Category: News

Mount Panorama, Bathurst: HMO Customer Racing has scored two double podiums in a dramatic final round of the 2022 Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Championship at Mount Panorama in the Bathurst International.

Rookie sensation Bailey Sweeny proved to be the new Prince of Panorama, starting where he left off earlier this year when he scored his breakthrough maiden race victory during the third round of the championship. The 19-year old dominated both practice sessions, secured a front row start in qualifying, and finished first and second to claim his first TCR Australia overall round victory.

In the opening 50-minute race, Sweeny won the holeshot and went on to score a lights to flag victory with team mate Nathan Morcom clawing through from his fourth-placed starting position to claim third.

Josh Buchan, meanwhile, gave the latest-generation Hyundai i30 Sedan N TCR an ignominious debut when it stalled on the startline following an issue with the launch control system. He kept his title aspirations alive, however, with a storming drive back through the field to cross the finish line in 11^th and was later elevated to ninth in the classified results after a series of post-race penalties were issued.

That provided a massive opportunity for Buchan to make a serious dent in the championship leader’s advantage with a front-row start in the second race, which reverses the top 10. Unfortunately, the second race was red-flagged after one lap behind the safety car and later cancelled due to inclement weather conditions and visibility issues across the top of the mountain.

It set-up a thrilling championship finale, with Sweeny starting from pole position, Morcom in third and Buchan in ninth. Sweeny again got a fast start and lead into the first corner but was subsequently boxed out into Griffins Bend and dropped to fourth behind Morcom.

In a frantic battle for the lead a few laps later, Morcom sustained damage to his Hyundai i30 N TCR and was forced to nurse his car home to sixth place.

Sweeny again proved to be quickest driver with the fastest lap of the race and recovered to steal the lead shortly after a mid-race safety car period, only to make a mistake with his brake balance adjustment on the final lap and crossed the finish line in second, which was enough to score the overall round win.

Buchan showcased the speed of the Hyundai i30 Sedan N TCR with a measured and masterful drive through the field to join Sweeny on the podium in third.

The results elevated all three drivers in the championship standings, with Buchan taking a brilliant third place, while Sweeny finished as the best placed rookie in fifth and Morcom climbed to sixth.

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What the drivers said:

Car 11 – Nathan Morcom

“We showed great pace this weekend at Bathurst, and it was fantastic to score a podium in the opening race. We were on for a win in the last race there, and I went for a move but, unfortunately, we both moved over at the same time and touched, and from there I just had to salvage what we could with the damage to the car. Overall, it has been a great weekend for the team and finishing sixth in the championship is a positive.”

Practice 1: P5 – 2:14.0219sec

Practice 2: P5 – 2:13.6007sec

Qualifying: P4 – 2:13.3726sec

Race 1: P3 – 2:15.0sec

Race 2: Cancelled

Race 3: P6 – 2:15.1300

Car 30 – Josh Buchan

“It’s been a successful debut for the new Hyundai i30 Sedan N TCR, as we were in the top five all weekend in terms of speed. A bit of an error at the start of race one cost us a lot this weekend, and then missing out race two put an end to our championship hopes. Nonetheless, finishing third in the final race was a great boost for the team, which did an excellent job, and gives us a great understanding of the car and a head start into the 2023 Championship.”

Practice 1: P3 – 2:13.9040sec

Practice 2: P4 – 2:13.4340sec

Qualifying: P5 – 2:13.6139sec

Race 1: P9 – 2:15.4sec

Race 2: Cancelled

Race 3: P3 – 2:14.8198sec

Car 130 – Bailey Sweeny

“Bathurst has been a brilliant track for us all year, and we showed again that we have the fastest car – even with a bit of success ballast. I nearly got a clean sweep of the weekend, until I made a small mistake on the last lap of the final race. I’m a bit disappointed in myself, but it’s all learning for next year. There were plenty of positives for us; finishing fifth in the championship as rookie of the year, with race wins and podiums in our maiden season. Even though our season has only just finished, I’m already looking forward to having a real crack in 2023.”

Practice 1: P1 – 2:13.6704sec

Practice 2: P1 – 2:12.9560sec

Qualifying: P2 – 2:126032sec

Race 1: P1 – 2:14.3sec

Race 2: Cancelled

Race 3: P2 – 2:14.7054sec

2022 TCR Australia Championship Standings – after Round 7, Bathurst International

1.	Tony D’Alberto	Honda Civic Type R	704
2.	Will Brown	Audi RS3 LMS	702
3.	Josh Buchan	Hyundai i30 Sedan N TCR	667
4.	Jordan Cox	Peugeot 308 TCR	648
5.	Bailey Sweeny	Hyundai i30 N TCR	610
6.	Nathan Morcom	Hyundai i30 N TCR	582
7.	Aaron Cameron	Peugeot 308 TCR	579
8.	Dylan O’Keefe	Peugeot 308 TCR	577
9.	Zac Soutar	Honda Civic Type R	565
10.	Jay Hanson	Audi RS3 LMS	535

Winton Raceway, Victoria: HMO Customer Racing is set to debut a new-generation Hyundai i30 Sedan N TCR in the season finale of the 2022 Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Championship, the Bathurst International, in November.

