Category: News

Posted on by — Leave a comment

HMO Customer Racing Dominate in Winton

HMO CUSTOMER RACING DOMINANT AT WINTON

HMO Customer Racing has put in a commanding performance at Winton Motor Raceway after both cars finished no lower than P4 over the three-race weekend.

Will Brown was the standout of the round, claiming 2 race wins, 1 podium place as well as a maiden series pole position, extending his championship lead further with only two rounds remaining. 

Qualifying – Will Brown P1, Nathan Morcom P8 

Brown secured his first TCR Australia pole at Winton after a dominant display inside the Hyundai i30 N TCR car.

The #30 car gapped the field by more than 0.5 seconds with ten minutes left in the session, choosing to remove the car from the tarmac from that point on to save tyres going into the races.

Morcom struggled to find a lap to challenge for the top, finishing in P8 for qualifying.

Race 1 – Will Brown P1, Nathan Morcom P4

As the lights went out, Brown would lose his position off the start, as Heimgarter, Bright and Martin all passed him on on the opening lap.

Brown would quickly start to pick off the field as he moved into P2, turning his attention to the leader Martin.

The series leader would make a move on lap 5 for P1 but was forced wide at the last turn, forcing contact with Martin and steering off the road. The incident would allow Bright to pass and Brown left to recover in P3.

Martin would later puncture as a result of the incident, with Brown picking up a place and moving into P2.

Brown’s position would remain unchanged as he went onto claim his 9th podium of the series.

After a disappointing qualifying and starting in P8, Morcom got away quick off the line to land in P6 by the first turn.

His good fortune was cut short early after contact with D’Alberto caused the #11 car to drop back to Morcom’s starting position in P8.

After Martin punctured and Heimgartner was strung wide at a Turn 7 through the mid-part of the race, Morcom made amends to move back into P6.

Not satisfied with his position, Morcom would pass Cameron late to cross the line in the top five.

D’Alberto was handed a 5-second penalty after the race due to the contact with Morcom, meaning the #11 car would move up one spot into P4.

Race 2 –  Will Brown P1, Nathan Morcom P4

Brown held his starting position off the start line for Race 2 as Morcom impressed with another quick dash out of gates to move up one place into P3.

Brown’s pace was noticeable from the opening lap, latching onto the tail of the leader Bright ahead of him.

Brown’s pace proved too much for the Golf, progressing into the lead after a pass was made into Turn 3 on lap 2.

By the halfway mark of the race, the series leader had extended his margin by more than 5 seconds.

There was no stopping the young-gun as he cruised home to claim the chequered flag for his fifth victory of the season.

As for Morcom, the #11 car was travelling seamlessly in P3 before Cameron started to apply pressure from lap 8.

A podium place looked all but certain for Morcom as he continued to defend P3 for the majority of the second half of the race, but came undone from a mistake on the final lap as Cameron moved past him to clinch P3.

Race 3 – Will Brown P1, Nathan Morcom P4

Brown proved he was out to make it the perfect Sunday double when he filed into Turn 1 in the lead.

Morcom was caught on the other side of a clean start, when Bright stalled his car on the grid, leaving the #11 car no room to move and dropped back to P6.

Morcom looked to recover from a poor getaway, moving past McAdam and D’Alberto into P4, but wouldn’t catch Ingall in P3, bringing home his third P4 finish of the weekend.

There was no stopping leader Brown however, the Race 2 winner didn’t look back as he crossed the line to claim back-to-back wins with a margin of 10.7 seconds to the nearest car.

Brown’s dominant weekend means he extends his championship lead on his nearest rival to 116 points as he pushes to claim the elusive first TCR Australia title.

Additionally, the HMO Customer Racing Team topped off the round by claiming the ‘Winning Team’ award, adding another achievement to the pile in a series-defining round.

"A near-perfect round, I can't thank the HMO Customer Team for their efforts! To finish the round with 2 race wins, a podium place and a pole position is unbelievable. It was also nice to extend the championship lead heading into the last two rounds, hopefully I can continue to show the pace our team had this weekend moving into Sandown."
WILL BROWN
HMO CUSTOMER RACING DRIVER
"To take away three P4 finishes is a great result for the weekend.  There's still room to improve in my qualifying efforts,  it would be great to start from a higher position on the grid for the coming rounds. I'm happy where I'm currently sitting in the points, but I must continue to work with the team to keep improving on my results and get the most out of the car for the rest of the season."
NATHAN MORCOM
HMO CUSTOMER RACING DRIVER
The HMO Customer Racing Team will now prepare for Round 6 of the TCR Australia Series, to be held on 20 – 22 September at Sandown with all races to be televised LIVE and FREE on SBS HD.

