Category: News

Queensland Raceway, QLD: HMO Customer Racing has completed the fifth round of the 2022 TCR Australia at Queensland Raceway with all three drivers in the top 10 championship standings for the first time.

The team overcame topsy-turvy practice sessions to show impressive form in qualifying with Bailey Sweeny and Nathan Morcom progressing through to the top 10 shootout and setting the fourth and sixth fastest times respectively. The weight penalty for Josh Buchan’s success in the previous round at Sydney Motorsport Park hampered his outright pace on the long straights, missing out on a Top 10 berth by a fraction of a second and qualifying in 12^th position.

Sweeny led the team home in a dramatic 21-lap opening race, fending off numerous attacks to hold fourth place with Buchan charging through to cross the finish line in 10^th, which would have elevated to him to pole position for the reverse-grid second sprint. However, a post-race 30 second penalty for a first-lap skirmish demoted him to 14^th in the final results.

It was a disastrous race for Morcom who was an innocent victim when a rival lost control under brakes into the final corner and slammed into the side of Morcom’s Hyundai i30 N TCR, causing considerable damage and a forced retirement.

Buchan led home the trio of HMO Customer Racing drivers in a processional second race, gaining places to cruise home in ninth, just ahead of Morcom with Sweeny getting boxed out in the opening laps to cross the finish line in 11^th.

All three drivers moved forward in the double points-paying third race, with Sweeny jostling through to fifth, three positions ahead of Buchan while Morcom muscled his way from near the back to cross the finish line in 10^th.

Sweeny’s string of solid results has elevated him into the top 10 in the championship standings in ninth. Buchan remains in title contention in fifth while Morcom dropped to 10^th.

The penultimate round of the 2022 Supercheap TCR Australia Championship will be held at Sandown Raceway in Victoria on September 16-18.

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What the drivers say:

Car 130 – Bailey Sweeny

“It’s been a solid weekend for my first ever visit to Queensland Raceway; I really like the track and we had some good, tough racing. In terms of the championship, we scored some good points and there were a few highlights for me with good pace in the car. We learnt a lot more this weekend with set-up and it feels like we’ve made some big gains there. I’m already looking forward to going to Sandown, which I have raced at before, and build on the momentum.”

Bailey Sweeny

Practice 1: P6 – 1:14.3804sec

Practice 2: P14 – 1:15.0246sec

Qualifying: P4 – 1:12.7866sec

Race 1: P4 – 1:14.2537sec

Race 2: P11 – 1:142863sec

Race 3: P5 – 1:14.7441sec

Car 30– Josh Buchan

“We were on the backfoot from the start of the weekend with an issue that prevented us from any running in the opening practice session, and we only really went out in second practice to confirm the team had rectified the problems. That meant we couldn’t get through our program and we had to run on-the-fly into the races. The team did a great job with the car and I felt we had really good pace. Unfortunately, we lost the pole in race two which would have improved our weekend, so we just chipped away in the final two races. We will consolidate, take the success ballast out of the car for the next race and give it a nudge at Sandown.”

Josh Buchan                                                           

Practice 1: P18 – 1:16.6045sec                  

Practice 2: P15 – 1:15.5525secsec             

Qualifying: P12 – 1:.13.4353sec                 

Race 1: P14– 1:14.9454sec                         

Race 2: P9 – 1:14.4147sec                          

Race 3: P8 – 1:14.5816sec                          

Car 11 – Nathan Morcom

“We surprised ourselves with great speed in qualifying and was optimistic we could be among the front runners. That all came to a grinding halt with the accident in race one, which was a real shame. But I can’t thank the boys enough for the Herculean effort they put in to rebuild the car overnight. It was a massive job. It was hard to fight back from there, but I clawed as much ground as I could.”