The Hyundai outfit last week received the brand-new four-door sedan at its Campbelltown facility in South-West Sydney and gave the car its first shakedown test at Winton Raceway in Victoria today.

Team drivers Nathan Morcom and Josh Buchan shared the responsibility during its Australian track debut to gain a better understanding of its performance potential ahead of its competitive debut at Mount Panorama in the hands of Buchan, who sits fourth on the championship ladder and remains in contention for the 2022 TCR Australia title.

“It’s very exciting that new cars are being introduced to the category, which shows the growth of the championship and its relevance to manufacturers such as Hyundai,” said Buchan.

“I’ve never driven a brand-new anything before – from go-karts and throughout my car racing career – so to be given this opportunity is very special.

“On top of that, to learn that I will then be driving the i30 Sedan N TCR for the first time in competition at Bathurst is phenomenal and a genuine privilege. It’s a real honour to have the support to make this happen from all the team at HMO Customer Racing, including team owner Barry Morcom and my chief engineer Rob Benson, and also Hyundai Australia.

“While it is not ideal that I will be heading to Bathurst with very few laps under my belt, we have already proven how successful the i30 N TCR already is in hatchback form with multiple wins and are confident the i30 Sedan N TCR will be just as competitive, particularly at Bathurst.

“In any case, it is be great to get a better understanding of the car ahead of next year so we can get a head start and hit the ground running for a full title tilt in 2023.”

Morcom added: “It is be great to jump into the later generation TCR car to experience the differences between the two models and get a better understanding of how it performs.

“We know the i30 N is such a great car out of the box, and we have plenty of reference data at Winton Raceway with the hatch, so I can’t wait to see what the i30 Sedan N TCR can do.

“The car looks amazing in person, and the controls – especially on the steering wheel – are even more advanced, so it will be beneficial to get a good systems check and shake down all the new components ahead of Bathurst.”

The Hyundai i30 Sedan N TCR is known globally as the Elantra N TCR and, like the i30 N TCR hatchback that HMO Customer Racing has used with great success over the past four years including victory in the inaugural TCR Australia Championship in 2019, is built by Hyundai Motorsport’s Customer Racing division at its Alzenau facility in Germany.

The car made its competition debut in the season opening race of the 2021 IMSA Michelin Pilot Sport Challenge at Daytona International Speedway in January 2021, and has since chalked up numerous high-profile victories, including a dominant class win at this year’s Nurburgring 24 Hour race.

The Elantra N currently leads the World Touring Car Racing (WTCR) series in both the teams’ and driver’s championship courtesy of BRC Hyundai Squadra Corse and Spain’s Mikel Azcona, and also recently clinched the Italian TCR Championship with Dutchman Neils Langeveld.

The final round of the 2022 Supercheap Auto TCR Australia will be held at Mount Panorama at Bathurst on November 11-13.

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Hyundai i30 Sedan N TCR Tech Specs

Dimensions

Length: 4710mm
Width: 1950mm
Wheelbase:2 750mm
Minimum Weight: 1265kg including the driver

Engine

Turbocharged 4-cylinder in line, transversally installed
Distribution: two overhead camshafts, 16 valves
Displacement: 1998cc
Max. output: 350hp @ 7000 rpm
Max. torque: 450Nm @ 3500 rpm

Transmission

Front-wheel-drive
Gearbox: 6-speed sequential with paddle shift
Clutch: Cerametallic twin-disc
Differential: multi-plate limited slip differential with external pre-load

Chassis

Front suspension: McPherson strut, coil springs, gas-filled dampers, anti-roll bar
Rear suspension: 4-arm multi-link axle, coil springs, gas-filled dampers, anti-roll bar
Steering: electrical power assisted rack and pinion

Brakes

Dual circuit hydraulic system
Front brakes: six-piston calipers, 380 mm steel ventilated discs
Rear brakes: two-piston calipers, 278 mm steel discs

Wheels

Braid 10″x18″ aerodynamic rims, specifically designed for Hyundai Motorsport

Fuel System

100-liter fuel tank with endurance refuelling capability

Interior

OMP race seats and 6-point, HANS compatible, harness

Sandown Raceway, Melbourne: HMO Customer Racing’s Josh Buchan remains in title contention for the 2022 TCR Australia Championship heading into the final round at Bathurst following a wet and wild weekend of racing at Sandown Raceway in Melbourne for Round 6 of series.