TCR AUSTRALIA SERIES STANDINGS

1 – Will Brown, HMO Customer Racing – 538 points
2 – Dylan O’Keeffe, Ashley Seward Motorsport – 422 points
3 – Tony D’Alberto, Wall Racing  – 393 points
4 – Nathan Morcom, HMO Customer Racing – 386 points 
5 – Aaron Cameron, Garry Rogers Motorsport – 379 points

Posted on by — Leave a comment

HMO Customer Racing Join Ian Luff’s Drive to Survive Program

Nathan Morcom pictured above supporting the Drive to Survive program on his car. 

HMO CUSTOMER RACING JOIN IAN LUFF'S DRIVE TO SURVIVE PROGRAM

HMO Customer Racing and major sponsor Direct Plasterboard Outlet are privileged to join the Drive to Survive Program incorporating Taking Speed off the Roads Campaign initiated by motoring expert and media personality Ian Luff.

Taken into Sydney high schools, Year 10 students are exposed to an interactive road safety forum where they hear from Drive to Survive ambassador, Jarrad Ingram.

As a result of a high-speed crash on a public road, Jarrad died twice in the CareFlight helicopter on route to Westmead Hospital. He openly tells students his story about driving too fast in the wet conditions, where he lost control of his car and now is in life long rehabilitation as a result.

The students listen to the profound impact the accident has had on Jarrad through his struggles to walk, talk and eat as well as learning to drive with only one eye, leaving a profound effect on the young pupils.

Young inexperienced drivers are overrepresented in accidents. This can be attributed to many factors including the inability to access risk, poor choices and inexperience. This is coupled with parents passing on incorrect messaging during the learner phase and a licensing system that focuses on driver knowledge of the road rules rather than safe driving competencies.

Penrith Selective High School students undergoing the program recently.

Drive to Survive® in School Driver Education Program is evidence-based; 97% of students surveyed said, ‘The program would help them to be a safer driver.’

Research has reaffirmed school students attending the Drive to Survive® Program are empowered to make smarter decisions and take fewer risks. This will have a greater influence on their behaviour as a prudent driver.

With our financial support, this life-saving program is helping save our most precious resource – human life. We are pleased to be on board the Partner Support Program, knowing our commitment will help Make It Happen.

If you would like more information about the program, or would like to become apart of the campaign, please head to the website: www.drivetosurvive.com or similarly contact us at info@hmocustomerracing.com

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Morcom Performs Consistently at Queensland Raceway As Brown Suffers From Early Weekend Incident

MORCOM PERFORMS CONSISTENTLY AT QUEENSLAND RACEWAY AS BROWN SUFFERS FROM EARLY WEEKEND INCIDENT

HMO Customer Racing has gone through their first-round without a podium finish in the inaugural TCR Australia Series at Queensland Raceway.

Qualifying – Will Brown P3, Nathan Morcom P11 

It was the strongest practice session shown by HMO Customer Racing throughout the series with Queensland-born Brown seeming right at home around the Ipswich circuit as he took P2 and P4 finishes in practice.

Morcom struggled with his brakes throughout Practice 1 finishing in P9, but improved after changes were made to the #11 car to finish in P7 for Practice 2.

Brown set the pace early in qualifying, moving to P2 in his opening lap, later moving down the timesheet through the mid-part of the session until moving to the top with 5 minutes left.

Brown’s top time was beaten in the dying minutes and he finished in P3, with the top five times covered by a tenth of a second.

Morcom opted not to use his supply of green tyres for qualifying, instead choosing used tyres for the 30-minute session.

It proved costly as the #11 car qualified outside the top 10.

Race 1 – Will Brown P7, Nathan Morcom P16

In the opening race of the weekend, Brown lost a place into turn 1 from a P3 start, which was the beginning of a rough day for the 21-year-old.

Brown then ran wide at turn 6 after contact with Martin on the same lap and claimed a punctured tyre as a result of the clash.

Brown made a short cut through the circuit on lap 2 to get into the lane for a replacement tyre and the HMO Customer Racing pit crew scrambled to get the series leader back onto the track.

Brown received a black flag for his short-cut, ruling out any chance of making a comeback and finished in P16.