Nathan Morcom

Practice 1: P10 – 1:14.4958sec

Practice 2: P12 – 1:14.8446sec

Qualifying: P6 – 1:13.0655sec

Race 1: DNF – 1:14.6716sec

Race 2: P10 – 14.5927sec

Race 3: P10 – 1:14.7441sec

2022 Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Championship Standings

1. Tony D’Alberto                  Honda Civic Type R             544

2. Jordan Cox                       Peugeot 308 TCR                 486

3. Jay Hanson                       Audi RS3 LMS TCR               484

4. Zac Soutar                         Honda Civic Type R             469

5. Josh Buchan                    Hyundai i30 N TCR             459

6. Will Brown                         Audi RS3 LMS TCR               455

7. Dylan O’Keefe                   Peugeot 308 TCR                 444

8. Aaron Cameron               Peugeot 308 TCR                 415

9. Bailey Sweeny                Hyundai i30 N TCR             407

10. Nathan Morcom           Hyundai i30 N TCR             399

QUEENSLAND RACEWAY, IPSWICH: HMO Customer Racing is aiming to continue its winning ways in the fifth round of the 2022 Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Championship at Queensland Raceway this weekend.

The Hyundai team dominated the previous round at Sydney Motorsport Park, scoring pole position and winning two of the three 17-lap races that resulted in a 1-2 finish in the overall round results for Nathan Morcom and Josh Buchan.

The front-running form elevated Buchan to third place in the championship standings, just 32 points from the series leader, while Morcom jumped six positions to seventh.

The team is hoping it can keep marching to the top of the table this weekend at Queensland Raceway, which returns to the TCR Australia Championship for the first time since 2019.

With a mixture of long, fast straights and tight hairpins, the 3.21km circuit will almost certainly produce a tightly packed field in qualifying and then plenty of door-to-door racing throughout the three 21-lap races.

Morcom is the only driver at HMO Customer Racing to have previous TCR experience at Queensland Raceway, finishing fourth in all three races in 2019. While Buchan has raced there in Formula 3, teammate Bailey Sweeny will make his debut at the circuit.

What the drivers said:

Car 11 – Nathan Morcom

“It’s been nice to have a break but I’m really looking forward to getting back to racing this weekend in Queensland. We have found some good pace in the Hyundai i30 N TCR and I’m aiming to build on the momentum from winning the last race at Sydney Motorsport Park. We have had time to give the cars a freshen-up since the last round, and the team is fully prepared. The racing will be intense, with eight of us in contention for the championship. And no-one is going to give an inch.”

Car 30 – Josh Buchan

“We had great form in Sydney and I’m hoping we can keep that going at Queensland Raceway. But our success means my Hyundai i30 N TCR is carrying the maximum weight penalty, which could impact our performance on the long straights. In saying that, our car is traditionally good under brakes and out of the corners so I’m optimistic we will be in the thick of the action still. I’m looking forward to the challenge.”

Car 130 – Bailey Sweeny

“I’ve only ever been to Queensland Raceway as a spectactor – about 10 years ago – and I’m excited to finally race there. Even though the layout looks pretty simple, I know that small tracks make for small margins which means that qualifying up the front will be critical. Thankfully, my car doesn’t carry any success ballast this weekend which will not only help in terms of outright performance but also putting less strain on the brakes and tyres during the race. I reckon if it’s anything like it was at Symmons Plains in Tasmania, it’s going to be a race of survival.”

Queensland Raceway: Track Facts

Location: Willowbank, Queensland

Length: 3.126km

TCR Pole Record: 1:12.948, Jean-Karl Vernay – 2019

TCR Lap Record: 1:14.4277, John Martin – 2019

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Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW: HMO Customer Racing returns to its most successful circuit, Sydney Motorsport Park, this weekend aiming to continue its winning form in round four of the Supercheap Auto 2022 TCR Australia championship.

From the six races that have been held on the fast and flowing 4.5km circuit since the debut round of the TCR Australia championship in 2019, HMO Customer Racing drivers have won four times, twice in 2019 with champion Will Brown and twice in 2021 with Josh Buchan.

The team arrives at its home race further buoyed by confidence following a string of podium results during the previous round at Mount Panorama, including a breakthrough first victory for rookie sensation Bailey Sweeny.

