was boxed out in a wheel-banging brawl on the opening lap and lost one place to finish sixth.

Similarly, Sweeny couldn’t take full advantage of his outright speed now that his car was fully repaired, having been forced to start from the rear of the grid. But he managed to charge his way through the backmarkers and climbed from 13^th to finish ninth.

Both drivers were hampered during the final race by unnecessary driving incidents. Sweeny, again starting from the back of the grid, was held-up by the slowest drivers during the opening laps, and then, once past them, he was nudged off the track following an ambitious overtaking move under brakes in the final turn.

He quickly reclaimed his position in front of them and set about charging his way through the mid-field runners to cross the finish line in sixth. He was later classified in fifth following a post-race penalty for defending champion Tony D’Alberto.

Buchan, meanwhile, was forced to react and avoid a desperate first-lap attack from rival Jordan Cox, who collided with his i30 Sedan N TCR and damaged the front suspension. The 28-year-old managed to continue and soldiered through with his mis-handling machine to finish seventh.

The fifth round of the 2023 TCR Australia Championship will be held at Sandown Raceway in Victoria on September 8-10.

Car 30: i30 Sedan N TCR – Josh Buchan

“Queensland Raceway hasn’t been kind to us again, but I leave here with the lead of the series – somehow! It was a weird weekend on my side of the garage, as we never really had a fast car other than in qualifying and I made a slight error there which cost us a second row starting position that could have led to a much better outcome in the races. That’s on me, and I should have done a better job.

“In terms of the racing, this track does not suit our car one bit. To get away with more points than my teammate Bailey, and lead the series, means I can’t complain at all. I could have had a better result in the third race but got speared into.

“All in all, there is a silver lining to a tough weekend and I’m happy to roll onto Sandown in the championship lead.”

Car 130: i30 N TCR – Bailey Sweeny

“This weekend really threw everything at us, and it was a real character-building event on my side of the garage as nothing seemed to go right for us. The pace was there in the car, which we showed in qualifying and then fighting back through the field in the final race. I am confident we had the second quickest car all weekend, but the results don’t show that.

“We’re still in the battle, but we should have extended the lead we had in the championship coming into this round.”

Race Results: Round 4, Queensland Raceway, Victoria

	Josh Buchan	Bailey Sweeny
Practice 1	P11 (1:15.6502sec)	P4 (1:14.8496sec)
Practice 2	P10 (1:15.2359sec)	P2 (1:14.5483sec)
Qualifying	P7 (1:14.2364sec)	P2 (1:13.8942sec)
Race 1	P5 (1:15.1291sec)	DSQ
Race 2	P6 (1:15.8994sec)	P9 (1:6.1195sec)
Race 3	P6 (1:16.1270sec)	P5 (1:150168sec)

2023 TCR Australia Championship Standings (provisional)

Position	Name	Car	Points
1.	Josh Buchan	Hyundai i30 Sedan N TCR	457
2.	Bailey Sweeny	Hyundai i30 N TCR	456
3	Aaron Cameron	Peugeot 308 TCR	425
4.	Jordan Cox	Peugeot 308 TCR	400
5.	Tony D’Alberto	Honda Civic Type R	387
6.	Lachlan Minneef	Audi RS3 LMS	384
7.	Ben Bargwanna	Peugeot 308 R	382
8.	Michael Clemente	Cupra Leon TCR	372
9.	Kody Garland	Peugeot 308 TCR	313
10.	Brad Harris	Honda Civic Type R	273

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Hyundai is hoping to maintain its winning form in the TCR Australia Championship and breakthrough for its first victory at Queensland Raceway during this weekend’s fourth third round of the series.

HMO Customer Racing has dominated the opening rounds of the 2023 TCR Australia Championship with Bailey Sweeny and Josh Buchan currently occupying the top two positions in the drivers’ championship, having won five of the nine races held so far.

But the team faces a tough challenge at Queensland Raceway this weekend as it has never finished higher than fourth on the demanding 3.13km circuit, located near Ipswich, south-west of Brisbane.

However, a productive pre-event test session last week has given the team critical set-up information, and allowed both drivers to fine-tune their machines at a circuit where thousands of a second will likely make the difference in qualifying.

With only six corners, Queensland Raceway places huge emphasis on braking performance, traction and straight-line speed, all of which will be compromised by the weight penalties carried by Sweeny and Buchan as a result of their success in setting the second and third fastest times respectively in qualifying for the previous round at Winton Motor Raceway.

Sweeny has the best form at HMO Customer Racing heading to Queensland Raceway, having scored two top-five finishes in his rookie season last year.