On the other side of the shed, Morcom moved quickly off the grid, slicing his way to P9 through lap 1 but the field spread quickly along the dry tarmac as passing became harder the longer the race went on.

Morcom managed to move into P7 but was unable to catch the leading cars as they pulled away for the rest of the 21-lap race.

Race 2 –  Nathan Morcom P6, Will Brown P10

Morcom held his spot off the line from P6 and had his sights set on Cox in P5, applying pressure for the remainder of the race but unable to make a pass stick and settling for P6.

Brown looked determined early as he looked to recover from Saturday’s misery and raced to P10 from a P16 start by the end of lap 2.

Brown caught up to Moffat in P9 by lap 5 and applied plenty of pressure on the Renault driver but wasn’t able to find the opportunity to pass.

Brown brakes faded late as he struggled to find his way through, with a P10 finish the best he could manage.

Race 3 – Nathan Morcom P4, Will Brown P7

Brown’s car underwent a brake change in the short turnaround between Race 2 and 3 as the team raced to get the #30 car to the grid in time without a penalty.

The team managed to make the change, but it was closer than expected, nearly costing Brown a pit-lane start.

As the lights went out for the final race of the weekend, Morcom diced down the inside of Cox to take P5 into turn 1 and then moved into P4 by the end of the opening lap.

Similarly, Brown moved his way to P7 by the end of lap 5 but was unable to hold the position as he moved back to P8 by the end of the following lap.

As the race unfolded, Morcom continued to maximise his tyre life after saving his green tyres from qualifying earlier in the weekend.

D’Alberto looked vulnerable at stages ahead of Morcom but a pass wasn’t able to be made, with the #11 car finishing one spot away from a spot on the podium.

Like Morcom, Brown wasn’t able to get past another car after the field spread and crossed the line in P8.

John Martin suffered a 5-second penalty from an incident during the race meaning Brown would finish in P7.

"Pretty tough weekend really, the incident in Race 1 hurt me. Based on the layout of the track, once you’re at the back of field, it’s very difficult to get back to the front. We struggled with straight-line speed and braking as well over the round which made it hard to move through the pack. I’ve still got the series lead so I’ll move quickly on from QR and hope for a better run in Winton."
WILL BROWN
HMO CUSTOMER RACING DRIVER
"I had a consistent run in all three races, managing to bank some important points for the series standings. Our decision to not run green tyres on qualifying hurt us little in the end, but there was plenty of positives to take out of the round. A big thanks to the HMO Customer Racing Team for their work on the #11 car between each race to get me in those finishing positions."
NATHAN MORCOM
HMO CUSTOMER RACING DRIVER
"Queensland Raceway was always going to be a little tough for us, with the straight-line speed required which is not generally accustomed to our cars. Nath had a reasonable weekend with some consistent results and seems to be improving as the year goes on with his car set-up. Will hurt himself there early in the weekend, but he’ll quickly bounce back. Our cars should suit the Winton circuit quite well so we’ll look forward to it at the end of the month."
BARRY MORCOM
HMO CUSTOMER RACING TEAM OWNER
The HMO Customer Racing Team will now prepare for Round 5 of the TCR Australia Series, to be held on 30 August – 1 September at Winton Motor Raceway with all races to be televised LIVE and FREE on SBS HD.

TCR AUSTRALIA SERIES STANDINGS

1 – Will Brown, HMO Customer Racing – 410 points
2 – Dylan O’Keeffe, Ashley Seward Motorsport – 353 points
3 – Tony D’Alberto, Wall Racing  – 311 points
4 – Nathan Morcom, HMO Customer Racing – 292 points 
5 – James Moffat, Garry Rogers Motorsport – 285 points

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Hyundai i30 N TCR Car lands in Australia for sale.

HYUNDAI i30 N TCR CAR LANDS IN AUSTRALIA FOR SALE

HMO Customer Racing has welcomed their fifth Hyundai i30 N TCR Car onto Australian shores, with the Car being advertised as for lease or sale.

The Car has reached HMO Customer Racing’s workshop in Western Sydney after travelling via sea freight from Hyundai Motorsport’s race shop in Germany. 

The Team is looking to lease or sell the Hyundai i30 N TCR Car.

The Car has proved to be a winning package in the TCR Series around the globe and also on home soil in the 2019 TCR Australia Series with the Car leading the championship after Round 3. 