Uniquely, this weekend’s event at Sydney Motorsport Park will play host to the series’ first-ever night race, with the opening 17-lap sprint scheduled to take place under lights on Saturday evening.

Before that, the fourth round of the 2022 TCR Australia Championship will begin with two practice sessions on Friday and qualifying on Saturday afternoon, culminating with two more 17-lap races on Sunday.

Watch all the action from the Super Series, including the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Championship, live on Stan Sport.

What the drivers say:

Car 30– Josh Buchan

“I’m feeling really confident coming into this weekend, especially considering it was where I scored my first two TCR victories last year. It’s a circuit that obviously really suits the Hyundai i30 N TCR, and one that I have the most experience on. Our car is also in the strongest possible specification without any success ballast, so that should also play into our hands. However, if there is anything that this season has proven so far, form counts for nothing. So, I’m under no illusion that the competition will be extremely tough once again.”

2021 Sydney Motorsport Park Results

Practice 1: P21 – 1:41.1429sec

Practice 2: P12 – 1:35.5877sec

Qualifying: P2 – 1:33.4006sec

Race 1: P1 – 1:35.5674sec

Race 2: P1 – 1:34.9126sec

Race 3: P2 – 1:36.8899sec

Car 11 – Nathan Morcom

“It should be a good weekend for us, and I’m looking forward to challenging at the front, getting on the podium and scoring points to get our championship back on track after a tough run at Bathurst. The cars have proven to be fast at Sydney Motorsport Park, and we’ve got some tricks up our sleeve. The night race will be spectacular, and I’ve got plenty of confidence for that having won the recent 2022 Time Attack in similar conditions.”

2021 Sydney Motorsport Park Results

Practice 1: P22 – 9:21.6257sec

Practice 2: P6 – 1:35.0894sec

Qualifying: P5 – 1:36.9857sec

Race 1: P8 – 2:15.3331sec

Race 2: P4 – 1:35.2508sec

Race 3: P4 – 1:36.1940sec

Car 130 – Bailey Sweeny

“I’m really looking forward to getting back into the car this weekend after scoring my first race win at Bathurst – and setting a new TCR lap record – in the last round. It has given me a lot more faith in my ability and understanding of how to extract to best from the Hyundai i30 N TCR over an entire race. Sydney Motorsport Park has been a strong track for HMO Customer Racing in the past, and hopefully we can score the first ever podium lock out with a 1-2-3 – and the number one in front of my car.”

2022 Supercheap Auto TCR Championship Points (after Rd 3)

1	Tony D’Alberto	Honda Civic Type R	320
2	Dylan O’Keefe	Peugeot 308 TCR	292
3	Will Brown	Audi RS3 LMS	283
4	Aaron Cameron	Peugeot 308 TCR	266
5	Ben Bargwanna	Peugeot 308 TCR	265
6	Josh Buchan	Hyundai i30 N TCR	261
7	Zac Soutar	Honda Civic Type R	261
8	Jordan Cox	Peugeot 308 TCR	260
9	Michael Caruso	Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce TCR	255
10	Jay Hanson	Audi RS3 LMS	250
11	Bailey Sweeny	Hyundai i30 N TCR	249
13	Nathan Morcom	Hyundai i30 N TCR	225

Mount Panorama, Bathurst: HMO Customer Racing has broken its Bathurst bogey with rookie sensation Bailey Sweeny scoring his first TCR Australia race victory and finishing second overall in the third round of the championship at Mount Panorama.

The 19-year-old proved his star quality with a string of stunning passing manoeuvres and outright speed to be the leading Hyundai i30 N TCR driver in just his third round of the super competitive championship.

Sweeny was the fastest HMO Customer Racing driver in qualifying, setting the ninth quickest time on the challenging 6.2km circuit, ahead of Josh Buchan in 11^th and Nathan Morcom in 14^th.

He maintained that position in the opening race, which gave him a front-row starting position for the reverse-grid second sprint. He didn’t waste the opportunity, winning the 10-lap race by a near-record 11 second margin for his maiden TCR victory.