The Hyundai outfit started the weekend with plenty of optimism having shown impressive speed in the dry conditions on Friday, with rookie sensation Bailey Sweeny topping the timesheets in the opening practice session closely followed by Buchan in third – the first time both drivers had ever driven the circuit in a Hyundai i30 N TCR.

Sweeny and Buchan backed-up their pace in the second session in fourth and ninth respectively while teammate Nathan Morcom focused on race set-up and finished eighth and 18^th in the two practice hit-outs.

The conditions were drastically different on Saturday though as heavy rain saturated the notoriously slippery circuit ahead of qualifying. Still, Sweeny and Buchan both made the top-10 shootout and qualified in ninth and tenth positions respectively while Morcom had an uncharacteristic trip off the road and qualified in 13^th.

All three 22-lap races were held in wet and tricky conditions, and Buchan made steady progress and consistently matched the pace of the leaders. He would have scored a string of top five finishes but dropped places in the second race after being tagged by a rival. Instead, he ended the weekend with fifth, ninth and then fourth in the double-points paying final.

The solid haul of results has elevated him back to fourth position on the championship ladder, 93 points from the series leader, heading into the final round, the Bathurst International at Mount Panorama on November 11-13.

Sweeny, meanwhile, produced plenty of highlights throughout the three races and was one of the fastest drivers in the field. But the tricky conditions saw him see-saw through the pack, finishing eighth, 16^th and seventh in the three races.

Still, the 19-year-old has moved up one position on the championship ladder to eighth, and is looking ahead to repeat his heroic, race-winning performance at Mount Panorama to challenge for a top-five finish as the highest rookie.

Morcom, meanwhile, had a weekend to forget in the challenging conditions but consistently knocked on the door of the top 10, finishing the three races in 12^th, 12^th and 11^th respectively. The final round of the 2022 Supercheap Auto TCR Australia will be held at Mount Panorama at Bathurst on November 11-13.

What the drivers said:

Car 11 – Nathan Morcom

“The weekend started with a lot of promise as I dialled myself back into the track during practice. But the changing conditions in qualifying meant we headed into the unknown. I was comfortable in the top 10, but then I made an error while adjusting the brake bias and went off the track, which caused a red flag and meant my previous fastest lap was deleted and left me in 13^th on the grid. In the opening race, the spray from the other cars was so bad I couldn’t see past my bonnet, so I was cautious and brought the car back in one piece. We tried a different set-up, which was better in some areas but the car lacked drive out of the corners which is critical at Sandown. We then threw what we knew out of the window in race three and tried another set-up direction that was really positive and we had good speed once the tyres were up to pressure. It all came to us just a little too late.”

Practice 1: P8 – 1:15.2093sec

Practice 2: P18 – 1:17.6799sec

Qualifying: P13 – 1:24.4957sec

Race 1: P12 – 1:24.3481sec

Race 2: P12 – 1:23.1932sec

Race 3: P11 – 1:22.2568

Car 30 – Josh Buchan

“It’s been a crazy, crazy, crazy few days at Sandown for the penultimate round. The car was really good straight out the truck in practice one and I only wish it remained dry so the weekend could have run more smoothly than what it did. But, nonetheless, we had some good results and I could have nabbed a podium in the final race if I had got clear of some of the slower cars earlier in the race. But it was a little bit fickle to get by without causing an incident. So, I just had to let the race come to me and chip away. I’m now really looking forward to the last round at Bathurst, especially as we’re not carrying any weight penalties this time around. We should be quick up there, and if the luck goes our way, instead of the way it has missed us a few times this year, then we should be on for a good result.”

Practice 1: P3 – 1:14.9116sec

Practice 2: P9 – 1:15.5151sec

Qualifying: P10 – 1:24.3617sec

Race 1: P5 – 1:22.4784sec

Race 2: P9 – 1:22.7681sec

Race 3: P4 – 1:22.0733sec

Car 130 – Bailey Sweeny

“We had plenty of car speed this weekend and were certainly one of the quickest in the dry, and within the top five in the wet. Unfortunately, we don’t have the results to show it. We accidentally put an old set of wet tyres on for qualifying, which hurt our starting position and put us back in the pack. I had plenty of optimism going into the second race and starting from third, but – as we entered unknown territory with the conditions at the worst – I had a lock-up on the opening lap and lost a lot of places. In race three, I think we really showed the potential of what we could have achieved. After a cautious opening lap, I charged through from 13^th to be challenging for fourth until I was taken out by another driver and had to settle for seventh, with the second fastest lap. I’m now focused on heading to Bathurst where I know we can be fast and hopefully repeat my breakthrough TCR victory from earlier this year and reach my target of a top five finish in the championship.”