HMO Customer Racing will have two 30-minute practice sessions on Friday to fine tune the cars ahead of qualifying on Saturday before three races over the remainder of the weekend.

Fans can catch all the action from Queensland Raceway and the Motorsport Australia Shannons Speed Series live and on-demand via Stan Sport.

What the drivers said:

Car 30: i30 Sedan N TCR – Josh Buchan

“Historically, Queensland Raceway has been a bit of a bogey track for us at HMO Customer Racing. We got ambushed there last year on my side of the garage with a failure in first practice and then rain in the second practice, so I went into qualifying completely blind. And then I got my pants pulled down a bit.

“But we don’t have any excuses this year in terms of preparation. The test was extremely productive in getting a head start on the weekend ahead of us, and we’ll take what we’ve learned and hit the ground running.

“It’s not going be an easy weekend with the success ballast we’re carrying in the Hyundai i30 Sedan N TCR, but I’ve got the best team around me and if I can just chip away at it and stay out of trouble then I’m positive we’ll have a great result.”

Car 130: i30 N TCR – Bailey Sweeny

“We had good speed at Queensland Raceway last year with a couple of top five results, and a good fightback from being turned around in the other race. So, I’m looking forward to improving on those results this weekend and maintain my position at the top of the championship as we head into the second half of the season.

“We had a really positive test day there which we highlighted some areas of the car we had to improve, which is really beneficial to understand before this weekend.

“I like Queensland Raceway as a circuit, and it always produces great action for the fans who can see the whole track from wherever they are watching. The big braking zones really suit my driving style, so hopefully we can put on a great show and come away with a podium – or two!”

Track Facts	Queensland Raceway
Location	Ipswich, Queensland
Length	3.13km
TCR Pole Record	1:12.52sec – Tony D’Alberto, Honda Civic Type R (2022)
TCR Lap Record	1:13.90sec – Jay Hanson, Audi RS3 LMS (2022)

Hyundai cemented its position as title contenders for the 2023 TCR Championship with a 1-2 finish in the third round of the series at Winton Motor Raceway.

Bailey Sweeny extended his championship lead with two podiums from three races, including a lights-to-flag victory in the final sprint, while teammate Josh Buchan climbed to second position on the drivers’ standings with third and second-place finishes.

HMO Customer Racing has now won five of the nine races held so far in the 2023 TCR Australia Championship.

Both HMO Customer Racing drivers hit the track with immediate pace, as Buchan and Sweeny finished second and third in the opening practice session. Sweeny again set the third-fastest time in the second practice session while Buchan spent the majority of the session in the garage fine-tuning his i30 Sedan N TCR and finished in 10^th position.

In qualifying, Sweeny was on course for a last-lap dash that would have landed him on pole position, only to be baulked by a slower rival in the tightest section of the circuit forcing him to settle for a front-row start in second position with Buchan just behind in third place.

Buchan made a fast start to the opening 18-lap race, blasting into second position as the field stormed towards the first corner and then maintained position for the first two laps. However, he was caught out by slippery conditions while exiting a corner and veered off the circuit, losing two places to teammate Sweeny and Zac Soutar to come home fourth.

Sweeny, having never officially raced at Winton before, was consistently the fastest driver on track as he chased down race leader Michael Clemente, closing to within 1.2 seconds when the chequered flag dropped.

With the top-10 positions reversed for the second race, Buchan and Sweeny charged through the field to make-up positions, with Buchan taking third and Sweeny improving from ninth to fifth.

This ensured that both HMO Customer Racing cars occupied the front row of the grid for the final race. When the lights went out, Sweeny bolted away from the start and was never challenged, eventually crossing the finish line 20 seconds clear of teammate Buchan, who had to fend off numerous attacks during the race.

The fourth round of the 2023 TCR Australia Championship will be held at Queensland Raceway on August 11-13.

What the Driver’s said

Car 30: i30 Sedan N TCR – Josh Buchan

“Wow, we’ve certainly exceeded our expectations this weekend with two surprising – and fantastic – podiums and a great haul of points that has put us right up there in the championship standings. We were carrying the maximum weight penalty for our success at Phillip Island, and we really thought it would have a massive impact on our performance with the tight layout of Winton.

“It’s a credit to the team to get both cars up the front, and a tremendous result for Bailey. To be next to him on the podium was a great feeling.”

Car 130: i30 N TCR – Bailey Sweeny

“We had mega potential right from the outset, which we didn’t really get to show until the final race. That was my biggest win – by 20 seconds – which I rapt about, and adding to the race win tally.