Sweeny showcased his speed again in the final, double points-paying race, charging from fifth on the grid to come home second while re-setting his own Bathurst TCR Lap Record.

Buchan also had a solid weekend with two podium finishes that has revived his challenge for the championship. The 27-year-old finished eighth, third and third in the three 10-lap races which has elevated him to sixth place in the TCR Australia Championship standings.

Morcom, meanwhile, had a much tougher weekend at Bathurst, crossing the finish line in 12^th in race one, 20^th in race two and 17^th in race three.

The fourth round of the 2022 TCR Australia Championship will be held on May 27-219 at Sydney Motorsport Park where HMO Customer Racing dominated last year with Buchan scoring his first two race wins and outright round victory.

What the drivers said:

Car 130 – Bailey Sweeny

“What an awesome weekend, and to score my first race TCR race victory with HMO Customer Racing at a circuit like Bathurst is very special. To back it up with second place in the last race proved that wasn’t a fluke and we have the pace. Being familiar with the track certainly helped accelerate the learning curve on Friday and we had good speed all weekend. It’s a huge confidence boost for me heading into the second half of the championship.”

Practice 1: P5 – 2:18.5802sec

Practice 2: P16 – 2:17.3120sec

Qualifying: P9 – 2:15.1923sec

Race 1: P9 – 2:15.2775sec

Race 2: P1 – 2:13.9468sec

Race 3: P2 – 2:13.9023sec (TCR Bathurst Lap Record)

Car 30 – Josh Buchan

“I never thought I’d leave Bathurst this happy, and with a couple of trophies to put in the cabinet. This place hasn’t been very kind to us in the past, but the reverse Top 10 in race two gifted Bailey and I a bit and we certainly capitalised on that. I had to really work hard and definitely had the elbows out and did some good ‘ol touring car racing, which was fun. Most importantly, it has put us back in the hunt for the championship as we head to Sydney Motorsport Park where I won last year.”

Practice 1: P7 – 2:19.1051sec

Practice 2: P12 – 2:17.0659sec

Qualifying: P11 – 2:14.7525sec

Race 1: P8 – 2:15.3331sec

Race 2: P3 – 2:14.7270sec

Race 3: P3 – 2:14.5791sec

Car 11 – Nathan Morcom

“I’m really happy for the team with Bailey and Josh on the podium, and Bailey’s first TCR win – that was pretty impressive. But it was a weekend to forget for me. We got caught out by a yellow flag on a hot lap in Qualifying, which meant we didn’t make the top 10 shootout and that put us on the back foot from there.

“I’ll put this weekend behind me and look forward to Sydney Motorsport Park where we know we have a fast car.”

Practice 1: P8 – 2:19.2574sec

Practice 2: P7 – 2:16.5251sec

Qualifying: P14 – 2:15.3398sec

Race 1: P12 – 2:15.7663sec

Race 2: P20 – 2:16.9594sec

Race 3: P17 – 2:15.2939sec

2022 TCR Australia Championship Standings

1.	Tony D’Alberto	Honda Civic Type R	322
2.	Will Brown	Audi RS3 LMS TCR	285
3.	Dylan O’Keefe	Peugeot 308 TCR	280
4.	Ben Bargwanna	Peugeot 308 TCR	267
5.	Aaron Cameron	Peugeot 308 TCR	266
6.	Josh Buchan	Hyundai i30 N TCR	263
7.	Zac Soutar	Honda Civic Type R	261
8.	Jordan Cox	Peugeot 308 TCR	260
9.	Michael Caruso	Alfa Romeo Giulietta	255
10.	Jay Hanson	Audi RS3 LMS TCR	250
11.	Bailey Sweeny	Hyundai i30 N TCR	249
13.	Nathan Morcom	Hyundai i30 N TCR	225

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Mount Panorama, Bathurst, NSW: HMO Customer Racing is aiming to overcome the uphill challenge it has faced previously on the hallowed Mount Panorama circuit in the third round of 2022 TCR Australia Championship at Bathurst this Easter long weekend.

