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 |