Hyundai’s Josh Buchan is aiming to steal the championship lead
in the penultimate round of the 2024 TCR Australia Championship at Sydney
Motorsport Park this weekend.
The 29-year-old enters Round 6 of the series in second position, 27 points behind
Zac Soutar, and full of confidence that he can overhaul the deficit with a strong
performance at Sydney Motorsport Park – in order to establish a successful
defensive position in his quest to secure back-to-back titles heading into the final
shootout at Mount Panorama, Bathurst, next month.
The fast and flowing 3.91km circuit has been a happy hunting ground for Buchan,
who has scored half of his TCR Australia race victories and maiden pole position at
his home circuit. It is also the most successful track for his HMO Customer Racing
team, which has taken six race wins, four podiums and one pole position since the
TCR Australia Championship began in 2019.
On the other side of the garage, Buchan’s teammate Tom Oliphant is determined to
continue the form he displayed during the previous round at Queensland Raceway
where he scored his first pole position since joining the series last year, and was
among the fastest drivers on track.
HMO Customer Racing will have two 30-minute practice sessions at Sydney
Motorsport Park on Friday ahead of qualifying on Saturday at 11:10am and the
opening race, which starts at 2:50pm. The team will return to the track on Sunday for
the two remaining races, with the top 10 finishers from Saturday’s first race reversed
for the second sprint.
Fans can catch all the action from Round 6 of the TCR Australia Championship at
Sydney Motorsport Park and the Motorsport Australia Shannons Speed Series live
and free via 7Plus.
What the drivers said:
Car 1: i30 Sedan N TCR – Josh Buchan
“I have learnt over the last few years since joining the TCR Australia Championship
that, in order to stitch a successful championship challenge together, you really need
to buy yourself a ticket for these last two rounds, and then put it all on the line here,
first of all, at Sydney Motorsport Park and then at Bathurst for the final.
“Traditionally, Sydney Motorsport Park has been a very strong circuit for me, and if I
can get within a sniff of taking the championship lead this weekend then I will be in
with a shot to take back-to-back titles when we head to Bathurst next month. It’s all
to play for now. I’m excited and ready for the challenge.”
Car 15: i30 N TCR – Tom Oliphant
“Sydney Motorsport Park is a track that should suit my driving style and the team has
an enviable record there, so I’m really looking forward to racing this weekend and
continuing the form I showed at Queensland Raceway in the last round.
“It’s a shame the TCR World Tour isn’t here again this year as I really enjoyed the
challenge of the added competition as well as racing under lights. But we’ve got our
own championships to focus on this weekend and I’m aiming to be up the front again
and challenge for race wins.”
2024 TCR Australia Championship Standings:
After Round 5, Queensland Raceway
| Position | Name | Car | Points |
| 1. | Zac Soutar | Audi RS3 LMS | 531 |
| 2. | Josh Buchan | Hyundai i30 N TCR | 504 |
| 3. | Jordan Cox | Peugeot 308 TCR | 479 |
| 4. | Brad Harris | Honda Civic Type R | 465 |
| 5. | Ben Bargwanna | Peugeot 308 R | 464 |
| 6. | Ryan Casha | Peugeot 308 TCR | 461 |
| 7. | Tony D’Alberto | Honda Civic Type R | 447 |
| 8. | Aaron Cameron | Peugeot 308 TCR | 405 |
| 9. | Dylan O’Keefe | Lynk & Co 03 TCR | 403 |
| 10. | Clay Richards | Cupra Leon TCR | 347 |
| 11. | Tom Oliphant | Hyundai i30 N TCR | 341 |
2024 TCR Australia Championship – Round 6: Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW
| Track Facts | |
| Location | Eastern Creek, NSW |
| Length | 3.910 km |
| TCR Pole Record | 1:32.6286sec, Josh Buchan (Hyundai i30 N TCR) – 2021 |
| TCR Lap Record | 1:34.8473sec, Will Brown (Hyundai i30 N TCR) – 2019 |
TCR Schedule – Round 6: Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW
| Friday October 18 | Saturday October 19 | Sunday October 20 |
| Practice 1: 9:30am | Qualifying: 11:10am | Race 2: 11:55am |
| Practice 2: 2:10pm | Race 1: 2:50pm | Race 3: 3:25pm |