Following the introduction of a new compound Michelin tyre – and the removal of success ballast from disappointing results – at the previous round of the SpeedSeries at Phillip Island, HMO Customer Racing drivers, Nathan Morcom, Josh Buchan and Bailey Sweeny, head to Bathurst confident they can regain the front-running form that saw all three drivers score podium results in the opening round at Symmons Plains.

The world famous 6.2km circuit has been a challenging track for the Hyundai i30 N TCR in the past, owing to Balance of Performance penalties that have hampered its performance on the long straights and fast and flowing section across the top of the Mountain.

But the team believe they are better prepared to vanquish the demons this weekend.

“We had a car that was in the top five on pace at Bathurst last year, but we got caught out in Qualifying with a red flag as it took us five or six laps to optimise the old tyre,” Buchan said.

“The new tyre seemed to make the car come alive much quicker at Phillip Island, and I hope that translates to Bathurst as well.

“It’s always exciting to race at Mount Panorama, and I’m confident we can reignite our championship challenge especially without the 60kg of success ballast we carried around there last year.

“We need to focus on being consistent and not making any mistakes to score as many points as possible this weekend.”

For Morcom, he is aiming to climb back onto the podium and is confident the lack of success ballast will play a critical role in achieving that at Bathurst.

“Bathurst wasn’t kind to us last year, but we’re heading back to the Mountain confident we have a front running package in the Hyundai i30 N TCR,” he said.

“We don’t have any weight penalties in the car this weekend, which will be good for us in every area; better on brakes; better on the tyres and obviously help with top speed up and down the Mountain.

“We didn’t expect to be as fast as we were at Symmons Plains for round one with its long straights, but I put it on pole and we all scored a podium there. So hopefully we can flip the script like that again at Bathurst.”

For Sweeny, the 19-year-old is competing in his first TCR race at a familiar track having raced at Bathurst previously, consistently featuring in the top 10 of the one-make Toyota 86 series last year.

Track action for round three of the 2022 Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Championship begins on Friday with two practice sessions, with qualifying, race one and race two to be held on Saturday with the final race on Sunday in the lead-up to the Bathurst 6-Hour production car enduro.

2022 TCR Australia Championship Standings

1.	Tony D’Alberto	Honda Civic Type R	224
2.	Jordan Cox	Peugeot 308 TCR	222
3.	Zac Soutar	Honda Civic Type R	201
4.	Fabian Coulthard	Honda Civic Type R	198
5.	Jay Hanson	Audi RS3 LMS	188
6.	Will Brown	Audi RS3 LMS	185
7.	Dylan O’Keefe	Peugeot 308 TCR	174
8.	Nathan Morcom	Hyundai i30 N TCR	170
9.	Michael Caruso	Alfa Romeo Giulietta	165
10.	Ban Bargwanna	Peugeot 308 TCR	155
11.	Josh Buchan	Hyundai i30 N TCR	151
14.	Bailey Sweeny	Hyundai i30 N TCR	131

Mount Panorama Fast Facts

Location: Bathurst, New South Wales

Length:  6.213km

TCR Lap Record: – 2:14.8162sec, Chaz Mostert, 2021

TCR Pole Record: – 2:16.0769sec, Chaz Mostert, 2021

Schedule

Friday April 15                      Saturday April 16                Sunday March 20

Practice 1: 8:50am               Qualifying: 12:20am              Race 3: 10:10pm

Practice 2: 2:00pm        Race 1: 2:45pm                    

                                                Race 2: 5:10pm

Nathan Morcom – Bathurst Results 2021

Practice 1: P16 – 2:24.5976sec

Practice 2: P14 – 2:18.8595sec

Qualifying: P17 – 2:35.4371sec

Race 1: P18 – 2:17.1263sec

Race 2: P15 – 2:16.9359sec

Race 3: P9 – 12:17.3398sec

Josh Buchan – Bathurst Results 2021

Practice 1: P9 – 2:20.3188sec

Practice 2: P13 – 2:18.6194sec

Qualifying: P18 – 2:37.8761sec

Race 1: P14 – 2:15.7855sec

Race 2: P12 – 2:16.9359sec

Race 3: P10 – 2:16.4817sec

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Watch all the action from the Super Series live and on-demand via Stan Sport.

Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, Victoria: HMO Customer Racing endured a challenging weekend at Phillip Island for the second round of the Speed Series in the 2022 Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Championship.

Teenage sensation Bailey Sweeny was the best placed of the team’s drivers, finishing all three races – in 11^th, 16^th and ninth – while Nathan Morcom and Josh Buchan were forced to charge from the back of the field in Sunday’s final two 16-lap sprints after they both suffered damage in Saturday’s opening race.

All three drivers showcased the potential of the Hyundai i30 N TCR with good race pace and some aggressive overtaking manoeuvres to claw back positions following disappointing qualifying performances.

But the success ballast they carried from the opening round at Symmons Plains, in which all three drivers finished on the podium and Buchan left as the championship leader, hampered the straightline speed – and consequently hindered their ability to challenge the front runners – at the fast and flowing seaside circuit.

In the end, Buchan – who failed to finish the opening race and came home in 11^th and 14^th in the remaining sprints – surrendered his position at the top of the standings and drops to 11^th on 151 points.

Morcom is the highest placed of the three HMO Customer Racing drivers in eight position on 170 points after finishing 19^th, ninth and 11^th in the three Phillip Island events.

Sweeny, meanwhile, holds 14^th position on 131 points.

Nathan Morcom – Phillip Island Results 2022

Practice 1: P8 – 1:37.0829sec

Practice 2: P11 – 1:37.8023sec

Qualifying: P12 – 1:37.3200sec

Race 1: P19 – 1:39.0613sec

Race 2: P9 – 1:38.3541sec

Race 3: P11 – 1:38.5236sec

“It was a weekend of damage limitation after we had a power steering issue in the opening race. We were looking good up until that point, running in eighth place, which would have set us up for a good run in the other two races. Instead, we had to fight back.

“The car felt good and we had great race pace but the Balance of Performance penalties we were carrying made it hard for us to do anything more today.”

Josh Buchan – Phillip Island Results 2022

Practice 1: P10 – 1:37.3079

Practice 2: P4 – 1:36.8366sec

Qualifying: P17 – 1:37.5915sec

Race 1: DNF

Race 2: P19 – 1:38.6342sec

Race 3: P14 – 1:38.4197sec

“We certainly missed a massive opportunity to extend the championship lead after we mucked-up the qualifying strategy and started in 17^th position, which put us on the back foot for the rest of the weekend.

“The car was fast enough to be deep into the top five, but once we were back there it was always going to be tough to get to the front again.

“We’ll learn from this weekend, move on and try again at Bathurst next month.”

Bailey Sweeny – Phillip Island Results 2022

Practice 1: P14 – 1:37.6918sec

Practice 2: P14 – 1:38.0433sec

Qualifying: P13 – 1:37.3425sec

Race 1: P11 – 1:38.8171sec

Race 2: P16 – 1:38.3843sec

Race 3: P9 – 1:38.3599sec

The next round of the 2022 Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Championship will be held at Mount Panorama, Bathurst, on April 15-17

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 14.	Tony D’Alberto Jordan Cox Zac Soutar Fabian Coulthard Jay Hanson Will Brown Dylan O’Keefe Nathan Morcom Michael Caruso Ben Bargwanna Josh Buchan Bailey Sweeny	224 222 201 198 188 185 174 170 165 155 151 131

Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, Victoria: HMO Customer Racing’s Josh Buchan says it is critical that he extends his lead in the 2022 Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Championship in the second round of the Super Series at Phillip Island in Victoria this weekend.