Practice 1: P1 – 1:14.7623sec

Practice 2: P4 – 1:152462sec

Qualifying: P9 – 1:24.0300sec

Race 1: P8 – 1:22.8218sec

Race 2: P16 – 1:22.6755sec

Race 3: P7 – 1:21.5409sec

2022 Supercheap Auto TCR Championship Points

1. Tony D’Alberto                  Honda Civic Type R             658

2. Jordan Cox                       Peugeot 308 TCR                 602                

3. Will Brown                        Audi RS3 LMS TCR               585

4. Josh Buchan                    Hyundai i30 N TCR             565

5. Zac Soutar                         Honda Civic Type R             565

6. Jay Hanson                       Audi RS3 LMS TCR               529

7. Dylan O’Keefe                   Peugeot 308 TCR                 502

8. Bailey Sweeny                Hyundai i30 N TCR             489

9. Ben Bargwanna               Peugeot 308 TCR                 479

10. Nathan Morcom           Hyundai i30 N TCR             471

September 12, 2022

SANDOWN RACEWAY, MELBOURNE: HMO Customer Racing will engage full attack mode for the penultimate round of the 2022 Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Championship at Sandown Raceway this weekend.

Following a roller coaster run in the previous event at Queensland Raceway, the team is confident it can reclaim its race-winning form at the historic Victorian circuit, which returns to the TCR Championship for the first time since 2019.

With all three drivers – Josh Buchan (5^th), Bailey Sweeny (9^th) and Nathan Morcom (10^th) – in the top 10 on the championship ladder for the first time this season, the team is planning for a ‘semi-final’ performance at Sandown that will cement its title aspirations ahead of the Bathurst International finale at Mount Panorama in November.

With a mixture of long, fast straights and heavy braking zones, the HMO Customer Racing Hyundai i30 N TCRs are well prepared to overcome the challenges of the 3.1km circuit, which will almost certainly produce a tightly packed field in qualifying and plenty of door-to-door racing during the three 22-lap races.

Morcom is the only driver at HMO Customer Racing to have previous TCR experience at Sandown Raceway, finishing inside the top 10 in 2019. Sweeny recently raced at the Victorian circuit in a Toyota 86, while Buchan will make his racing debut at Sandown this weekend.

What the drivers said:

Car 11 – Nathan Morcom

“I’m pumped to get back in the car this weekend and return to Sandown Raceway for the first time in a couple of years. It’s such a historic track which presents plenty of unique challenges, especially if it is wet which is forecast for this weekend. That could actually be a blessing for us in a way as we’re still carrying 30kg of success penalties from qualifying in the top 10 at Queensland Raceway. We had good speed in the last round, and it was a shame we couldn’t capitalise on it when I was taken out in the opening race. The team has done an amazing job preparing the car for this weekend, and I’m aiming to repay them with a clean weekend at the pointy end and move back up the championship ladder before the final round at Bathurst.”

Car 30 – Josh Buchan

“Surprisingly, I have never actually raced at Sandown before. I have done plenty of laps around there with driver training events in road cars, but that isn’t an indication of how the weekend is going to go for me. Looking at the weather report though, I think all bets are off and the form guide is going to be very hard to read. Hopefully the fact we’re not carrying any weight penalties this weekend means we have an advantage compared to others, and it is important for me to have a clean weekend and carry the championship challenge into the final round at Bathurst. ”

Car 130 – Bailey Sweeny

“I’m looking forward to heading back to Sandown Raceway, having raced there only a few weeks ago in the Toyota series. But the Hyundai i30 N TCR is a completely different machine and I’m excited by the challenge. We had a pretty successful run in the previous round at Queensland Raceway that put us in the top 10 on the championship ladder for the first time this season. I’m aiming to continue that momentum at Sandown even though we’re carrying a fair chunk of success penalties. The possibility of rain could counteract though and be a bit of an equaliser.”

Sandown Raceway: Track Facts

Location: Melbourne, Victoria

Length: 3.104km

TCR Pole Record: 1:14.6863, Will Brown – 2019

TCR Lap Record: 1:13.9637, Nestor Girolami – 2019

TCR Schedule – Sandown Raceway

Friday September 16	Saturday September 17	Sunday September 18
Practice 1: 11:30am	Qualifying: 11:35am	Race 2: 12:55pm
Practice 2: 2:40pm	Race 1: 4:20pm	Race 3: 4:10pm

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

* after Round 5, Queensland Raceway

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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