For all enquires and any more information, please contact: info@hmocustomerracing.com.au

Posted on by — Leave a comment

HMO Customer Racing Maintain Momentum at The Bend.

HMO CUSTOMER RACING MAINTAIN MOMENTUM AT THE BEND

HMO Customer Racing has maintained their momentum in the TCR Australia Series after a strong showing at The Bend Motorsport Park for Round 3.

Will Brown proved again why he's the driver to beat in 2019, with another Race win and podium throughout the weekend of racing.

Qualifying – Nathan Morcom P6, Will Brown P16

Rain would fall on the track for the large part of Friday, giving the TCR Australia Cars their first taste of the wet in 2019. 

Will Brown was apart of a freak collision when the #30 car aquaplaned into the back of James Moffat on the entry to Turn 6 during the mid-stages of Practice 1.

Brown’s front was heavily damaged, forcing him straight into the garage as the repair on the #30 car begun.

The HMO Customer Racing team managed to get Brown’s car repaired before Practice 2 but struggled on track with understeer to finish low on the timesheet.

It was a strong start for Nathan Morcom in Practice 1 claiming his best finish in a Practice session so far with P3. 

Qualifying on Saturday morning provided another wet track for Brown and Morcom as the rain drizzled down before the session started. 

Morcom went to P5 during the mid-stages of Qualifying but dropped back one spot to finish P6, his Series-best result to date.

Brown struggled with his car set-up as he recovered from Friday’s incident, qualifying in his lowest spot of the Series in P16. 

Race 1 – Will Brown P2, Nathan Morcom P4

The rain had stopped by the time Race 1 got underway on Saturday afternoon.

Brown bolstered off the starting line, sending the #30 car from P16 to P6 within the first few laps. 

Morcom struggled off the start, his car in P11 by the exit of Turn 1 in the opening lap. 

It was a stellar comeback for Brown as the Series leader climbed through to field to sit in P2 at one point but unable to hold the spot, crossing the line in P3. 

Morcom demonstrated the pace he had around The Bend on Friday, slicing through the field to cross the line in P5.

Jordan Cox (P2) and Alex Cameron (P4) were given penalties from separates incident during the Race, meaning Brown would move up into P2 and Morcom into P4. 

Race 2 – Will Brown P1, Nathan Morcom P7

Brown took initiative off the line in Race 1, moving into the lead down into Turn 1 on the opening lap and made a strong getaway to lead the field by 2.8sec after the opening lap.

Morcom was slow off the start line and moved back to P7 by the end of straight.

Two safety cars were deployed during the Race but Brown was faultless on both restarts as he crossed the finish line in P1 for his 4th Race win of the Series.

Morcom was amongst the quicker cars on track but was unable to move from P7 throughout the entirety of the Race.

Race 3 – Will Brown P5, Nathan Morcom P8

After winning Race 2, Brown started from the front of the grid for Race 3 but the #30 Car started poorly, moving back to P3 into the first turn on Lap 1.

Morcom got a better start and held his spot in P7.

Brown would eventually be picked off by Moffat and Cox during the Race and would go back to P5.

Similarly, Morcom was passed by Ingall, O’Keeffe, D’Alberto in the late stages of the Race moving him back to P9 but was promoted to P8 after O’Keeffe was issued with a ten-second-penalty from Lap 1.

Ingall made a late charge for Brown in P5 but the #30 car was good enough to cross the line ahead of the Supercar Veteran.

"After such a drama riddled start to the weekend, we pulled away with some great results from Tailem Bend. The Team did an unbelievable job to repair the Car after Practice 1, it’s full credit to them. It’s a good feeling to extend the Series lead a little more, I feel we've built some really good momentum now so the challenge is there to maintain it."
WILL BROWN
HMO CUSTOMER RACING DRIVER
"A pretty consistent weekend was had at The Bend, just wasn’t able to get the results I would have liked. Our Car pace was really good on track however, I struggled to get the Car off the line in all three Races which would have pushed us higher up the field. If we can make the right changes between now and QR, we’ll be within a really good chance to challenge up the front."
NATHAN MORCOM
HMO CUSTOMER RACING DRIVER

The HMO Customer Racing Team will now prepare for Round 4 of the TCR Australia Series, to be held on 2 – 4 August at Queensland Raceway with all races to be televised LIVE and FREE on SBS HD.