Buchan holds a two-point lead in the title race after a consistent run at the front in the opening round at Symmons Plains in Tasmania last month. While brimming with confidence, the 27-year-old is aiming to leave Phillip Island with a bigger buffer to protect his position into following round at Bathurst, where success penalties will play a significant role in the performance of his Hyundai i30 N TCR.

“To win this championship, we have to look at the big picture and score maximum points where we know we can,” Buchan said.

“We had plenty of pace at Phillip Island last year, and we’re going to try and surprise ourselves again and run at the front this weekend.

“Symmons was a real confidence booster and it’s fantastic to be leading the championship, but losing that last race still stings. So, there is a race for me to go and win this weekend and hopefully stretch my advantage at the top of the ladder.”

The Tassie curtain raiser was also a breakthrough weekend for team mates Nathan Morcom and Bailey Sweeny.

For Morcom, he scored his first pole position in the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Championship, finished on the podium in the opening race and lies fourth in the championship standings.

The Sydneysider is looking to continue his form at Phillip Island after finishing on the podium in the final race last year.

“The Hyundai i30 N TCR is quick at Phillip Island – we had pace all weekend last year,” he said.

“We need to capitalise on that this weekend and get as many points as we can.”

For Sweeny, the 19-year-old proved to be a star of the future at Symmons Plains when he challenged for a race victory – and scored a podium finish – in just his second TCR Championship race, despite never having raced at the tricky Tasmanian circuit.

 The hot shot rookie has also never competed at the fast and flowing seaside circuit on Phillip Island but isn’t letting his lack of experience dampen his confidence.

“I’m not here to make up the numbers or have any excuses,” he said.

“It’s another new track for me, and hopefully we can come away with another podium. That would be pretty cool.”

Track action for round two of the 2022 Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Championship begins on Friday with two practice sessions, with qualifying and race one to be held on Saturday with the final two races on Sunday.

2022 Supercheap Auto TCR Championship Points

1. Josh Buchan        Hyundai i30 N TCR             118     

2. Zac Soutar             Honda Civic Type R             116

3. Tony D’Alberto     Honda Civic Type R             114

4. Jordan Cox           Peugeot 308 TCR                 106

5. Nathan Morcom Hyundai i30 N TCR             101

6. Will Brown            Audi RS3 LMS TCR               93

7. Jay Hanson           Audi RS3 LMS TCR               88

8. Michael Caruso    Alfa Romeo Giulietta           84

9. Brad Shiels            Hyundai i30 N TCR              80

10. Aaron Cameron  Peugeot 308 TCR                 74

14. Bailey Sweeny   Hyundai i30 N TCR             59

Phillip Island Fast Facts

Location: Cowes, Phillip Island, Victoria

Length:  4.445km

TCR Lap Record: 1:37.2350 – Dylan O’Keefe, 2019

TCR Pole Record: 1:35.6708 – Chaz Mostert, 2021

Schedule

Friday March 18                  Saturday March 19             Sunday March 20

Practice 1: 11:45am               Qualifying: 11:20am              Race 2: 1:05pm

Practice 2: 2:35pm                Race 1: 4:10pm                     Race3: 4:10pm-4:40pm

Nathan Morcom – Phillip Island Results 2021

Practice 1: P2 – 1:37.5899sec

Practice 2: P4 – 1:37.9535sec

Qualifying: P7 – 1:36.4936sec

Race 1: P19 – 1:51.3829sec

Race 2: P10 – 1:38.2918sec

Race 3: P3 – 1:38.2129sec

Josh Buchan – Phillip Island Results 2021

Practice 1: P13 – 1:38.2796sec

Practice 2: P9 – 1:38.4769sec

Qualifying: P9 – 1:36.9459sec

Race 1: P7 – 1:51.2595sec

Race 2: DNF – 1:39.3930sec

Race 3: P9 – 1:38.4034sec

Bailey Sweeny – Phillip Island Results 2021

Practice 1: NA

Practice 2: NA

Qualifying: NA

Race 1: NA

Race 2: NA

Race 3: NA

Watch all the action from the Super Series live and on-demand via Stan Sport.