“It’s been a solid weekend for us in terms of the championship too, and the gap just seems to be getting bigger and bigger, which is something I like to see.”

2023 TCR Australia Championship Standings

1	Bailey Sweeny	Hyundai i30 N TCR	387
2	Josh Buchan	Hyundai i30 Sedan N TCR	351
3	Jordan Cox	Peugeot 308 TCR	326
4	Aaron Cameron	Peugeot 308 TCR	307
5	Lachlan Mineef	Audi RS3 LMS	302
6	Ben Bargwanna	Peugeot 308 TCR	288
7	Tony D’Alberto	Honda Civic Type R	280
8	Michael Clemente	Cupra Leon TCR	274
9	Tom Oliphant	Alfa Romeo Giulietta	268
10	Kody Garland	Peugeot 308 TCR	264

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Hyundai is hoping to maintain its winning ways in the TCR Australia Championship as the third round of the series will be held at Winton Motor Raceway in rural Victoria this weekend.

HMO Customer Racing has won all four of the non-reverse grid races so far this year, with Bailey Sweeny scoring a double victory in the opening round at Symmons Plains in Tasmania and Josh Buchan taking the breakthrough first pole position and two race wins for the new-generation Hyundai i30 Sedan N TCR at Phillip Island last month.

As a result, Sweeny extended his lead in the 2023 TCR Australia Championship while Buchan climbed to fourth on the drivers’ standings and is now the highest placed Australian driver in the TCR World Rankings in 29^th position.

“It was a great confidence boost for the whole team with the first race wins for the Hyundai i30 Sedan N TCR at Phillip Island,” said Buchan.

“I think back to when I first started racing in TCR and I managed to take my first win in the fourth round, and we were jumping for joy. Now, even though we’ve accelerated that process by winning with the new car at only its third round, we still have our feet on the ground and immediately set our focus forward to ensuring we maintain that position as we head to Winton this weekend.

“That’s a sign that our expectations are greater this year.”

The tight and twisty nature of the 3.0km Winton Motor Raceway, located near Benalla in central Victoria, presents a totally different set of demands on the cars and drivers compared to the fast and flowing Phillip Island circuit.

Buchan isn’t underestimating the challenge ahead of him either, as he will be carrying 40kg of success ballast as a result of qualifying on pole position at Phillip Island.

“Qualifying will be extremely important for us this weekend, but I’m confident we will have a good race car,” he added.

Despite never have raced at Winton before, Sweeny believes he can maintain his front-running form and defend his championship lead this weekend, knowing that his Hyundai i30 N TCR has race-winning pedigree at the circuit.

HMO Customer Racing scored pole position and two race victories with Will Brown in the only previous TCR Australia Championship event to be held at Winton, in 2019.

HMO Customer Racing will have two 30 minute practice sessions on Friday to fine tune the cars ahead of qualifying on Saturday before three races over the remainder of the weekend.

Fans can catch all the action from Winton and the Motorsport Australia Shannons Speed Series live and on-demand via Stan Sport.

What the drivers said:

Car 30: i30 Sedan N TCR – Josh Buchan

“Even though I’ve never raced in TCR at Winton, it is a track we are no stranger to as it was the circuit where we first tested the Hyundai i30 Sedan N TCR, and I have driven plenty of laps around the place.

“It’s certainly not the most ideal track to be carrying the maximum weight penalty, as it is very narrow and technical. For us, that places a huge emphasis on qualifying and – wherever we end up – I’m sure I’ll need to get the elbows out to either attack or defend. In saying that, I’m confident we have a great race car, and we have to consolidate our position with a clean weekend.

“I’m not carried away with the championship positions just yet. I know some of my rivals will have a point to prove this weekend, but I’ll be happy to stay out of trouble and play in the slips if there’s chaos around me.”

Car 130: i30 N TCR – Bailey Sweeny

“I’ve never actually raced at Winton before, but I’ve done plenty of laps around there so I’m looking forward to getting stuck into it this weekend. It’s a great track where you have to be really aggressive, and where thousandths of a second can make a massive difference in qualifying. It’s going to be really tight in qualifying; a bit like Symmons Plains, which we won.

“I know the car and the team have the speed to win, as they did with Will Brown in 2019, so I’m confident we have the package to be competitive. The only variable will be the weather, which places an unknown element of jeopardy. I’m obviously hoping it is dry. But I’m 100 percent prepared to get the elbows out and defend my position at the top of the championship standings.”