TCR AUSTRALIA SERIES STANDINGS

1 – Will Brown, HMO Customer Racing – 356 points
2 –  James Moffat, Garry Rogers Motorsport – 231 points
3 – Dylan O’Keefe, Ashley Seward Motorsport  – 227 points
4 – Tony D’Alberto, Wall Racing – 213 points
5 – Nathan Morcom, HMO Customer Racing – 208 points

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Another Hyundai i30 N TCR Car en route from Germany to Australia

ANOTHER HYUNDAI i30 N TCR CAR EN ROUTE FROM GERMANY TO AUSTRALIA

HMO Customer Racing is expecting a fifth Hyundai i30 N TCR Car to arrive in Australia by next month. The Car is currently on its way from Hyundai Motorsport’s race shop in Germany, travelling via sea freight to HMO’s Sydney base.

Words by TCR Australia

The HMO team, the official agent of the Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing program in Australia, expects the Car to arrive in Australia between the next event at The Bend in South Australia (July 12-14) and the fourth round at Queensland Raceway (August 2-4).

It will be the fifth of its kind to be sold to Australia, joining the two current Cars at HMO Customer Racing for Will Brown and Nathan Morcom, as well as the two Hyundai i30 N TCR Cars that reside at GWR Australia.

Regarded as one of the best built TCR Cars on the planet, the Hyundai i30 N TCR Car is a desirable Car in worldwide TCR competition, and Morcom says that his team is prepared to either run the Car as a third HMO team entry, or sell it to the right party.

“We are equipped and ready to run a third Car if someone wants to compete with us,” said Morcom.

“The Cars have proved themselves as a competitive package. We’ve had seven podiums in the two rounds so far. They are well built, and from our point of view, everything is going really well.”

Morcom says that he has already received interest in the Car from numerous parties, including young up-and-comers as well as amateur-classified drivers keen to get involved in the new touring Car class.

“These Cars are pretty user friendly and they are suited to just about any driver,” he said.

“If you’ve come from a front wheel drive background, it’s very easy to adapt to. If you have done most of your driving in rear wheel drive Cars, then it takes a bit to get used to it, but the Cars are awesome to race. It’s a fun driving technique.”

Posted on by — Leave a comment

HMO Customer Racing On Top at Phillip Island

HMO CUSTOMER RACING ON TOP AT PHILLIP ISLAND  

HMO Customer Racing has backed up their emphatic start to the TCR Australia Series after Will Brown finished on the podium 3 times at Phillip Island, including a Race win, with his teammate Nathan Morcom claiming his maiden TCR Australia Series podium.

Qualifying – Will Brown P2, Nathan Morcom P8

After struggling with straight-line speed throughout Practice 1 and 2, Brown and Morcom shrugged off the issue when new tyres were placed on their Cars for the 30-minute Qualifying period.

Brown set the pace early sending the #30 i30 N TCR Car into P2, with Morcom still finding his balance during the opening laps of the session.

Brown would eventually move into P1 but was overrun by O’Keeffe in the dying seconds of the session and finished in P2.

Morcom was set for a P4 time before running wide in Sector 3 on his last lap, with a P8 finish the best he could salvage.

Race 1 – Will Brown P2, Nathan Morcom DNF

It was a troubling start for both Cars in Race 1. Brown ran wide into the gravel at Turn 2 in the opening lap, sending him to the back of the field as a result.

At the same run into Turn 2, Morcom was hit by a spinning Car which ended his day after breaking an upright in the #11 Car and brought the safety car onto the track.

After the restart, Brown managed to quickly move through the field as he looked to regain lost positions and climbed into P7 before another incident on track between Bright and Heimgartner.

The safety car was called out again with Brown lined up for podium contention as the field re-gathered under the yellow flag.

Brown made the most of the re-start as he powered to P3 by Lap 11 and was able to move past Moffat at the Hayshed on the final Lap but was unable to catch O’Keeffe.

Despite not reaching the chequered flag first, Brown set the new Race Lap record with a 1:37.0827 around the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit

Race 2 – Will Brown P2, Nathan Morcom P4

It was a clean start for the two HMO Customer Racing Cars in Race 2, with both drivers staying clear of the carnage into Turn 1 in the opening Lap.

Brown held his position off the start in P2, trying to match the pace of O’Keeffe in front while Morcom bolstered through the field, moving up 10 spots after the incident on Lap 1.

Brown moved into the lead for an instant after passing O’Keeffe into Turn 1 on Lap 2 but returned to his starting position after locking the brakes at Turn 4 during the same lap.