HMO Customer Racing’s Josh Buchan continued his front-running form with a top five finish in Round 2 of the Tarmac Rallysprint series at Sydney Dragway on Thursday evening.

Fresh from the opening round of the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Championship at Symmons Plains last weekend, the championship leader competed in the popular event, hosted by the North Shore Sporting Car Club, as part of an entry with Hyundai Australia and N Australia alongside rally driver Brendan Reeves and journalists from some of Australia’s leading automotive publications.

Buchan, with his partner Lauren Thirkell as co-driver, steered his own Hyundai i30 N DCT hatchback and completed four passes of the challenging 3.5km stage, which uses the carpark and access roads at the Dragway and was made even trickier by a torrential summer downpour. 

At the end of the event, Buchan finished with the fifth fastest time as the quickest front-wheel drive vehicle, mere seconds behind by heavily-modified rally cars with significantly more power, all-wheel drive and semi-slick tyres and ahead of Reeves in the all-new Hyundai i30 Sedan N, who finished ninth.

“What a great, fun event and a fantastic way for anyone to enjoy their car,” Buchan said.

“It doesn’t matter if you have a full-on rally car or a standard production car like my daily driver Hyundai i30 N DCT – you can be as casual or as competitive as you like.

“I had previously competed in the Rallysprint only once before, but the course was completely different last night and Mother Nature certainly threw a curve ball at us with the massive thunderstorm.

“But the i30 N proved that it is a genuine giant killer and we knocked off some pretty serious competition. I didn’t even change the tyre pressures, and we didn’t have to chuck it on a trailer to drive home at the end of the night

“We even beat Brendo at his own game. So, I’ll take that as another win for TCR.”

Buchan and Reeves will resume their Hyundai race v rally grudge match with N Australia for the next round of the Tarmac Rallysprint series at Sydney Dragway on March 10.

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Symmons Plains Raceway, Tasmania: HMO Customer Racing’s Josh Buchan leads the 2022 Supercheap Auto TCR Championship after the opening round of the Super Series, the AWC Race Tasmania at Symmons Plains.

Buchan holds a four-point lead in the title race after a consistent weekend at the front of a super competitive field, finishing second, fifth and fourth in the three hotly-contested and drama-filled races at the tight Tasmanian circuit.

Buchan started the final race on pole position and led from lights to flag with unbeatable pace, setting the lap record in both of Sunday’s sprints. But he was robbed of a certain victory following a penalty during a safety car period.

Nathan Morcom also had a breakthrough weekend, scoring his first pole position in the Supercheap Auto TCR Series and finishing the opening race on the podium in third behind his team mate. Contact in the second race dropped Morcom to 13^th, but a charging drive in the final race saw him claw back to a sixth-place finish.

HMO Customer Racing’s new recruit, 19-year-old Bailey Sweeny proved that he will be a star of the future with a Top 10 qualifying result and scoring a podium finish with second place in race two. Unfortunately, Sweeny was boxed out to finish 15th in the opening sprint and failed to finish the final race after a strong showing inside the top 10.

The next round of the Speed Series with the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Championship is at Phillip Island in Victoria on March 18-20.

Josh Buchan Symmons Plains Results

Practice 1: P14 – 56.4288sec

Practice 2: P9 – 55.7042sec

Qualfying: P4 – 55.4549sec

Race 1: P2 – 55.9435sec

Race 2: P5 – 55.9195sec (Fastest Lap)

Nathan Morcom Symmons Plains Results

Practice 1: P6 – 56.0874sec

Practice 2: P7 – 55.6226sec

Qualfying: P1 – 55.2931sec

Race 1: P3 –55.9784sec

Race 2: P13 – 56.9748sec

Race 3: P6 – 56.6372sec

Bailey Sweeny Symmons Plains Results

Practice 1: P8 – 56.3029sec

Practice 2: P10 – 55.8600sec

Qualfying: P8 – 55.6402sec

Race 1: P15 – 56.0651sec

Race 2: P2 – 56.2343sec

Race 3: DNF – 56.4448sec

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