After not finishing Race 1, Morcom had fresh tyres at his disposal as he continued to motor past the competition out on the track, passing D’Alberto, Martin, and Pither on his way to a P4 finish. 

Brown tried to chase down O’Keeffe for the lead, but the Alfa Romeo was too far gone leaving Brown to claim another P2 finish.

Race 3 – Will Brown P1, Nathan Morcom P2

A 30-minute turn around between Race 2 and 3 had the team confident they could grab a victory after the pace shown by both Cars in Race 2. 

Brown and Morcom both escaped a chaotic opening lap in Race 3, with the pair leading the Race after a massive crash at Turn 1.

After a lengthy safety car in clearing the chaos, the Race resumed on Lap 7 with Brown bolting on the restart with teammate Morcom behind in P2.

The pair quickly started to distance themselves from the field as they looked to wrap up a one-two finish for the team.

Morcom tightened the gap towards the closing stages of the Race but it was Brown who would have the last say as he crossed the line to win Race 3 with Morcom in P2. 

Brown proved his class again by not missing a top-three finish over the weekend to hold onto his Series lead moving into Round 3. 

"A great weekend for the Team in which we thought would be a tough one. We struggled with straight-line speed a lot in Practice but thanks to our guys we were able to make the right changes to suit new tyres coming onto the Car for Qualifying and the Races. To get another Round win and put HMO Customer Racing at the top of the leaderboard is a great feeling heading into The Bend."
WILL BROWN
HMO CUSTOMER RACING DRIVER
"Super weekend at Phillip Island. Such a surreal feeling to finally get on the podium for the TCR Australia Series. A bit of a downer after not finishing Race 1 but it’s a credit to the team for straightening up the Car and giving me the opportunity to push towards the front for Race 2 and 3. I'm definitely starting to find my feet in this Series and I'm looking forward to building on this weekend moving into Round 3."
NATHAN MORCOM
HMO CUSTOMER RACING DRIVER
The HMO Customer Racing Team will now prepare for Round 3 of the TCR Australia Series, to be held on 12 – 14 July at The Bend Motorsport Park with all races to be televised LIVE and FREE on SBS HD.

TCR AUSTRALIA SERIES STANDINGS

1 – Will Brown, HMO Customer Racing – 244 points
2 – Dylan O’Keefe, Ashley Seward Motorsport – 192 points
3 – Tony D’Alberto, Wall Racing – 154 points
4 – Aaron Cameron, Melbourne Performance Centre – 153 points
5 – James Moffat, Garry Rogers Motorsport – 133 points
6 – Nathan Morcom, HMO Customer Racing – 131 points

Posted on by — Leave a comment

HMO Customer Racing Shine in TCR Australia Racing Debut

HMO CUSTOMER RACING SHINE IN TCR AUSTRALIA DEBUT

HMO Customer Racing has debuted at the TCR Australia Series in a big way after Will Brown won two out of three Races in the opening round at Sydney Motorsport Park.

Brown starred in the Hyundai i30 N TCR Car, climbing the podium three times to clinch the Series lead after Round 1, with his teammate Nathan Morcom improving as the weekend progressed.

Race 1 – Will Brown P3, Nathan Morcom P9

Qualifying for Race 1 was competitive for Morcom and Brown, both running in the top 3 in the early stages of the 30-minute session.

As qualifying moved into the last 5 minutes, a yellow flag halted hot laps for both Morcom and Brown, meaning the pair would have to settle for their earlier lap times after the track failed to offer after the yellow flag. Brown would start in P4 and Morcom in P7 for Race 1.

In Race 1, Brown moved on the outside of O’Keefe into the first corner of Lap 1, quickly turning his attention to D’Alberto in P2. 

For the majority of the Race, Brown stuck closely to D’Alberto’s tail however he was unable to get past the Honda Driver.

Morcom showed his poise just as well in the opening Race, moving up into P5 by Lap 8.

Morcom looked strong as he pushed through the pack until his tyres started to wear towards the latter part of the Race. Morcom lost spots as a result and moved back to finish P8.  

An incident from earlier in Race meant Morcom would move to P9 after a 5-second penalty.

Race 2 – Will Brown P1, Nathan Morcom P8

The starting line-up for Race 2 was a progressive grid, meaning Brown would start from P3 and Morcom from P9. 

Brown was quick to engage again, securing P2 on the opening lap as Morcom got caught up in a mid-pack scrabble losing a place into Turn 1.

Brown’s car pace proved to be a real threat on track, passing D’Alberto on Lap 3 to move into P2. 

The fast-starting O’Keefe was next on Brown’s list, as he pressed the #30 Hyundai i30 N TCR Car forward, eventually to move into the lead down at Turn 7 on Lap 14.

Morcom fought back through the Race from P10, contesting hard with Almond and Cameron to reach P7, before losing a spot on the last lap.

After passing O’Keefe, Brown powered ahead to secure his maiden TCR Australia Series win.

Race 3 – Will Brown P1, Nathan Morcom P11

After his impressive win in Race 2, Brown was slow off the start line from P1, moving back two places throughout the opening turns. Meanwhile, Morcom passed Almond on his way to P7 in the first lap.

In what was a frantic start to Race 3, the safety car was out early after Breukers and Vernon crashed in separate incidents during the opening lap.

The race was restarted on Lap 5, with both Hyundai i30 N TCR Cars eager to move towards the front.

After Heimgartner in P1 wavered with mechanical issues, Brown picked off O’Keefe for the second time in the day to move into the lead with 8 laps remaining.

Morcom cracked the whip as he moved the #11 Car into P4, setting the quickest lap of the Race in a bid to climb into P3.

Brown extended his margin as he surged towards the chequered flag, crossing the line to claim back-to-back wins on Sunday.

Morcom crossed the line in P4 but was issued with three penalties totaling sixty seconds demoting him to P11.

"It was a great first round at SMP. We had some intense and exciting battles over the weekend of racing. To take two wins out of the three races is incredible, I can't thank the team enough for all their hard work."
WILL BROWN
HMO CUSTOMER RACING DRIVER
We showed good signs over the weekend besides the mixed results. I've defintely got the Car to challenge up the front, it just needs to be tightened up in a few areas before we take on Phillip Island for Round 2.
NATHAN MORCOM
HMO CUSTOMER RACING DRIVER
"It’s been a great weekend for HMO Customer Racing in the first outing of the TCR Australia Series. We’ve had some very strong results, which will provide a solid foundation for our team to build on. To win two out of the three Races is a huge effort by the HMO Team, especially Will for his efforts on track. There’s still some work to be done; we struggled with tyre degradation throughout the weekend as most teams did. It will be interesting to see what we learn after this Round that we can take onto Phillip Island."
BARRY MORCOM
HMO CUSTOMER RACING TEAM OWNER
The HMO Customer Racing Team will now prepare for Round 2 of the TCR Australia Series, to be held on 6 – 9 June at Phillip Island with all races to be televised LIVE and FREE on SBS HD.

TCR AUSTRALIA SERIES STANDINGS

1 – Will Brown, HMO Customer Racing – 122 points
2 – Dylan O’Keefe, Ashley Seward Motorsport – 110 points
3 – Tony D’Alberto, Wall Racing – 101 points
4 – Jason Bright, Team Tradie – 97 points
5 – Aaron Cameron, Melbourne Performance Centre –  points
7 – Nathan Morcom, HMO Customer Racing – 131 points

Posted on by

HMO Customer Racing becomes Official Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing Agent in Australia

HMO CUSTOMER RACING BECOMES OFFICIAL HYUNDAI MOTORSPORT CUSTOMER RACING AGENT IN AUSTRALIA

Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing has confirmed that HMO Customer Racing will be their official agent in Australia.

Barry Morcom (left)

The partnership means that HMO Customer Racing will deliver new car sales, as well as provide technical support and spare parts to any team racing a Hyundai i30 N TCR Car across Australia.

Based in Germany, Hyundai Motorsport is a powerhouse global motorsport team who compete in the World Rally Championship, as well as build cars for customers teams in both rally and race series through the Customer Racing department.

Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing’s presence in the inaugural TCR Australia series will be another important pillar in building the foundations of the newly formed HMO Customer Racing Team.

Owner of HMO Customer Racing, Barry Morcom, is ecstatic about the partnership.

“It’s really exciting to be the official Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing Agent in Australia. Their backing is huge for the development of the team, and we look forward to making strong progress throughout this series and in the many years to come. A deal was reached in September last year to purchase a few cars from Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing because of the opportunity I saw of a TCR Series here in Australia. They implemented a plan for us to achieve to show not only that we could run a Hyundai i30 N TCR based team but also provide technical support and service to Hyundai TCR Cars in Australia. We’ve shown that we’ve got the ability to do this through our work in the last couple of months and it’s great to get a deal signed off on the back of this. We definitely expect to put more Hyundai i30 N TCR Cars on the grid in Australia and maybe New Zealand if the opportunity arose in the years to come.”
Barry Morcom
HMO CUSTOMER RACING TEAM OWNER
Similarly, Andrew Johns, the Senior Sales Associate at Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing, is equally excited about the newly formed partnership.
“We are very pleased to have this agreement in place with HMO Customer Racing before the first races of the new TCR Australia series. Their role as agents in the region will ensure an excellent level of engineering support and an efficient supply of spares to Hyundai i30 N TCR teams all around the country to enable them to challenge for victories wherever they race. It has been hugely enjoyable to see the interest in TCR Australia grow since the series was first announced. The TCR category provides extremely close racing, and I am sure that Australia will be no exception, especially with the quality of the cars and drivers involved even at this early stage. All of the Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing will be watching on with interest for the first races of the year. We are sure that the combination of the i30 N TCR, and the support offered by HMO Customer Racing mean the Hyundai teams will be fighting at the front of the grid.”
Andrew Johns
HYUNDAI MOTORSPORT CUSTOMER RACING

The HMO Customer Racing Team is now preparing for Round 1 of the TCR Australia Series, to be held on 17 – 19 May at Sydney Motorsport Park with all races to be televised LIVE and FREE on SBS HD.

Posted on by

Will Brown Joins HMO Customer Racing

Young Gun Will Brown joins
HMO Customer Racing for 2019 TCR Australia Series.

HMO Customer Racing is pleased to announce that Will Brown will drive their second Hyundai i30 N TCR Car in the 2019 TCR Australia Series.

Brown will join former Super2 Series teammate Nathan Morcom as he joins the Sydney based team for the inaugural season of the TCR Series on Australian soil.

The 21-year old is one of only five drivers to achieve two National Circuit Titles in Australia in the same year, after winning both the Australian Formula 4 Championship and Australian Toyota 86 Series in 2016.

Brown is a recipient of the 2017 Peter Brock Medal and Mike Kable Young Gun Award, awarded to the best first-year driver across the Supercar Championship and Super2 Series.

Alongside racing with HMO Customer Racing in 2019, Brown will also continue to drive in the Super2 Series and will co-drive with Anton De Pasquale from Erebus Motorsport in the Supercars Championship Endurance Cup.

Despite a busy racing calendar, the 21-year-old is looking forward to racing under the HMO Customer banner for the upcoming TCR Australia Series.

"Personally, I’m stoked to be on board with the HMO Customer Racing Team for 2019. I’ve been in discussion with Barry Morcom (Team Owner) for a little while now, so it’s great to finally get the deal over the line. It’s a great opportunity for me, the cars look really cool and the HMO Customer Team are all great people so it was a bit of no brainer in the end. It’s exciting to see a lot of cars on the grid for the inaugural series. There seems to be a lot of people interested in the category at the moment, which adds good hype rolling into Round 1."
WILL BROWN
HMO CUSTOMER RACING DRIVER

In what will be a first, Brown takes on the new challenge of guiding a Hyundai i30 N TCR Car throughout the seven-round Series.

"I'm definitely looking forward to driving the Hyundai in this year's series, the car looks pretty competitive overseas so it should be pretty capable of fighting up the front. The ultimate goal would be to win the Series. I've done a lot of production car racing like TCR so I'm confident I've got what it takes to run up the top end of the field."
WILL BROWN
HMO CUSTOMER RACING DRIVER

In what is building to be one of the most exciting motorsport events of 2019, the TCR Australia Series opener at Sydney Motorsport Park will be one very familiar to Brown.

"I'm pretty pumped for the first Round at Sydney Motorsport Park. I've done a lot of racing there, plus it's a great track so I'm looking forward to rolling out there in a few weeks time. I think it will be a great first event. There’ll be plenty of opportunities for passing around the track and with the subtle size of the cars, it'll make for super competitive racing down the straight. We’ll be looking for a top three finish at Sydney, but obviously there’s work to be done between now and then to get us in that position."
WILL BROWN
HMO CUSTOMER RACING DRIVER

Brown will now prepare for Testing at Winton on May 6, before lining up on the grid for Round 1 at Sydney Motorsport Park, to be held on 17 – 19 May with the races to be televised LIVE and FREE on SBS HD.